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Candidates on the issues Inuvik Drum asks council and mayoral hopefuls for their viewsDanielle Sachs Northern News Services Published Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012
Previous election candidate profiles appeared in the Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 editions of Inuvik Drum. For this week's edition, Inuvik Drum has spoken to one candidate for mayor and seven candidates for council. Here's what they had to say: Name: Joe Lavoie Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? Jon Lavoie: A number of people approached me and suggested it. I thought it was time to contribute back, in a public way, to the community. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? JL: There's a lot of good people running, but my experience in business and the contact I've had with people gives me fairly good insight into the needs of the community. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? JL: Inuvik has a lot of positive things going for it. Going forward, it's about laying a good foundation. I know there's a lot of anxiety and fear in the community right now and we have to alleviate that. The high cost of heat has created a lot of that fear and anxiety. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? JL: We just build on that foundation. Whoever the council is, you're coming together as a group of people and hopefully everyone is discussing the issues with the public. It's not an individual that's going to save the day. You have to find out what the public deems to be important. You have to look at everything and come at it with a broad perspective.
Name: Ed Shattler Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? Ed Shattler: I put myself forward because I believe that I am in a position to help my community at a time when it could use the help. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? ES: I think that my relative youth compared to the other candidates, combined with my business and financial experience as well as my contacts within the community, will better allow me to identify and address the needs of the townspeople. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? ES: Like most people, I am going to say the natural gas shortage. I am looking a little further ahead, though, to the economic problems it will cause. Food prices, rent and electrical rates are all going to rise as the ripple effect of the (natural gas) rate increase moves through our local economy. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? ES: There is not a lot we can do about air/propane prices this year. What we can do over the next two or three years is help people get switched over to a safer, more affordable energy option. There are monitor heaters for those already on diesel and pellet stoves for those on gas. There are subsidies for both already and I would work to get more. We are at least 10 years away from having real natural gas here in Inuvik and we are going to need a permanent solution to our energy needs before then. It seem irresponsible to spend millions on gas wells and temporary tank farms, when Arctic Dove has around seven million litres of diesel here already and Rocky's has more wood pellets than Kellogg's has cornflakes. We have a natural gas shortage, not an energy shortage.
Name: Susie Driscoll Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? Susie Driscoll: I normally go to the meetings and I was approached by several councillors. I thought "Why not? I'll give it a try." ID: Why are you the best person for the job? SD: I'm not saying I'm the best; there are a lot of good councillors. They try to do what's best for the community. It's for the people to judge. Maybe it's time for change or maybe it's not. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? SD: It's the gas shortage. It's affecting everybody and not only individuals. It affects suppliers too. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? SD: The new candidates don't know what's going on. You have to sit down and find out what happened in the past. What's happened has already been done, no it's just to find out if there's a way to make it easier. We're going to be working as a team and looking for the best for the community.
Name: Derek Lindsay Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? Derek Lindsay: To complete some unfinished business from when I was in the mayor's seat and to help resolve the current utility crisis the town is now facing. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? DL: My previous experience as mayor and councillor with the Town of Inuvik gives me the insight and vision to move forward with the issues of today and tomorrow. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? DL: The utility crisis is the number one issue. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? DL: Working collaboratively with all agencies and government levels involved to find a resolution which is economically viable for all residents and business owners.
Name: John Ritchie Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? John Ritchie: I have a commitment to my community and I choose to do anything and everything within my power to make it a better place for everyone that lives here. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? JR: I have been a firefighter for six years and a member of the Inuvik Civil Air Search and Rescue for seven. My commitment and focus are unwavering. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? JR: Economic development, economic development, economic development! ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? JR: I plan on focusing far more effort on the establishment of the fibre optic line down the Mackenzie Valley. Without losing sight of other issues such as the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, the hardships of Inuvik Gas and the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, the economic opportunities that lay before us as a result of the fibre optic line are outstanding.
Name: Natasha Kulikowski Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? Natasha Kulikowski: Inuvik is a wonderful place to call home. I believe that working with town council will enable me to be part of helping it stay that way as we move into the future. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? NK: I have and currently volunteer for the Royal Canadian Legion, the NWT Disabilities Council, Inuvik Circuit Training and Boot Camp, the Terry Fox Foundation, the Children First Society, as well as numerous other events and activities in Inuvik. I will be a strong advocate for Inuvik and welcome the opportunity to put my skills as a team player to use working with Inuvik's town council. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? NK: I think the obvious answer is the coming energy cost crisis, but we must face other issues right now, one of which is the traffic flow and dangers on the road surrounding the new super-school. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? NK: Beyond working with the new council in continuing to explore long-term heating and energy solutions in Inuvik, I would like to see some crosswalks and designated drop-off/pick-up zones in front of East 3 School, with bylaws to enforce them.
Name: Ken Crocker Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for council? Ken Crocker: I had concerns regarding energy and some other issues regarding Inuvik and I felt like I needed to do something to help. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? KC: This is my 15th year in the community, I own a home, I have children in town here and I have a vested interest in the town. I think my experiences can help steer the community in a positive direction. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? KC: Definitely the high cost of energy. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? KC: I think the municipality needs to act right away to support our residents coping with the high cost of energy. I am a homeowner and I feel the pinch. That would be the first short-term thing and the municipality needs to support residents through longer term.
Name: Floyd Roland Inuvik Drum: What was behind your decision to run for mayor? Floyd Roland: I had a lot of different people approach me and ask me to get involved. This is home and we're in for some difficult times. ID: Why are you the best person for the job? FR: I never thought I'd say this, but experience counts. I developed a good network with community groups and you need to be able to work with all the groups. I have the experience and capacity to come up with a good business plan and get our message across. ID: What is the most important issue facing the community right now? FR: In the short term it's cost of living issues and trying to come up with a solution that works. We need a process that lessens the impact. ID: What do you plan on doing to address it? FR: We have to start thinking long-term and look beyond the election window. We've been through some tough times in the past and we've done OK; we're resilient. Right now, it's going to be about building that foundation and strategizing short-, mid- and long-term solutions.
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