By the time this story appears, the election for city council will be over and we will know who will form the council and assume responsibility for the welfare of the city.
Mayor Rebecca Alty has been acclaimed for a second term. I am happy for you, Mayor Alty.
As new councillors, I ask you to talk to your constituents throughout the city to get their thoughts, listen to specialists that address council members and ask lots of questions of your managers in order to review their recommendations that affect how you will vote in the future. And it is OK to change your mind with new information.
Leave the Willow Flats and Peace River Flats alone. Most are taxpayers but with a smaller tax footprints to assess. This is a historical site and needs no redevelopment into condos and maximum development.
While lots of resentment toward the houseboaters may still exist for not paying taxes for city services they receive, the community is part of the tourism list. While kayaking the area, I have to say I was proud to have defended the houseboaters in the past
Of course, you will be asked to deal with the safety of the downtown core and how people are frightened of the mostly Indigenous people living or using the downtown area, which is their right.
I was acting mayor at a time when Albert Eggenberger rushed into the office with an idea he had to keep the downtown core clean. He was so excited and had reason to be. He proposed a project headed by Margaret Thrasher, as supervisor to clean the downtown core. I happened to have some authority and authorized payment to Albert to distribute cash to those who worked for Margaret.
A day later, someone came into the office and asked, “What is happening to our streets?” I asked him what he was talking about. He reported the streets and the post office were so clean, he thought he was in the “twilight zone.” Margaret was the sidewalk supervisor, hiring those who would work, making people re-do their work if not satisfactory to her standards.
I wrote a letter of thanks to Margaret. she picked it up from Albert that morning. She was so proud of that letter. By noon when I saw her, that letter had been in her back pocket and taken out so often, the creases were ready to tear the paper apart. I indicated I would ensure she had replacement workers. Sadly, in the fall, the council denied a program extension. The city relapsed to its filthy past.
You will be asked about how the city should deal with the downtown people. It takes talking to people outside your comfort zone. Simple kindness is asked. Sometimes we need to reflect on our own prejudices. The municipal and corporate parties, in bringing families up to the North, should know to include Indigenous people to assist in the families’ transition here and how to move about downtown without being fearful.
A fun aside: the first time I ran for council, many citizens talked about how councillors are “bought off.” At our first training session, our mayor asked if anyone had questions and I put up my hand. I said many citizens said members of council were paid off, and that I hadn’t been offered money and wanted to know if I was being discriminated against? You could hear a pin drop on the carpet, the room was so silent. I let the silence settle in then finally said, “It’s a joke, people!”
There are tragic times for any municipality to meet. The hardest time was dealing with the aftermath of the deaths of nine Giant miners by sabotage. The council held its meeting, made a statement about how the investigation needed to be completed to find the person or persons responsible, and offered condolences to the families, friends and community affected by such a loss. A standard neutral statement. It was a difficult time for the city, but, in the end, it was Yellowknifers that pulled through by reaching out, being themselves that pulled us back into daily friendly normalcy.
Enjoy your time on council – I did over 10 years.