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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Preparing for her third election campaign, Lydia Bardak is hoping for another term as city councillor.

Lydia Bardak, 51, has lived in Yellowknife since 1989. She is executive director of the John Howard Society of the NWT. - NNSL photo

Since arriving in Yellowknife in 1989, Bardak has been heavily involved in helping people with disabilities and with the city's less fortunate, which has paved the way for her current position as the executive director of the John Howard Society of the NWT.

Bardak has previously worked for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the NWT Disabilities Council and the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission of the NWT and Nunavut.

"The first term was overwhelming, it was a very sharp learning curve," said Bardak.

"I did thoroughly enjoy it. This council very much worked together. It's been a council that is very positively orientated and moved things this along like Northlands."

Having a firsthand view of the social issues facing the city, Bardak, who runs the Dene Ko Day Shelter on 51 Street, wants more social programming to help those struggling with addictions.

"A lot of people need supportive or assisted living, and we don't have that, but (could) work with other orders of government (such as) municipal, territorial, aboriginal and federal," she said.

In addition to finding the funding for more social programs, revitalizing the downtown core is also on Bardak's platform, as is maintaining the city's infrastructure, such as roads and sidewalks.

More housing options, public access to waterfront, a viable public transit service, and extending the lifespan of the city's landfill are other priorities for Bardak.

"I don't see it as politics," she said. "It feels like service as it did (volunteering), it's just another area where I can serve."

Bardak currently co-ordinates the Yellowknife Community Justice Committee with the John Howard Society. Her volunteer activities include working with the Yellowknife Rotary Club, as co-chair of the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, co-ordinator for the Yellowknife Youth Coalition, and as a member of Citizens On Patrol Service.

"I hear the concerns by residents regarding social issues," she said. "(We need to find a way) to bring government together to help the homeless."

- with files from Svjetlana Mlinarevic

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