Posted on by votemary

It’s about “Unity in the Community”!

I received the following message …

Hello there! This is Travis Jackson from 98 The Beach.

For the upcoming municipal election, we are intent on informing our communities about your ideas and stances on some key issues facing the area so they can make an informed decision when casting a ballot.

As such, we are offering you this opportunity to provide answers to the questions appearing below.

Please be advised, we will be imposing a strict 100-word count limit on responses.

We will need to have your responses submitted back by Sunday evening, October 7th.

Submissions not received by then will not be included in our coverage.

All of these responses will be posted online at 98thebeach.ca and at bayshorebroacasting.ca and promoted through our on-air newscasts.

Here are the three questions and my answers:

I discussed the answers to some of these questions in my podcast.

1/ Are you in favour of bricks-and-mortar cannabis stores in your municipality? Why or why not?

As long as they comply with all relevant by-laws, I would not oppose “bricks-and-mortar cannabis stores”. The reality is that the use of cannabis will be legal.

But, I would not encourage “bricks-and-mortar cannabis stores” either. Our region is expected to have an “economic boom”. People are moving to this region because it is a fantastic place to live. We are in a position to guide and nurture the growth of our valued community. The truth is that we have larger and more important economic issues (than cannabis) to be concerned about.

2/ What are your plans for future economic development strategies? With the Bruce Power extending its operating life for decades, an influx of new residents are expected in the region. How will we accommodate them?

An influx of new residents will mean an influx of new families – many of which will have school age children. We also have a large number of retirees. Therefore economic development strategies must anticipate the needs of a vibrant community which must recognize the needs of people in all stages of life. All economic development must be considered in terms of how it both recognizes the needs of all demographics of our community and integrates those demographics. For example, community recreation facilities must be carefully assessed to include all citizens. Inclusion and diversity are paramount in the decision making process.

3/ With prosperity, comes hardship. Many local businesses are concerned that they do not have enough employees to sustain their businesses because of the many high paying jobs that exist in the region combined with the low unemployment rate. How do we make local businesses sustainable, in your opinion?

It’s important to recognize that local businesses are run by our friends and neighbours. Therefore, the whole community has an interest in their success and stability.

We can create a community of growing and sustainable local business by buying from local businesses “shop local”. We can advocate for affordable housing thus enabling small business employees the opportunity to live in the local community and encourage small businesses to partner with Not for Profit organizations/volunteers (retirees) to facilitate sustainability.

The nurturing and supporting of local business, is an important part of “Unity in the Community”.