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. 

PLATFORM - Covid or another Crisis Response : Choice Between Freedom and Supposed "Security" - I Choose Freedom

 Unvaxxed

• Yes I am "Unvaxxed". 
• As a Society, we need to take a close look at ourselves and how quickly, when we were afraid, when we were unsure, when we didn't want to be ostracized, we were willing to turn our backs on our fellow Canadians because they chose to exercise their Bodily Autonomy
• What one chooses to put in one's body should never be a question. The answer should always be, loudly and proudly : My Body. My Choice. 

A Promise : City Hall Staff (and something important for Nanaimo Citizens to take note of)

• I will NEVER make a Vaccine or any other potential externality become a Condition of Employment. 
• Now, to City Council's credit during the Pandemic, no member of City Staff was given an ultimatum between taking the Vaccine and losing their job. Credit where credit is due.
• But, to reiterate and reemphasize, if the next "Crisis" occurs, I will NEVER force a member of City Staff to choose between their livelihood and a controversial act that is for the theoretical "greater good". I stand staunchly opposed to Collectivist Thinking. 
• The Rights of the Individual Shall Not Be Impugned.

The Next Crisis : Climate Lockdowns

• Already there is talk among Global Leaders and Global Elites, commenting on the apparent decrease in CO2 when much of the Global Population was Locked Down
• There is already discussion about Global Lockdowns being a viable solution to slowing down Climate Change
• If I am elected to City Council, in whatever capacity I am able, I will push back against Lockdowns for theoretical crises
• In such an instance, I would welcome an Expert Debate, and City Council and Nanaimo Residents, could get perspective on both sides of the idea of "Locking Society Down to Slow Down Climate Change". I believe, the arguments against the idea will carry the day handily. 

PLATFORM - Relationship with First Nations People

 The "Unceded Land" Mantra

• I strongly dislike hearing the acknowledgment before every, single, City Council meeting that we are all, every Nanaimo Resident, living on the "Unceded Land" of the Snunymeux First Nations
• I believe this is technically true, though I am not a Historian, and I do not know what treaties were signed in earlier years. An opportunity for an Expert Debate : Is Nanaimo Unceded Territory?
• The word Unceded is a synonym for "Stolen". Every time Nanaimo Residents hear the Mantra, they are being told, they are being CONDITIONED to internalize the idea that they are living on someone else's stolen land. Psychologically this is not a healthy belief to internalize, nor is it remotely fair. 
• The people living in Nanaimo today had nothing to do with Colonialism, or the Residential Schools, or the Flawed Treaty System. 
• Individuals are responsible for their OWN actions and those for whom they are legally responsible (one's children). No one should feel responsible for the actions of their ancestors, or even more so, the actions of people who lived on the land they occupy decades or centuries ago. 

Renaming City Structures, Streets, Signs, Landmarks to Traditional Snunymeux Names

I would welcome an "Expert Debate : Should Contemporary Names of City Structures and their Historical Significance Be Eliminated to Make Room for New Names that Reflect the Culture of People's Who Were Present Before?"

I believe it is essential to learn History, to learn from History, and strive to avoid the mistakes that were made historically, but I do not believe that Modern people should accept guilt or responsibility for actions that were done by their ancestors. 

Nanaimo has Historical names for its streets, buildings, landmarks. Renaming them is denying the history that encompasses their name. Someone should not be forced to change their name because it is considered the "Progressive", "Conciliatory" thing to do. 

I believe in Individual Liberty and Personal Freedom and Private Property and Respect for History. 

Now, if a new structure in Nanaimo is available to be named, and the owner or relevant party CHOOSES to bequeath the structure a traditional, First Nations name, I am 100% in favor of that. 

For me, it is always about Freedom of Choice, and the absence of the use of Force. 

What happened to First Nations peoples was wrong, but we move forward, not dwelling on the past.

PLATFORM - Homelessness / Mental Health

Slogan

Tough Love Is Still Love.

Philosophy

I'm a nice guy. I care about people. It really does bother me that there are so many people who are having a really hard time in life. We thankfully still have enough resources that everyone should have a good quality of life. The challenge lies in figuring out how to provide that. 

