Mayoral candidates Mark Vriend and Dave McKenzie are competing for the big chair on town council in next week’s municipal election and both have differing opinions on how best to achieve their vision of a vibrant, prosperous community.
Vriend, a former business owner and a member of the Municipal Planning Commission, says success does not come without hard work and maintains that in order to succeed, the most important investment is in the residents of the community.
“I have a head for business and a heart for people,” Vriend told the crowd of about 120 attendees, noting that communities like Barrhead need to recognize the value of the populace.
“I have an unwavering belief in our community. I’m not afraid to work on our weaknesses, nor capitalize on our successes, because that is paramount to our growth and continued success.
As leaders, Vriend noted it was the job of the mayor and council to not solely to focus on making things look easy but to make things possible.
“I believe our ability to build and work together as a community is the most important thing we can do because it affects our ability to mentor and teach our children, empowering them to believe in themselves and strive to fight the pull of negative influences that they are dealing with. A strong community can more effectively fight the current wave of crime that seems to be affecting us all. A strong, active and healthy community is a beacon that has the potential to draw in new business.”
Vriend said his vision over the next four years includes building on the continued success of the town’s students and noted a continued and steady reduction of crime was equally important.
In addition, he said he would like to see an increase in the development of unused properties and empty buildings, noting Main Street and the business community has very little vacancy.
As a former RCMP officer, Mckenzie said open communication was a necessity.
“I want to bring that to the mayor’s office and council. I know it is a bit intimidating to be a delegate at one of those meetings and I don’t want anyone to feel that way,” McKenzie said, adding he believed everyone’s voice should be heard.
On a question from the floor regarding what candidates would to do encourage new business in the community, McKenzie took the lead in the discussion and acknowledged it comes down to the availability of a labour force.
“An issue identified by industry, as was brought to my attention when I worked for the Alberta Office of Traffic Safety was the fact that youth are no longer pursuing their license as much as they used to,” McKenzie said, noting it is creating a ripple effect.
“People aren’t employable if they don’t have a license. Industry leaders can’t find those drivers because our youth aren’t getting into the graduated driver’s program as early as they should.”
To fight the issue, McKenzie highlighted a program he co-created called Learn 2 Drive.
“It is a tutoring session in the schools for youth so that they are more successful with their learner’s test. We’ve had great success with it. It also connected me with an organization called Careers: The Next Generation and that has enabled students to earn certificates in WHIMIS, food handling courses, so that by the time they [student’s] hit grade 12, they are more employable,” he said.
McKenzie explained Careers Next Gen has also pointed students in the direction of careers where there will be a shortage of workers in the coming years.
However, Vriend chose a different tack.
“When I didn’t win the race for mayor last time, I got involved as a consultant with Northplex and became the operational manager, helping to grow the business by several million dollars. We hire local contractors and send them all over the place,” he said, adding it was a team effort and not entirely due to his involvement.
“I believe in local opportunities, local employment and fostering connections with neighbouring communities,” he added.
Both Vriend and McKenzie said they are involved in the community.
“My wife and I have done our best to help a variety of people start their own businesses and we’ve both advocated for our son’s disability, because we know living with a developmental issue is a challenge,” Vriend said.
“As an RCMP officer, I always felt it was crucial to be involved. When I arrived in Barrhead, it was no different. I’m involved with judo and self-defense training for our youth,” McKenzie said, adding the [judo] club has grown and flourished to include karate and jiu jitsu clubs along with a climbing-wall and is entirely self-sufficient.
When asked what Vriend and Mckenzie had planned to accommodate an aging population with respect to housing and services, Vriend did not have a ready answer.
However, McKenzie said it was important to pay attention to demographics.
“Each generation has different needs. Us baby-boomers are a lot more active and energetic. We want to see facilities we can use. Barrhead has a lot that we can take advantage of,” he said, adding each generation provides services for the next.
“Barrhead, I think, is in a good position to accommodate the aging population. In terms of what I would like to see, I think it’s important to take the time to identify whether there are shortfalls in the infrastructure or services missing and if there are, having open and honest dialogue will give the mayor and council a chance to address the problem,” he added.
