Nanaimo Election 2022 - Q&A with Candidates - Beban Park, Oct 13, 22

 

Thursday Night (Oct 13th from 6 to 9 pm) was the Open Invitation to All City Council Candidates for A Debate at Beban Park. 

Sadly, as many might have been predicted, only a relatively small number of Candidates participated.  

As such, the Debate was instead a Q&A with the audience. 

I still found it a really rewarding experience, and an opportunity to practice some real Grassroots Democracy. 

Thanks to the Candidates who participated :  Frank Pluta, Jeff Annesley, Mike Hartlaub, Brunie Brunie, David Wang, Derek Hanna, Nick Greer 

Thanks to Dave Cutar and Norm Detillieux for Moderating the Event. 

Thanks to Kevin for handling Time Keeper duties. 

Thanks to the staff at Beban Park for setting up the Auditorium so nicely. 

The Event really felt quite official thanks to the professional aesthetics. 

Open Invitation to All City Council Candidates and the Nanaimo Public for a Debate / Thursday October 13th from 6 pm - 9 pm / Beban Park, Auditorium A

Update (October 10th, 2022) : Moderator Found!!!

• A kind Member of the Community has volunteered to be the Debate's Moderator. 
• Dave Cutar, a local Pastor. He is quite personable and apparently funny as well, so expect a bit of vamping maybe. 
• He is aware that there is the, sadly, strong possibility there will be insufficient Candidates for a Debate. 
• In this instance the Event will be a Q&A, but Dave could still be available to help guide the questioning, and maybe ask a Question from the Nanaimo News Now Survey if there is a lull. 

Time Keeper Still Needed

• The Time Keeper will simply keep track of how long Candidates speak and make sure they stay in their allotted speaking time. 
• The Time Keeper will have Green, Yellow and Red paper to hold up to alert Candidates to the amount of time they have remaining to speak. 

 

VIDEOS - 3 Videos / Video 1 : Nanaimo Becoming A Smart City / Video 2 : Crime and Tough Love / Video 3 : Progressive Gender Ideology

Video 1 :  On My Thoughts Regarding Nanaimo Becoming a Smart City

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Video 2 :  On The Tragic Murder of Fred Parsons 

- The Terrible Rise In Crime Nanaimo Has Seen Over The Past 4 Years 

- Tough Love Nanaimo, My Platform For Addressing This Unacceptable Situation

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Video 3 : On Progressive Gender Ideology 

- Gender Neutral Bathrooms At Harbourfront Library in Downtown Nanaimo 

- Probable Installation of Gender Neutral Bathrooms In Other Nanaimo Libraries and Public Schools (as is the case in Cowichan Valley schools) 

- Opposition to SOGI being taught in Public Schools, especially to Elementary School Students

- Opposition to Drag Queen Story Hour At Public Libraries

THOUGHTS - Low Voter Turnout and The Impact of the Union Vote on Nanaimo Elections

 Low Voter Turnout

• "It's just a City Election." This is the sentiment among far too many Canadians. 
• In the 2018 Election, Voter Turnout was 40.4% (https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/election-results-v3/index.php?localgovernmentid=78&select-year=2018&select-view-by=municipality)
• In the 2014 Election, Voter Turnout was 34% (https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/election-results-v3/index.php?localgovernmentid=78&select-year=2018&select-view-by=municipality)
• In the 2011 Election, Voter Turnout was 28.7% (https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/election-results-v3/index.php?localgovernmentid=78&select-year=2018&select-view-by=municipality)
• If one wanted to be charitable, one could say this shows an increasing improvement in Voter turnout, which is true. 
• But still...40.4% Voter Turnout being considered "good"...this is not what a Healthy Democracy looks like. 

The Union Vote : CUPE

• In 2018, CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) endorsed Candidates for Nanaimo City Council. 
• In the message sent to CUPE Members, they were told to make sure to vote for the specific Candidates listed. 
• Those Candidates were : (Mayoral Candidate) Leonard Krog, (Council Candidates) Sheryl Armstrong, Guy Beaulieu (wasn't elected), Don Bonner, Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht, Erin Hemmens, Zeni Maartman, Ian Thorpe
• 8 of the 9 Candidates currently on Council were endorsed by CUPE. 
• CUPE is the Union of Nanaimo City Staff
• During the first 7 months of the New Councils time in office they negotiated a Wage Increase of 2% Per Year for the 4 year period between Jan 2019 and Dec 2022. 
• City Tax Payers pay City Staff. It does make sense for City Staff to insure they have people on Council who will look favorably on Salary negotiations doesn't it. 
• People have to be paid a proper wage for their level of productivity. Raises are a natural part of the Employer / Employee Relationship. I love Capitalism. I love Incentives. I think this is fine. 
• But, in the case of Citizens' Tax Money being used to pay Civil Servants, and Civil Servants selecting and ENDORSING specific Candidates, who will be in charge of hiring, firing, salary increases...call me crazy, but this seems problematic at best. 