Solutions : Homeless People Who Commit Crimes

This is where the "Tough Love" comes into play. It is important to continuously remind ourselves, that for all of its faults, our Society is a compassionate one. Despite most people have plenty of their own problems, they still care about the welfare and well being of others. No one likes to think about someone else suffering, not having a place to live, to call their own. 

That said, Homeless people who commit crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

Homeless people who commit Destructive or Violent crimes cannot be allowed to live in the City of Nanaimo with Law Abiding Citizens. 

Solutions : Understanding Nature of Person's Homelessness 

It has been said often, but it bears repeating here because it is a critical concept to understand. Each person affected by Homelessness has different reasons for being in that trying state. 

It is the same concept as mixing any materials that do not mix well together. One never gets a desirable result. For example, there is a reason plastics are separated by type. If new plastic is attempted to be created with 2 or more different types of plastics mixed together, the end result is unusable. Lumping together Homeless people with different root causes results in no resolution to the underlying issue. 

As I understand it there are 4 Root Causes of Homelessness which can sadly overlap. 

1. Substance Abuse
2. Mental Health
3. Severe Financial Difficulty
4. Personal Choice (enjoy the lifestyle)

Solutions : Interview / Engaging Proper Service to Help

• Each Homeless person needs to be interviewed to understand the nature of their Homelessness. 
• Following the Interview, the proper Service needs to be engaged. 

Solutions : Homelessness - Personal Choice

For those individuals who enjoy Homelessness as a "Lifestyle", I can appreciate the spirit of Freedom this might give someone, but Vagrancy is not an acceptable way of life in a City with Law Abiding citizens. 

Public Property is to be used as a public space within designated hours of operation. 

Private Property is private and it is unacceptable to impugn its ownership with Vagrancy. 

If one chooses to be Homeless as a "Lifestyle", I respect your decision. 

You cannot practice that Lifestyle in Nanaimo. 

I wish individuals who want to be free in this way all the best in their journeys, but Nanaimo will not be a long stop on that journey.  

If elected to City Council, I will do everything in my power to insure that Nanaimo is a City of Law and Order.  

Solutions : Temporary Shelter using Army Surplus

• The Army is well versed in preparing Emergency Shelter for soldiers
• The City could purchase these types of Shelters and set them up in Vacant Lots
• If the Homeless people have Criminal Histories, Histories of Violence, than they cannot be housed near Law Abiding Residents. They would need to be in Temporary Shelters away from other Citizens. Fairly, they should be in Jail or in Treatment. 
• For Homeless people who are peaceful, they can be housed in Temporary Shelters on Vacant Lots within the City Limits. Every effort must be made to secure them the Services they need to get their life back on track. 

Solutions : City Purchases Unused Buildings

• The City could purchase Empty Buildings and convert them into Temporary Housing
• The cost to the Taxpayers would be very high
• Full disclosure of the costs would be on the My Tax Money Nanaimo App / Website. 
• Nanaimo Taxpayers would have to decide whether they wanted to foot the bill with likely significant increases to their Taxes. 

Solutions : Reopen Riverside Hospital or Another Psychiatric Hospital

• Everyone knows it. Closing Riverside because of Woke, Progressive ideas about allowing people to be free to live their lives when they do not have the Mental wherewithal to do so was madness (literally). 
• Riverside needs to be reopened. Improved of course, using the best practices in modern Psychology, but large facilities that are equipped to treat people with Mental Health issues are an absolute necessity. 
• People who need Medications to be stable, require constant supervision to insure they are taking their medications and not posing a threat to themselves or to others. 
• It is categorically unfair to have Peaceful, Law Abiding citizens enduring the civil disorder, and potential threat to their safety from people who demonstrably need help that cannot be provided in regular Society. 
• In fact it is NEGLIGENCE on the part of the Healthcare System, to not have people with severe Mental Health in a proper Psychiatric facility. 

