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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
After learning the ropes of how the city works and the ways in which council can make a difference in the lives of residents, city councillor Cory Vanthuyne is vying for a second term.

The longtime Yellowknifer of 37 years believes some big decisions are going to have to be made over the next term. Because there is a new mayor coming in and at least three councillors stepping down, the knowledge and experience he has gained and reputation for being "balanced and reasonable" could benefit the city in the coming years, he said.

As a current member of the Smart Growth Implementation Committee, which looks at such downtown issues as parking, beautification and making transportation more efficient, Vanthuyne hopes in some capacity to work on reviving "the heartbeat" of the city.

"For me coming into the next term is of the utmost importance to me is the revitalization of the downtown," he says.

Vanthuyne emphasizes that it should be council's role in taking leadership to see that the downtown area is cleaned up, especially as it comes to beautification and making the downtown core more vibrant for people and commerce.

While spending city money on facade improvement or streetscaping may be seen as controversial by some in the city, Vanthuyne sees it differently. With the city providing such initiatives, it gets the ball rolling for others in the city to follow in contributing to Yellowknife's overall attractiveness.

"In the last three years streetscaping and programs like that, which some may argue is not worth spending, in my view is a start of new energy," he says.

"People take more care and overcome fears if they see that someone else takes the lead. The city, with its capability, needs to make sure it does what it can to bring back the downtown core."

Making money available for businesses for facade improvement, he points out, demonstrates the city's willingness to work with them. Such locations as Adam Dental Care, Twist and Fuego, Centre Square Mall and the Roman Empire Building are among those that have or are in the process of contributing to the city's overall beauty.

"We might not be Whyte Avenue (in Edmonton), but maybe we don't want to be," he says. "We will be whatever the city, citizens and businesses collaborate together to envision for our future. And that is what we will be."

In other ways though, the city is going to have to continue to be "aggressive" in its methods to ensure the downtown doesn't deteriorate.

"A lot of people have been upset about the city acquiring land in the downtown core in recent years," he says. "In my view it is not uncommon for municipalities to do that for the purposes of revitalizing the downtown core. So I support discussions surrounding that."

As a project manager by profession, and also a member of the city's audit committee, it may be natural that Vanthuyne cares about detail and finding ways to make governance more efficient. Maximizing council's influence and shaping policy has been a constant focus of his approach to the role. This year, for example, he has constantly pushed city administration to provide details for capital planning as the municipality faces a long-term infrastructure deficit.

"That stuff is hard to campaign on but it is important because it lets the public know you are on top of (municipal governance) and that you are treating it seriously," he said.

He is one who is wary of council being a rubber-stamp for city recommendations.

New ideas that he has mentioned in the past include making changes to the full cost-recovery bylaw, because the costs are too high for developers, he said. As well, he embraces council's greater role in deciding capital projects for the long term and would be interested in seeing council review assets quarterly.

He also sits on the police advisory committee, which serves as a way to partner with the goings-on of the RCMP and concerns from city residents.

Fact file

Cory Vanthuyne

Age: 42

Marital status: Single

Profession:

Project manager/consultant

Time in

Yellowknife:

37 years

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