The Union Vote : HEU

• In this Election the HEU (Hospital Employee's Union) has endorsed specific Candidates. 
• These Candidates are : (Mayoral Candidate) Leonard Krog, (Council Candidates) Ken Bennett, Don Bonner, Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht, Erin Hemmens, Zeni Maartman, Ian Thorpe
• Time for a Surprise 😮, Municipal Taxes collected are, in part, allocated for use by the Hospital. 
• In 2022, the city received a requisition request from the Hospital for an 88% increase over 2021 which already saw an increase of 34% over 2020. 
• To be fair, this was when Covid hit, and in all honesty is a perfectly understandable increase. 
• However, the central point remains. 
• The HEU, just like CUPE, has endorsed Candidates. These Candidates will have control over the use of Taxpayer's Money to fund their organizations and their salaries. 

The BIG Problem

• You see where I'm going with all this obviously. 
• Nanaimo has a very low Voter turnout. 
• City Council Candidates got Elected with Vote totals as Low as 8500 (out of more than 68,000 Eligible Voters). 
• With Vote totals so Low, and Unions Endorsing Specific Candidates, Unions with hundreds of Members, casting VERY VALUABLE Votes, in Elections with such low turnout, well, Council Candidates might feel a certain amount of...gratitude towards the Unions whose sheer numbers were a significant help to getting them elected. 
• This is all perfectly legal, and organizations are free to endorse whom they wish
• I just find it concerning that Members of City Council might feel some sense of indebtedness to any group when they are in control of Resident's Tax Money. 

PLATFORM - NO To Progressive Gender Ideology / NO to Gender Neutral Bathrooms / NO to Drag Queen Story Hour

 There Are 2 Genders

• People are free to identify as whatever Gender they wish. People are free to say that there are 69 or more Genders with more being discovered all the time. We are a Free Society. We have Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression. 
• But, Scientifically there are 2 Genders : Male and Female
• I believe that for Human Beings to able to function in Society in a Healthy Manner it is essential to be true to Objective Reality. 
• And the Objective Reality of Human Beings (and nearly all species on Earth) is there are 2 Genders : Male and Female

NO Gender Neutral Bathrooms

• The Harbourfront Library in Downtown Nanaimo no longer has Male and Female Bathrooms. There is now only a Gender Neutral Bathroom. 
• In a Gender Neutral Bathroom, a Little Girl, can be in the same bathroom as an Adult Male. This is unacceptable. 
• Gender Neutral Bathrooms do NOT have Male Urinals. Men are Biologically different from Women. The Urinal is a wonderful convenience, and a more sanitary bathroom fixture for Men. And seriously? How pleasant is it for women to use a toilet after a man has finished? 🚽 Ladies, it's time to speak up for your right to have non-man used public toilets! Men, it's time to speak up for your right to have your Urinals! 
• Gender Neutral bathrooms are a form of Social Engineering. We are being trained to internalize the idea that there is no difference between the sexes. That we are all one homogenous human blob. That the idea of Sex and Gender are interchangeable. I believe this is part of the goal of the Global Elites to engage in Population Control. The Sexual Tension and Attraction and Distinction between Males and Females is what keeps our species procreating like rabbits. 🐇 Flattening the differences between the Sexes will lead to internalizing the concept, "we're all the same", and a probable decline in the birth rate. 

