MOOSE JAW — Incumbent Councilman Doug Blanc has announced he is running in the Nov. 13 municipal election for another term as councilman. Below are Blanc’s answers to questions from Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. Some answers have been edited for length.

Why do you want to run again?

I am running because I want to continue to be a voice for the citizens of Moose Jaw. I said four years ago that councilors should treat citizens as their clients, and I still believe that. We must work for the citizens of Moose Jaw.

I tried to represent everyone who called me. We will have some major challenges in the next few years. We have the Crescent View pump that needs considerable work or a complete replacement. We have an outdated outdoor pool that needs to be replaced. We have the Fourth Avenue Viaduct in need of major repairs along with road repairs.

I want to work for the citizens to ensure that these issues can be resolved in a fiscally responsible manner.

How do you feel about your previous experience/first term on the board?

City council experience is a huge plus. But past experience can also be a benefit. With my background I think I have the qualifications. His four years on city council with the Parks and Recreation Committee, the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, the Moose Jaw Exhibition Board, the Roads and Infrastructure Committee and the Moose Jaw Police Commission provided the opportunity to gain considerable experience.

My past experience on various boards, both within Moose Jaw and in previous work, gave me the opportunity to deal with complex budgets and issues that gave me the experience and knowledge to be a member of the municipal council.

What do you think this board did well and what were some of its accomplishments?

There were a number of areas that I think I achieved. We hired a new city manager (Maryse Carmichael) to replace the former city manager who retired. This allowed a new look at the operation of the city and simplified some departments. This will continue into the future to help deliver better for our residents

We approved a new community school that should be operational in 2025. The Great Plains Power Plant was completed, which brought economic growth during construction and will continue into the future.

We worked with developers to expand the West Park development. We have an additional housing development under construction on Fairford Street East and Laurier Street in the future. We served lots from the market by the new common school. We have approved solar panels on some of our complexes, which will reduce our energy bills and help reduce the climate.

I, along with the Moose Jaw Police, lobbied the provincial government to fund some of the police activities. This included the ICE unit, which it funds for Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. However, there was no funding for the Moose Jaw operation of this unit. We were successful in getting the province to pay for eight additional officers. This will not only pay for the two officers working in the ICE unit, but will allow for more patrols on our streets and in our parks.

What areas do you think the council should have done better or not addressed?

We need to listen to our citizens better and address their concerns. Although we have “report a problem” on the city’s web page, I think this needs to be improved to allow for a friendlier and easier use of this application.

We could make our town more attractive to visitors by making sure our entrances are free of weeds and litter. We need to work better on our infrastructure projects to allow less disruption for our citizens while maintaining quality work. Our status needs to be improved so that permits are issued faster and easier.

What do you hope to achieve if you are elected?

In the coming years, we have many projects that will require additional work or new work. The first to be addressed is the Crescent View pump house. This station is responsible for ensuring that all sewage and stormwater is pumped into our lagoon. This will require renovation or complete replacement.

Because the cost is astronomical, we must lobby the federal and provincial governments for assistance. Crescent View Pump House has to be at the top of the list.

After this, there are a number of projects we need to work on. These include but are not limited to the Fourth Avenue Viaduct, outdoor pool, continued cast iron and water repair work, and road repair. We also need to maintain our buildings as some will require maintenance to keep them operational.

How would you make life more accessible for residents?

Accessibility is a concern in all municipalities across Saskatchewan and Canada. We need to look at our budget so that every dollar is properly spent. No money should be wasted.

We need to look at our tax system. We currently have a contract with SAMA to complete the valuation of the property. This contract is scheduled to expire in December 2025. The City Council needs to review this and determine if we should continue with SAMA or move the assessment in-house as has been done in the past. We can also look at other municipalities and see how they are rated.

Regardless of the way we choose, the rating system must be a fair and reasonable rating. If we have a different approach or rules, that will let residents know it’s a fair process.

I think we should hire Moose Jaw contractors for our projects. If we use local contractors, the money or some of it would help other local businesses as they buy their essentials in Moose Jaw. We also need to promote Moose Jaw more to attract new businesses.

With the current provincial election over, and the current government in Regina and a majority in Saskatoon, we need to lobby for more funding or assistance to get business into Moose Jaw. We should work with our MPs to have more industry and business in Moose Jaw.

Would you agree to use taxpayer dollars to support the Hilton hotel project and/or an associated parking lot?

I support a new hotel on River Street and hope it will be successful. I will continue to work to quickly finalize the regulations and remove any barriers they may have. However, I don’t think city money should be used to help build the hotel or the parking lot. The city should provide services to residents but not invest in private development.

How would you address the issues facing poor and homeless residents of the community?

While we do have a problem with people being homeless or without welfare, that is a responsibility of the provincial government. We can provide some guidance on the location of shelters or treatment centers.

We can’t use municipal money to pay for it. If we start funding these programs, we won’t be able to stop paying for them. Our focus must remain on taking care of our infrastructure and services for the residents of Moose Jaw. Any support we can give morally, we should, but not financially.

How would you increase security or safety in the community?

I mentioned in a previous question that we will have eight more police officers in the future. This will provide more police presence on streets and parks. We implemented the “no infringement” and shopping cart law, which helped reduce some of the problems. I am committed to having more police officers visible and patrolling our community.

What is your long-term vision for the community 10 to 20 years from now? How would you accomplish this?

I hope that in the future I will be excited and happy to be a resident of Moose Jaw. I would love to see Moose Jaw thrive and grow. We need to promote our city as we are on major highways and CPKC main line. We have affordable housing, a great municipal airport and great shopping and great parks and entertainment facilities.

Why should people vote for you?

I want to continue to represent the citizens of Moose Jaw. As I said earlier, we have some major infrastructure projects coming up in the next few years. I would like to be a part of these discussions to represent the citizens of Moose Jaw. I have always used the philosophy of treating the problem and not the personality.

I believe the city council should make decisions based on facts and information and leave personality out of it. If a majority of the board voted in favor of an item that I voted against, I still supported it because it was passed by the majority.

I think I had a good working relationship with the other councillors, the mayor and the city administration. I may not have agreed with their position on an issue, but I respected their opinion and never had a personal problem with it.

We may not agree on every issue, but it is important to hear everyone’s opinions. This allows a person to hear all the details that help make informed decisions. I have always left personality out of all decisions and will continue to operate in this way.

I personally attended all board and executive meetings along with other committee meetings. I feel that I listened to citizens and other councilors, which allowed me to make informed decisions. I have been extremely honored to represent the citizens of Moose Jaw not only at city council meetings, but also outside of Moose Jaw in other places.

I tried to solve every problem that residents contacted me with. Any issues that were presented to the city council, such as building applications, I personally inspected so that I could make an informed decision. I will continue to take on my role as City Councilor as a privilege and would again be very honored to represent you on the City Council for the next four years.