PLATFORM - Crime / Police Empowerment / Citizen Self Defense / Nanaimo Safety Action Plan $2.5 Million & 1% Property Tax Increase for Glorified Guidance Counsellors

My Commitment

Nanaimo is a City for Law Abiding Citizens. If someone is breaking the law, they must be prosecuted for their Crimes. If someone is breaking the law, and endangering fellow Citizens, they must be removed from the Society of Law Abiding people. 

If elected City Councilor, I will do everything in my power to make Nanaimo a City of Law and Order.  

Personal Philosophy

Civil Society depends on the Social Contract. We all agree to live together, and obey the rules, obey the laws. This is how we can coexist peacefully. We don't always agree, but we maintain a level of respect and civility. 

When someone commits a Crime, they are breaking the Social Contract. As a compassionate Society, we want to try to understand why a Crime has been committed and rehabilitate the person who committed the crime. But, this healing process takes time. In the interim, someone who commits a Crime needs to experience consequences, and, especially when the crime is of a destructive or violent nature, the person needs to be removed from congress with law abiding people, whether that be a treatment facility or jail. 

Analogy : The Household

If a member of the household is threatening, stealing, engaging in acts of violence, and the members of the household wish to preserve a harmonious home life, then the individual who is being disruptive must cease their destructive behavior or they must leave. People who want to live in a peaceful home deserve that state of calm and order. It is perfectly reasonable and right for anyone who is ruining that pleasant home life to be asked to stop, and if they don't stop, then to leave. This isn't cruelty, this is fairness. This is everyone's right to a happy domestic life. 

Police

• Hiring : It is not possible to hire more Police Officers when no one wants the job. 
• Demoralized : Police Officers are demoralized because their arrests don't result in convictions and due punishment. 

Police : My Commitment

Whatever I can do within my power as a City Councilor to empower our Police to make arrests that stick, I will do. 

I will lobby the Provincial Government, the BC Court System, and speak publicly on the need to give our Police the power and authority to do their job and keep Law Abiding Citizens safe.  

Solutions

• Treatment for people with Addictions
• Housing for the Homeless
• Lobbying the Provincial Government and the BC Court System constantly to change policies to insure that people who commit destructive and violent crimes are put in the proper facility, whether that be treatment center or jail. 

Solutions : Jails

My understanding is that many Jails in BC have plenty of capacity. 

These facilities can have sections be converted into Detention / Treatment Centers. 

We don't have to build new facilities, when we have those that are under utilized. 

Solutions : Broken Windows Theory

Nanaimo needs to do what Mayor Rudy Giuliani did in New York in the 1990's. Small Crimes need to be prosecuted regularly, and consistently, so that a clear message is sent to anyone who considers committing a Criminal Act in Nanaimo. 

If the Small Crimes are prosecuted vigorously, than the larger crimes will be discouraged by virtue of the discouragement of the Criminal Element in Nanaimo. 

Solutions : Pepper Spray for Residents Who Wish To Carry It

A fellow Candidate proposed the idea, and I think it is an excellent one. 

Pepper spray is painful, and it's a shame to use it, but it is non-lethal and will stop an aggressor. 

Plenty of women, and many men, would feel safer to walk around Downtown Nanaimo if they were carrying Pepper Spray with them. 

I am a strong believer in the United States 2nd Amendment. 

I don't believe Nanaimo Citizens need to be armed (yet, hopefully never), I do believe, very strongly, that Nanaimo Residents should have the option to protect themselves in an effective, non-lethal manner if they feel threatened. 

I believe that Governments which discourage Citizens from having the tools and training to protect themselves are trying to train their Citizens to be weak and easily controlled. 

No Law Abiding Citizen should walk their City streets in fear, and until Local Government imposes Tough Love on people who are making the City unsafe, Citizens deserve the right to be able to defend themselves effectively. 

Thought : Nanaimo Safety Action Plan

The Action Plan calls for the hiring of 12 Community Safety Officers, 2 permanent cleaning teams, downtown ambassadors, vandalism relief grant money, more parkade cleaning, parks ambassadors and more. 

The Plan will cost $1.5 million in 2022, $2.8 million in 2023, and $2.5 million in 2024 and beyond. 

