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City council candidate Kelly Allard aims to bring council back on track with co-operation, open information and made-in-Medicine Hat solutions.
This is not the first time Allard has run for council, something she was spurred on to from a growing dissatisfaction with how the municipal government has addressed a variety of issues over past terms.
“Nobody is going to want to do business with us if we can’t get our own house in order,” said Allard.
She cited a lack of swift action in regards to mask mandates at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of accountability and recent issues regarding the Mustard Seed as points that had fuelled a decision that if she wanted things to be done right, she needed to be a part of the solution.
Initially, Allard says she did not want to run, out of concern she may need to suspend her work with local digital outlet Community TV, but realizing this was not necessarily the case has spurred her to continue to work toward a better City of Medicine Hat.
Clearer guidelines for media engagement, more ease of access to information for the average citizen, truth and transparency are high on her list of values she hopes to bring to council.
Allard’s focuses are on promoting collaboration, both within council and with city staff, taking a long look at how the city is spending money to ensure best value for those who live here, and examining locally-based, effective solutions for gaps in social programming, such as housing. She cited a project known as “The Village” in Duncan, B.C., which serves as transitional or temporary housing for those experiencing homelessness while minimizing the impact on nearby neighbourhoods, as an example of something she would like to see within Medicine Hat.
“I’m not willing to wait for the province to do anything, and I don’t trust the Mustard Seed at all. Housing is the province’s responsibility, but these are our people and we need to look after them,” said Allard. “If you can get people off the street and you get them stabilized, once we get in there and their brain can settle down, it’s only then they can start thinking about the future.”
As for money management, she wants to focus on less reliance on oil and gas, instead focusing on building stronger budgets that can sustain themselves, cutting unnecessary spending and adding more prudent investment when it comes to trying to attract or retain industry.
“I’ve seen council argue for an hour over spending $10,000 so they don’t bat an eye at spending a million,” said Allard. “We really have to stop spending big money on these big projects thinking we’re going to get big returns.”
She says she believes that promoting further tourism could help to bring growth and revenue to the area, especially along the river. Being from a waterfront herself, she says she knows the value of waterfront property for both residential and tourism purposes, and added that there is serious potential for different forms of investment in the underutilized space.
“I would like to see more development down by the river. Why can’t we go down to the river and, you know, rent a boat or a canoe or something. I’d like to see maybe a boardwalk,” said Allard. “I would like to see them, you know, get rid of the arena and put up something new, possibly some luxury condos, because we can get tax money out of that.”
With plenty of time until the election, Allard is looking forward to speaking with the public and learning more about what matters most to them.
“I’m going to be having some meet and greets. I don’t know if they’re going to be very formal. I’ll be out in the community quite a bit,” said Allard.
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