Candidate profile: Hans Huizing

Byelection hours on April 22 are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Learn more here.

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1. Why are you the right candidate?

I am the right candidate because I can create change. Change can not come from one person but from a community working together. I am very good at building consensus from a variety of viewpoints and getting individuals of diverse perspectives to work together. In my 31 years of teaching, I have led school communities in many corners of this city and have generated strong results in academic achievement and collective growth by listening to many voices and making decisions that would benefit the most members of our community. I have lived in Red Deer most of my life; I have seen it in boom and in bust. We need to work together to build every area of our community, not just look to others to fix problems, but to seek ways in which we can all contribute something that will move us towards a goal that sees a prosperous Red Deer for all.

2. What personal priorities for the remainder of this council term do you want to highlight?

I will advocate for greater transparency from City Hall to the citizens of Red Deer. I believe that regular town halls are the best way to inform and be informed about the topics that are closest to the hearts and minds of the people living in Red Deer. We need to create a call centre to help citizens connect with the services that they need – from mental health crises to filling in a pot hole. We sometimes need to talk to a real person to get a real answer.

The hospital situation has been a schmozzle because of all the “band-aid” solutions that have been tried over the years. It is time to seek an acute care centre in NE Red Deer that will focus on mental health and addictions treatment. There is not enough access to care, hence the problems that we are seeing with individuals trying to self medicate and seeking ways to pay for it via crime. It is a continuing cycle that needs to be stopped. We need to look to other jurisdictions that have had successful programs and emulate them. Portland, OR has street teams that seek out patients for treatment. Houston, TX combined all of their public and private programs to combat homelessness to develop an economy of scale that sees camps dismantled because homes are available. While these cities are much larger than ours, we can still use them as examples of what could happen here.

3. To you, what makes Red Deer special?

Untapped Potential.

We need to highlight what we can offer to companies, especially those in the technology field, because of our geographic location. City Hall should develop a technology start-up crucible in our downtown area where small Mom and Pop businesses become the norm. This would be an excellent use of the old Post Office building. We need to see our CBD as a benefit rather than a cost by seeking ways to encourage citizens to return to this area to work, live and play.

We could be a tourist destination with more festivals and promoting our excellent trails along the river system. If festivals are being held all of the time in Edmonton and Calgary, why are we not able to get them to come to Red Deer the week before? This will stimulate the economy and make this city vibrant. We have many excellent locations, like the band shell at Bower Ponds, that are being underutilised. All of this can happen with vision and strong leadership in City Hall.

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by rdnewsNOW staff

Candidate profile: Hans Huizing

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