This will result in 0.9 percent tax increase in 2022, and a 1.0 percent tax increase in 2023. 

I loathe band-aid solutions to problems. Nanaimo needs Tough Love. People who commit crimes, especially violent ones, need to go to jail. People with substance abuse problems to Rehab. People with Mental Health problems need to be in Psychiatric Hospitals.  We are a caring people, but we do not like to waste money on solutions which DO NOT fix problems, but merely alleviate symptoms. Reminds me of the Pharmaceutical Industry. They profit from "managing symptoms", not from actually curing illness. Curing illness is not profitable long term.

By NOT effectively solving Nanaimo's Homelessness and Substance Abuse problem, the Incumbent Council has created more City Staff positions, and MORE burden on Nanaimo Taxpayers. 

Safety Officers are toothless! All they can do is recommend services and ask someone to move along. Herding cats with feathers.

Thought : Nanaimo Is For Law Abiding Citizens

It doesn't take a genius to see that Nanaimo's Crime  problem stems from Homelessness and Substance Abuse. 

The solution is these individual's issues need to be addressed. 

The question is do City Politicians have the Guts and Political Will to make a tough call : if someone wants to live in Nanaimo, they will follow the law. Otherwise, they are NOT WELCOME in Nanaimo. Law Abiding Citizens follow the law. Homeless people and those with Substance Abuse problems must be no different. 

ENOUGH with spending Tax Payer's money to continue enabling people. 

Jail for those who are criminals.

Rehab and Treatment for those with Substance abuse issues. Solved.

PLATFORM - Transit

 Main Idea : Shuttles for Low Volume Routes / Increase Frequency of Trips / Shuttles are Cheaper Than Buses

• Nanaimo Residents find the Transit system painfully slow for Routes other than the Main Ones
• The Solution is to increase the number of trips Transit can make along Routes
• Increasing the number of Trips, when the Bus often has hardly any passengers is not cost effective
• The Solution to this is simple : smaller vehicles than buses. Those would be : Shuttles. 

Shuttle Drivers

• It's not pleasant to talk about, but Shuttle drivers would logically be paid less than full Bus Drivers, since their vehicles are easier to operate and they are responsible (theoretically) for fewer passengers
• The lower salary, would help to mitigate the cost of the increased number of trips

PLATFORM - Against the OCP (Official Community Plan) / Smart Cities / Donut Economics

Expert Debate : Is Nanaimo Becoming a Smart City In the best Interest Of Its Residents?

• To its Credit, the previous Council did engage in a 3 Phase consultation process with Nanaimo Residents before passing the Official Community Plan (OCP)
• The issue is that only a fraction of the Residents actually provided feedback. It is hard to get a firm figure on individual, verified feedback on the different phases of the plan, but it was still only a relatively small percentage of the population
• For such a serious decision, that significantly impacts the planning of the City and the impact on Nanaimo Tax Payers, Experts should have been invited and the public had the benefit of a proper debate, with tough questions and rigorous defense of ideas
• Far too few Residents have any idea about the ENORMOUS impact on their lives the decision to make Nanaimo a Smart City will have

Cities of Surveillance : Sensors in Everything

• The central goal of Smart Cities is efficiency. But this is efficiency achieved through the massive collection of data from Sensors embedded in infrastructure throughout a City. Sensors on Traffic Lights, Street Lamps, Garbage Cans, Park Benches, Buildings.
• All of these Sensors will be collecting data constantly with the goal of making sure that all aspects of the City are operating with greater efficiency
• But, Smart Cities will also encourage Citizens to wear Smart Devices. Citizens will regularly be giving feedback to the Smart City. Heart beat. Temperature. Eventually, the goal is for Smart Cities to be able to measure Citizens mood with Sensors. Eventually Citizens will be encouraged to have Sensors implanted inside their own bodies. 

THOUGHTS - Workplace Education Incentivization / Adult Self Improvement and Self Confidence Augmentation / Investment Training

 Affordable Housing Is A Major Problem

• Is the Solution really to build more Affordable Housing? 
• Is the Solution really to build Housing for people so they can merely subsist at the least ambitious state possible? 
• Or is the Solution to empower, educate and embolden people to better themselves and their lives, so they can afford to live in a place of their dreams. 

