Election forum challenges council candidates on diversity and inclusion topics

Did not attend: Kraymer Barnstable, Calvin Campbell, Stephen Coop, Victor Doerksen, Grace Engel, Vesna Higham**, Chad Krahn, Lawrence Lee**, Ryan Laloge, Lindsay Laroque, Jason MacDonald, Jozef Mihaly, Liam Milaney, Harish Ratra, Janise Somer, and Dianne Wyntjes**

Author’s note: Due to the format of the event, not all issues or candidates could be covered equally.

Indigenous Issues – How will you ensure urban Indigenous voices will be heard louder at the council table?

Michael Dawe: “We need to take the agreement that’s been signed, have regular check-ins, ask what are we doing right, but also what are we doing wrong in terms of our commitments? We don’t admit what we’ve done wrong. These are really critical issues and we need to get away from lip service.”

Craig Curtis: “There’s been a lot of words, but not a lot of action. I believe we have to recognize the calls to action and recognize the trauma that has gone from generation to generation. Among the homeless, there is a large proportion of Indigenous people who’ve suffered from or inherited trauma. The City has a lot more to do.”

Lisa Spencer-Cook: “I too am learning. I knew things were bad but not as bad as they actually are. I think we have to recognize the cultural trauma and work on reconciliation daily. I think we need to ask some uncomfortable questions.”

Dax Williams: “It’s important we speak to various cultural associations. It’s important we lean on them to see how they would find the most efficacy in communicating their needs so we can build an integrative framework in regards to policy and overall operations of the City.”

Sarah Harksen: “My daughter is Mohawk, and working with the Native Friendship Centre, I know they have a remarkable amount of resources which we need to incorporate into our politics.”

2SLGBTQ+ Issues – Where do you sit on the matter of conversion therapy, which city council failed to place a firm ban on in early 2020?

Sadia Khan: “There are places in Canada who are ahead of the game. We need to catch up. We need to be having deeper conversations.”

Hans Huizing: “Conversion therapy is stupid. I left my brother’s church because of it. When I’d heard a good friend of mine had gone through it, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. I’m also named after my uncle who came out in the 1960s; I carry his name and his love.”

Sheyi Olubowale: “I’ve heard some things about conversion therapy. Whatever it is that’s going to hurt my friends and colleagues, and the people of Red Deer, no matter who they are, I will not stand for it.”

Nicole Lydiard: “I can’t believe we’re still talking about conversion therapy. I find it horrific. We need to move on from it, and be collective and inclusive, love and accept everyone for who they are.”

Accessibility and Disability – The new Capstone development has achieved certain Rick Hansen Foundation-related standards for accessibility, so what would you do to enhance accessibility across the city in line with that achievement?

Brenda Campbell: “It’s hard to retrofit sometimes, but I would try to access every penny I could to make that happen.”

Graham Barclay: “We could put in specifications for how a development must be build, and I think that can be done wisely. Retrofitting can be done, but that becomes a capital issue.”

Racism and Discrimination – What will you do to support better race relations?

Bruce Buruma: “Red Deer does have a reputation for being racist and we’ve seen examples of that. We faced that at Red Deer Public Schools where we made national news. We had Syrian students involved in a fight and misinformation came out. It’s a reputation I think that isn’t well-deserved because I believe the hearts of people in Red Deer are good in so many ways. Unfortunately it’s a small minority that paints that image, and we need to work at building community with purpose and intention. The city has an important role to play.”

Housing and Homelessness – *This subject could not be covered within the time constraints

Other opening/closing remarks from candidates

Cindy Jefferies: “I want to help Red Deer become a place, regardless of who people are, feel welcome and like they belong here. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that we depend on community more than we ever thought. Work on Indigenous relations needs to continue.”

Brenda Campbell: “As a school counsellor, I’m so invested in inclusion and diversity. No matter how long we’ve been here, we all have something to share. We’ve made progress, since I was a kid, at least.”

Michael Dawe: “One of Red Deer’s greatest strengths is its diversity, and it all comes with basic respect.”

Matt Chapin: “I want to bring forward mental health awareness. Being a child of a parent with this, sometimes children don’t know where to go and I want to be an advocate for them.”

Craig Curtis: “I feel council is on the wrong track in a number of areas. My foundation of growing up in South Africa was a terrible experience involving racism and fighting against that. There was being tear-gassed in protests, all of which led me to immigrate to Canada in 1980. I have a real passion, though I’m not an expert, and I’m a long-time ally of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.”

Dax Williams: “I’m a 20-year resident, parent of a 12-year-old, and decade-long business owner. I bring a perspective that isn’t currently represented. I’ve worked alongside differently-abled youth, have been active instructing a self-defense course for women. I believe Red Deer needs to take more of a lead in addressing the needs of minority groups. I want to be the face on council I never saw for myself.”

Sadia Khan: “What we’re talking about here is listening and respecting and recognizing the people in our community, their capabilities, capacities and taking a purposeful, intersectional look at policies. This is a moment of racial reckoning, and we need to very deliberately start tackling policies as they all intersect with race and gender. We need to be making sure they lift up marginalized communities.”

Sheyi Olubowale: “I want to be the face of immigrants on city council. I want to speak for those who speak less.”

Visit our dedicated Municipal Election page for more information on advanced voting and election day (Oct. 18)

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Election forum challenges council candidates on diversity and inclusion topics

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