NO Drag Queen Story Hour 

• All over Canada, and the rest of the world, a new movement is taking place to introduce Children to the Adult world of Drag Queens. This is madness. 
• An adult is free to express their sexuality in whatever way they see fit, but why, in God's name, is it necessary to introduce Alternative Sexual Lifestyles to Children? 
• What is this obsession Progressives have with introducing children to Sexuality at a young age? 
• Children's bodies are not making demands for them to express their Sexuality. What good is accomplished by introducing them to Adult sexuality when their main concerns are sleepovers and baseball games? 
• There are Ideological Battles raging all over the world, as Conservative adults and Progressive adults struggle over the right to have children listen to stories read by Men who are pretending to be Women. 
• Children are young, easily impressionable, and have very active imaginations. Introducing them to the idea that it is perfectly normal that a Man pretends to be a Woman, and that this is a perfectly normal, perfectly desirable way to be is not healthy. Humanity procreates and continues its existence when Men enjoy the experience of being Male and Women enjoy the experience of being Female. Children need to learn that the normal way for human beings to develop is for boys to become Men and girls to become Women. That is how our species will continue to exist. 
• Again, it seems to me that this MASSIVE push to introduce children to Alternative Sexual Identities is being perpetrated by the Global Elites who are deeply concerned with Population Growth. Children who grow up to be Gender Confused, or Adults with Alternative Sexual Lifestyles, are much less likely to procreate, or have a family. This isn't controversial, but it is deplorable. 
• If Elected to Council, I will push HARD to not allow for Drag Queen Story Hours in Nanaimo. 
• Tax Payers Money will NOT be used to fund this Indoctrination, this Grooming of young children. 
• Private Events won't be able to be stopped by denying Tax Payer funds, but I will publicly speak out against them. Count on it. 
• I just do not understand the desire of Progressives to sexualize children. It goes against everything I was brought up to believe. 

PLATFORM - Big Ideas : Smartphone App / Website

SMARTPHONE APP / Website  - My Tax Money Nanaimo

Alternative (perhaps more palatable) Name

• Informed Nanaimo

I personally like My Tax Money Nanaimo because it gets to the heart of the App's purpose. 

To give Residents a quick and easy way to get transparency and keep track of how the City is using and plans to use their money. 

Description 

A Smartphone App for Residents to quickly scan through key pieces of City Information. 

Philosophy Behind App

The City functions thanks to YOUR Money. You should be able to find out, with the ease of modern technology (in this case a Smartphone App) exactly how your money is being used in the operation of your City. 

Content

• Current Salaries : City Council and City Staff 
• Past Raises : City Council and City Staff
• Voting Records : City Council
• City Finances : Operating Budget, Budget Deficits, Current Debt, Strategic Reserves
• City Projects : Most critically how much they will Cost

Precedent : Nanaimo Recycles Smartphone App

The City of Nanaimo has already produced a very useful Smartphone App which many Residents find valuable to remind them of their Garbage and Recycling schedules, and where to take items they are unsure of how to either dispose of or where to take for proper recycling. 

Precedent : MyCity Website

The City has a very useful Online Site for Residents to track their User Rates fees. 

The existence of both the "Nanaimo Recycles" App and the "MyCity" Website clearly demonstrates that the City has the ability to both create a useful Smartphone App and to supply Residents with historical and up to date information about financial matters which directly apply to them. 

PLATFORM - Big Ideas : Experts Debate

Description

Two Experts on a particular issue that is relevant to the City and Nanaimo Tax Payers are invited to the City to  answer Resident's questions and Debate. 

Why Have Experts Debate?

Complex problems have many facets to them. If City Council is going to use Tax Payers money to address problems, then Tax Payers should gain perspective on the problem from both sides of the issue. 

Example Debate : Kate Raworth vs Bjorn Lomborg - "Will Nanaimo Becoming A Smart City Genuinely Benefit Its Citizens And The Planet?"

Kate Raworth is the creator of the "Donut Economy" and the inspiration for Nanaimo's current Official Community Plan. She is author of the best-selling book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.

Bjorn Lomborg is former director of the Danish government's Environmental Assessment Institute in Copenhagen and author of the best-selling and controversial book The Skeptical Environmentalist.

How It Works

• 2 Experts are invited to discuss an issue affecting the City. 
• 1 Expert from one side of the issue and 1 Expert from the other side of the issue. 
• Both Experts will be present at a City Council meeting. 
• City Council will ask the Experts questions sent in by Nanaimo Residents. 
• Each Expert will present their perspective on the question. 
• The Experts will be allowed to Debate each other on questions following standard Debate Rules (perhaps those used in Oxford debates). 
• The Questions / Debate will be recorded and made available for Nanaimo Citizens to watch.