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What do you see as the most pressing social issue in Rocky View County (RVC), and how would you address it?

Mark Kamachi Mental health. The Public Health Agency of Canada, in a 2106 study, cited mood disorders and anxiety as the most common types of mental health that affect Canadians of all ages. It doesn’t discriminate.

Mark Kamachi

Mental health. The Public Health Agency of Canada, in a 2106 study, cited mood disorders and anxiety as the most common types of mental health that affect Canadians of all ages. It doesn’t discriminate. It affects everything – family welfare, employment and our economy.

We have to make sure that residents of RVC, especially our children, are looked after. Our community must be educated on how to spot early warning signs of mental illness. Resources must be available for everyone: recreation, counselling, education, intervention, and more. Early detection is key. And that leads to the growth of a strong, resilient community.

Jerry Arshinoff

Crime is our greatest social issue. We need RCMP and Peace Officer night patrols.

After crime, the next biggest social issue results from unreasonable and unwanted approvals for developments and development permits without proper drainage. Since no one wants to store stormwater in their basement, they become forced to pump it to wherever they can, often causing even more problems for those adjacent.

The fault lies in the approval processes, not with those involved – but the end result is a community destroying, neighbours-against-neighbours animosity.

Kim McKylor

Reliable funding should be available for all social issues. The Vantage Point states RVC provided $900,000 for Family Support Services last year, this was $100 per individual helped less than the previous year – 33 per cent decrease in a year when services were provided to 2,000 more people than the year before.

Protective services need to be addressed and adjusted. An investment into Rural Crime Watch programs and continued education for residents and businesses for self-protection from crime (gates/alarms) as well as fire prevention will allow us to take a multi-faceted approach to social issues with better solutions and outcomes.

Gordon Branson

The lack of sufficient seniors’ housing accommodation is a pressing social issue within RVC. The need is accelerating. A full range of seniors’ housing accommodation is needed to allow for graceful ‘aging in place’ in safe, caring, and supportive environments geared to needs of individual residents.

As a member of council, I would strongly advocate for amendments to County Land Use Bylaws to facilitate future seniors’ housing development approvals in appropriate areas across the County. Secondly, I would work for the expeditious resolution of outstanding conditions related to “currently approved” seniors’ accommodation projects.

Douglas Fairley

I see the most pressing social issue is the education of our adolescents, and the dropout rate of our high school students. As our world becomes more technical and the demand for skilled workers increases, the job requirements will become more stringent and more difficult for those that have not finished high school.

“Stay In School” will be the motto, and I will engage with RVC councillors, business owners, and leaders in our communities to conduct speaking tours of our high schools to encourage students to remain in school.

Al Schule

Rural areas can be beautiful and relaxing, but they also must confront important challenges. These problems include a lack of public transportation, human services, medical professionals and recreation facilities.

RVC is not immune to these challenges. I will work with our volunteers and service groups, and as a team, we will identify and address pressing social issues. The county needs to take leadership in helping our great volunteers and service groups.

Jerry Gautreau

The most pressing social issue in RVC is safety. Over the past several years, residents have shifted from neighbourly comfort to a feeling of unease due to increased illegal activity. With Calgary’s expansion east, RVC has had an increase in population, creating more problems and instances of crime that have never been seen before.

I feel there are ways to improve upon current situations that arise in our neighbourhoods and we can nab these incidences immediately. If I am elected to council, I will fulfill my duty to provide a safe municipality for RVC and all its residents.

Greg Boehlke

As RVC surrounds Calgary, we face many of the same social issues: seniors care, drug abuse and recreation, to name a few.

I believe one of our most pressing issues is crime. Our large geographic area coupled with a very mobile population makes us a tempting target for organized crime and those financing drug habits.

Many initiatives could be tried. One that is quickly achievable would be to work with County enforcement services and RCMP to set up Rural Crime Watch in every corner of the county. People looking out for each other is what we do in RVC.

John McMurray

The most pressing social issue is approving residential developments with insufficient levies to cover the costs of meeting the social needs of residents. New subdivisions will need recreation facilities, libraries, police and fire services, transportation, and storm water control.

We’ve seen from recent hurricane events and even recent Calgary and Cochrane Lakes flooding that infrastructure needs must be funded and provided before catastrophic events. We know that residential populations need recreation facilities. It’s absurd to not fund them through development levies as our urban neighbors do.

Syd Hartley

Two issues come to mind: security and aging.

Police services and enforcement play an important role in keeping our county safe. I believe that the requirement for these costly services can be minimized by promoting and building strong communities. Developments must be designed with efficient security management plans in mind.

There is a growing need to accommodate seniors in RVC. I believe that building regulations should allow developments and renovations that allow aging relatives the opportunity to live with their families. I also see a need to have senior housing projects built in RVC so seniors can remain county residents.

Dan Henn

From listening to the comments of Division 7 residents, I feel our most pressing social issue is the rampant rural crime. Almost daily we hear of robberies and home invasions in the county.

To address the problem, I would work with local law enforcement to discuss options on better coverage in RVC, and I would also look at implementing or improving a local rural crime watch to assist law enforcement.

Eric Lowther

Improved fire protection agreements with the Calgary and better policing are two issues I have been addressing. I also sit on the boards of RVC Family and Community Support Services and the Rocky View Foundation. These boards direct over a million dollars a year to partner on a variety of social programs.

But as far as pressing "social issues," we have a significantly older population than urban centres. We have talked about seniors’ housing but very little has materialized. We must remove the barriers to alternative housing forms so more of our seniors can remain in their home communities.

Samanntha Wright

With residents’ growing concerns over property crime, policing is the most significant social issue in RVC. One needs to look no further than the number of new gates in our communities to realize this is true. Our current Council has done little to address this issue.

Establishing a finance/audit committee to help identify where the county is being financially ineffective is top priority. I would work to redirect some of the inefficient spending into increasing the police/enforcement presence in RVC. Let’s stop subsidizing development residents don’t want, and start spending money on what residents care about most – their safety.

Crystal Kissel

As with any municipality, RVC is governed by bylaws and regulations. However, these are currently unclear in their scope and undefined in their application.

Many residents of RVC feel that they have been unfairly singled out while attempting to make improvements on their property leading them to feel frustrated and disenfranchised. Those in public office must be held accountable for the decisions they support.

As a councillor, I would work proactively and diligently towards having bylaws and regulations updated, communicated to the residents and applied equitably to all submissions. This will improve public insight and confidence in future decision-making processes

Colleen Munro

Lack of resources and supports to allow seniors, especially those who have lived on farms and ranches all their lives, the ability to age in place. Not everyone wants to move into town.

I see the County role as one of a clearing house -- knowing the agencies that provide these services and how to access them. This role is equally as important for the people who are looking after these seniors.

I much admired the Hunt Ranch project, and would support another if it were to be presented to the County.

Question was sent to all candidates for whom Rocky View Weekly has contact information, however, not all responded by press time.

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