Fort St. John’s municipal candidates had plenty to talk about Thursday night as they took questions on everything from a proposed new aquatics facility to taxes and public safety.
The Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce hosted an all-candidates forum at the Lido Theatre on Oct. 1, bringing mayoral and council candidates together ahead of the Oct. 17 municipal election.
The evening was split into two portions, with council candidates taking the stage first before mayoral candidates Lilia Hansen and Trevor Bolin faced questions of their own.
For council candidates, one of the first major topics was the upcoming referendum on borrowing up to $90 million for a proposed aquatics facility and indoor fieldhouse.
Avery Cox said they support the borrowing, pointing to the need for a new aquatic facility in a growing community.
“I believe that it is appropriate for us to borrow the $90 million for this amenity that Fort St. John does need,” Cox said.
Cox also raised concerns that construction costs could continue climbing, saying the $90 million loan could become a $120 million project in a couple of years.
Ovvian Hill took the opposite position, saying she plans to vote against the borrowing question.
Hill said her concern isn’t about whether Fort St. John needs a pool, but whether the city can afford the long-term operating costs.
“In the last debate, it was mentioned that there would be tremendous expense for the operations of such an aquatic centre, and it was identified [there is] a shortfall of about $600,000,” Hill said.
“It doesn’t mean I don’t want a pool, it’s just that I am not sure I want a pool that we can’t afford right now.”
The proposed aquatics facility would replace the aging North Peace Leisure Pool and is estimated at $185 million, with the city considering borrowing between $60 million and $90 million depending on other funding sources.
The discussion then turned to how the city could handle the aquatics project alongside other financial pressures.
Incumbent Gord Klassen said rising costs are unavoidable, but the city can still focus on keeping taxes predictable.
“As a city, we can’t stop increases in costs, but what we can do is keep taxes stable and predictable so at least you know when you can plan,” Klassen said.
Klassen also pointed to spending discipline and making sure the city is focusing on the right priorities at the right time.
Lucas Wuthrich said his focus would be on making sure the city’s core services are working before taking on major new spending.
“I think the core services within the city, roads, snow removal, water, sewer, garbage disposal, etc, these are non-negotiable [and] the city can’t function without them,” Wuthrich said.
He added that the city needs to budget within its means and look closely at where it can spend more — or less.
Public safety was another major topic during the forum.
Sarah MacDougall said keeping streets safe requires collaboration with the R-C-M-P, while also putting more emphasis on prevention.
“We have youth who are vulnerable, especially if it’s organized crime,” MacDougall said. “Let’s talk to the schools [and] let’s see what we can do [to] keep the youth busy in positive ways, let’s prevent them from ever getting involved in this organized crime and let’s talk about drug and rehab.”
Jane Drew said she feels safe walking around Fort St. John during the day, but has concerns about being out at night.
“I walk a lot on the streets of Fort St. John, [but] I walk during the day because I feel safe, I don’t walk at night because I don’t feel safe,” Drew said.
Drew said the city needs additional support, particularly when it comes to addressing addiction.
“We need to have the province help us with the addiction problems,” she said.
Fort St. John voters will elect one mayor and six councillors on Oct. 17. Advance voting is scheduled for Oct. 7 and 14.
The aquatics facility borrowing question will also appear on the ballot, asking voters whether the city should be authorized to borrow up to $90 million over a term of up to 30 years for the proposed facility.
