The four candidates vying for one open seat at the Hope council table answered questions about everything from affordable housing to tourism Monday night.
The all candidates meeting was held at the New Hope Cinema, and moderated by George Rice, president of the Hope & District Chamber of Commerce. He lobbed questions about Hope’s economy, crime, housing and more to Hondo Stroyan, Arthur Green, Dusty Smith and Bonny Graham, and also turned the microphone over to the audience for questions at the end of the night.
Nearly 70 people showed up to the free event, as the town heads into a byelection on Nov. 25. About 320 ballots have been cast during two early voting opportunities.
Smith, who has been a council member in the past but didn’t run in the most recent election, said he is now better equipped to be on council than he was at election time. And, he added, he hasn’t stopped reading minutes and staying on top of issues of the day.
He said he also would be able to “get at it right away” if he is elected. One of the things he’d like to see Hope council focus on is attracting more industrial-use business to the west of Hope, to capitalize on the number of highways that flow through the town.
Green, who has previously run in both federal and provincial elections, said that Hope has “boundless potential” that isn’t being fully realized. He often mentioned federal revenue generating loans, as a solution for the district to “invest in itself.”
Graham laid out her history and connections to Hope, including working her first job right in the very theatre where the meeting was being held. She said this is a “pivotal time” for Hope, as organizations work their way through changes, including the eventual departure of the many pipeline workers staying here temporarily.
Stroyan noted a few times that Hope Tourism is doing good work to help build the economy and should be supported, potentially with a new building.
“Lots of people go through Hope,” he said. “We have to find a way to get them to stay here.”
The whole meeting lasted about one and a half hours, and is available to watch in full through the District of Hope Ratepayers Association’s Facebook, or in the link below. Here are some highlights:
Housing:
Green noted the pipeline project has left Hope in “a bad state, it’s destroyed the rental housing market.”
“If I didn’t own my own house I couldn’t afford to rent it,” he said.
Green said he is a big believer in micro lots, micro homes and micro mortgages, as a way of quickly providing a lot of housing options to those who cannot afford, or need, large single-family homes.
Tourism:
“Our number one asset is our beautiful town,” Graham said, adding she would like to see more inclusion, more cultural events and more opportunities to bring dollars in from outside the community.
Revitalization:
While this wasn’t a question posed to the candidates, the status of the Hope Station House came up in a few of the candidate’s responses, with both Stroyan and Green seemingly unaware that the historic building is about to be moved.
“We definitely have to do something with the Station House,” Stroyan said, while Green offered that it should at least be “re-cladded and face-lifted.”
Smith spoke up to say that the project to move the building off the Ministry of Transportation land is underway, and that about $2.4 million has already been raised.
Graham added that improvements are also happening at the Hope Hotel, making that “two key places” that needed attention.
As a graphic designer and artist, Graham is also behind a soon-to-be-unveiled improvement to town in the form of two welcome signs she helped create.
“They’re very beautiful,” she said, and will be installed soon.
Crime:
Graham recently witnessed a crime and was able to see the local RCMP in action, collecting information in the hopes of a conviction.
Stroyan declined to discuss the crime question, saying “I haven’t had a chance to think about that.”
Green noted that the biggest line item in the district’s budget is policing, but it still isn’t enough to provide proper coverage.
“We need more money for policing,” he noted.
Smith said the way to get more money for policing is to lobby for it at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities annual conference. And to do that, they need residents to phone in and report every instance of crime, whether they believe the RCMP can act on it or not. Those numbers, Smith explained, help build the case that Hope needs more resources.
Food Security:
Stroyan noted that Hope has a lot of people doing good work to keep children and families fed, but that it would be a good plan to have food at the ready in the case of emergencies similar to the disaster of November 2021.
“Not just for ourselves, but for anyone that might be stuck in our community.”
Hope’s 2023 byelection for council will take place on Saturday, Nov. 25, between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the District of Hope Municipal Office (District Hall) on 325 Wallace Street.