Workplace Education

• Companies should Incentivize employees to improve their Education and Job Skills through the traditional routes of Promotions and Increased Pay, but also reward them for increasing Education on their own time

THOUGHTS - School Choice : The Solution to The Majority of Society's Ills

 Pick A Problem, Let's Say Housing

• How do people who afford a comfortable home do so? They find the means to secure funds to pay for that housing. How do they find the means? Through careers with sufficient compensation, smart investing, creative side businesses. 
• What do these paths to wealth generation have in common? Self Confidence. A sense of Purpose. 
• Confidence is acquired by doing things which challenge oneself, through having a variety of experiences
• Much of those aspects of a person's personality are formed during the School Years of a person's life. 
• With School Choice those formative years are spent with a child being in an Educational Environment which is best suited to their temperament and learning style, resulting in them having a more satisfying and rewarding scholastic experience, where they are genuinely learning, growing, and gaining self confidence.

PLATFORM - Arts and Culture

 The Port Theater

• How much did the Port Theater cost the City?
• Has the Port Theater ever been a Net Revenue Generator for the City? 
• Does the Port Theater operate at a yearly deficit that Nanaimo Tax Payers need to pay for? 
• I highly encourage all Nanaimo Citizens to demand the creation of the My Tax Money Nanaimo : Smartphone App and Website, and Residents will be able to see for themselves how much the Port Theater is costing them every year

Nanaimo Art Gallery

• I like Arts and Culture
• My Mother had a Masters Degree in Art History and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Museums and Cathedrals with her in Spain and hearing her speak about the history of paintings, sculptures and architecture
• But, I want Nanaimo Tax Payers to know how much Arts and Culture is affecting their bottom line
• People spend money on what they use and what they value
• Residents will need to ask themselves how often they visit the Art Gallery, and whether they are willing to foot the bill for an expansion 

Expert Debate : Arts and Culture Spending in Nanaimo

• It is 

THOUGHT - Freedom vs Security / Healthcare / Businesses

 Freedom to Choose

• Healthcare is Provincial Jurisdiction, but if Elected to City Council, and in the event of another Pandemic (or any other matter where there was a choice between Individual Freedom and Government Mandates), I would be an absolute advocate for Individual Freedom to Choose. 
• Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." I believe people should still have Liberty, if they choose Safety, but, as history clearly demonstrates, once Government has power over its Citizens, Government is loathe to surrender it. 

Healthcare

• How many Nurses quit or were let go because they didn't take the Covid Vaccine? Because they didn't want to take a Vaccine that was tested for less than a year, and had countless questions about its safety and still does? 
• How can Provincial Health wonder why there is a Nurse shortage when pigheaded practices are what shot the Citizens of BC in the foot? 
• Again, Healthcare is a Provincial Matter, but as a Public Servant, and responsible for the wellbeing of Nanaimo Citizens, I would advocate strongly Nurses and other Healthcare Professionals right to choose what they inject into their own bodies without jeopardizing their careers and livelihood
• Let me say here, the whole situation was monstrous and as a Nation we CANNOT let it happen again
• The next "Pandemic" will be a "Climate Emergency" requiring Government Mandates yet again
• I sincerely hope Canadians, including Nanaimo Residents will choose Freedom before "supposed" Government Security when the next crisis emerges

Businesses

• How many businesses were lost because of the Lockdowns and then the Vax Passports? 
• How many businesses were put into the uncomfortable position of denying law abiding, tax paying citizens the use of a businesses' services simply because they had made a personal health decision (and especially when the Vaccine never stopped transmission of the Virus and Natural Immunity has proven to be as effective if not superior to the Vaccine)
• When the next "Crisis" occurs, I will do everything in my power as a City Councilor to prevent the need for local Businesses to have to choose between which law abiding, tax paying Citizens get to use their services and which don't
• Mandates are not Laws. They have the "supposed" authority of Laws, but they are purely a Government construction without the rigour that is supposed to go into forming a Law. Mandates are inherently supposed to be temporary, and they are, by nature, created without the benefit of sufficient insight or research

