RECREATION & CULTURE

Recreational & Cultural Arts facilities have received a lot of attention over the past eight years. I will support moving ahead with reasonable facilities provided they are done in a responsible, common sense way and will not further impact property taxes. (Over $1 million of tax-dollars is already being put into a reserve for recreation and culture projects each year.) The funding model for recreation also needs to include other levels of government, the private sector, and users. I will focus my support to projects that are used on a day-to-day basis and impact the daily lives of Steinbach residents. We need a vision for realistic recreation in Steinbach so we can begin to move ahead. ​
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DOWNTOWN

​As Steinbach continues to grow, it is important that we continue to make our downtown a vibrant place to be. Our downtown district is filled with locally-owned businesses which keeps profits in town and provides a stable economic foundation with direct ties to the community. In addition, downtown represents a significant portion of our tax base, so it is important that downtown properties remain desirable and property values do not drop. I would like to see our downtown continue to develop with recreation & culture, business, and living in order to keep it a desirable place to be. 

If elected, I would like council to come up with a masterplan for the properties we have purchased on Elmdale and Hanover. Ideally I would like to see the area developed into a beautiful and well-used green space, to improve quality of life for those living and working downtown, as well as making downtown a destination.

GOLF COURSE DEAL

​City Council Agrees To Buy 40 Acres From The Golf Course

I did not support the golf course deal. The city was first approached by the golf course in a closed door meeting in 2017, when they requested a $500,000 grant. This request was denied due to our grants policy. The golf course approached us again in 2018, this time framing their request as a land deal. As it happens, the value of this newly proposed land deal was for the exact amount that the original grant request was for. Framing it as a land deal also meant that council was not allowed to discuss this with the public. So the first time the public heard about this "land purchase" and the first time council was able to talk about this publicly was at the meeting when the vote took place. The public was only able to give feedback AFTER the decision was made.

Councillor John Fehr Admonishes Three Councillors For Re-Hashing An Old Decision

I then voted against this year’s budget due to the golf course land deal because the budget meeting was the first time I was able to speak after having received feedback. And the feedback was clear - Steinbach taxpayers were incredulous that their hard-earned tax-dollars were going to bailout a private golf club.

Further, the agreement made with the golf course was that they can lease the land for $1 a year for the next 64 years. Yet any other land or buildings that the city owns are leased to tenants at fair market value (including the Library and Steinbach Arts Council.) 

Finally, if this truly was a land deal, the city took advantage of the golf course by paying only $500,000 for the land (when fair market value would have paid them substantially more) and benefits if the golf course goes bankrupt. It doesn't make sense.

The entire process lacked transparency. Steinbach taxpayers deserve better.​


SAFETY

I am pleased with the level of policing in our community. The GIS Unit  and Canine Unite have been great additions in terms of keeping Steinbach safe. In addition, it is important to acknowledge the value our churches and para-church organizations bring to our community. These organizations are providing a significant benefit to our community in terms of addressing our social needs. This directly correlates to a reduction in the demand for policing. 

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