PLATFORM - Traffic

 People Want To Drive

• The goal of the City's Official Community Plan (OCP), Smart Cities (which Nanaimo is planned to be), Donut Economics (the system upon which Smart Cities are based), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) composed of Unelected, Global Elites who are pushing for Smart Cities is to get regular people OUT of cars (the Elites of course will continue to use them, along with their Private Helicopters and Planes) and onto Bicycles and Public Transit
• Surprisingly enough, regular people also enjoy the Independence and Freedom being able to drive gives them. Just like the Elites do. How strange...almost like regular people also aspire to the highest Quality of Life they can afford just like the Elites. 

Responsibility of Local Government Is To Facilitate The Public Will

• The responsibility of Local Government is not to act as the arbiter of what Citizens in Society should be doing, but to act as the Facilitator for the demonstrated Public Will 
• 99% of Nanaimo Citizens drive
• Local Governments job is to make driving for Nanaimo Citizens faster and more efficient

Solutions : Overpasses On The Parkway

• My understanding is that originally the Parkway was designed with Overpasses in mind, but that the project ran short of funds.
• I would advocate to the Provincial Government on behalf of Nanaimo Residents for funds to begin being collected for the Construction of Overpasses along the Parkway
• As the number of Residents in Nanaimo grows, and the number of vehicles correspondingly grows, it is imperative that more efficient roadways be constructed
• Already during peak hours, drivers must wait for several traffic lights before they can move through an intersection. During this time drivers are Idling their Vehicles and contributing to Greenhouse Gas Emissions. This is also a waste of Driver's time. 
• People want to drive. Nanaimo will see an increase in vehicle traffic. It is time to start planning to turn the Traffic Light intersections into Overpasses. 

Solutions : Overpass at the Intersection of Ware Road and Island Highway

• Perhaps the First Place to set money aside for building an Overpass for is the Intersection of Ware Road and the Island Highway.
• The Island Highway heading North Bound towards Parskville is on a Grade. Vehicles that need to stop at the Intersection for a Red Light need to accelerate Up the Grade when the light turns green. 
• Large Trucks IN PARTICULAR need to expend considerable amounts of fuel and slow down traffic significantly when they need to stop at the Intersection and then slowly (ever so slowly) accelerate through the Intersection
• Building an Overpass at this Intersection first would be a good first step in improving the Traffic Flow along the Parkway

Solutions : Add More Lanes to the Parkway

• Money needs to start being set aside and plans need to begin to be drawn up to expand the number of lanes along the Parkway
• The goal of Smart Cities, and the Global Elite is to have all the little people, riding bicycles and using Transit, while they continue to use as much fuel and produce emissions as they see fit
• But vehicles give people Independence and Freedom, traits which humanity has fought for during the entirety of its history
• Technological Innovation will figure out how to make cars that have minimal Environmental Impact
• The goal must be to preserve Individual Freedom and marry it to Environmental Stewardship
• Our goal must be to have our Cake and Eat it too. The Elites get cake. We deserve it too.

PLATFORM - City Staff / Hiring Practices

 12 New Bylaw Officers

• 12 New Bylaw Officers were hired at a cost of $50,000 / year 
• My understanding is there main purpose was to address the Homelessness issue, in particular cleaning up after them
• This is ridiculous
• Responsible parents do NOT keep cleaning up after children who are poorly behaved. Responsible parents punish irresponsible behavior, and teach their children how to be responsible people
• Nanaimo needs to STOP following a policy of Enabling people with Substance Abuse problems, and instead give them a decision. Go into Rehab and Treatment, or you cannot live in Nanaimo
• It is NOT the responsibility of hard working, tax paying Citizens to constantly be paying for people who are engaging in self destructive behavior
• Tax Payers are happy to for Treatment, for Results, for putting a Stop to someone's self destructive behavior, but the idea of constantly paying to clean up after people who are only being a drain on others...this is unacceptable. 
• When human beings live together, they must follow the Social Contract, they must follow basic levels of decency and civility or else they do not belong among civilized behaving individuals