Election 2020: District 6

District 6 is located almost entirely within the former city of Sydney — including the neighborhoods of Ashby and the Southend —  but also encompasses a section of Grand Lake Road.

It’s shaped sort of like a single-cup coffee filter. (I’ve just realized that I’m probably telling you more about my psyche than the shape of the various districts in the CBRM with these comparisons. It’s like I’m taking a  Rorschach test.)

District 6 also had a long-serving incumbent, Ray Paruch — a member of what I think of as the Class of ’95, that is, of the first CBRM council. Paruch, who served multiple, consecutive, terms, died in office in April 2020.

There are 7,283 registered voters in District 6 and in 2016, 3,624 of them cast ballots. Paruch earned 2,411 of those votes, handily defeating his two opponents. Now, five candidates are vying to succeed him.

 

Barbara Beaton

Why do you want to be a CBRM councilor?

I have a passion for helping others and am passionate for the CBRM as a whole. I want to give the residents of District 6 a voice and I want to be that voice to make CBRM the safer, more unified and flourishing community that I know it can be. I believe I would make a great choice for councilor in District 6 because I am filled with determination to fight for change. I have a willingness to listen and learn from the residents of the community. I have an awareness of the issues and concerns affecting the CBRM and I have a strong desire to do something about them for the betterment of the residents in the community.

What is one issue of concern to you and what is your plan to address it?

One of the top concerns that I am hearing from residents is the high property taxes and the concerns of removing the CAP in the CBRM. I want to work with Council and Mayor to investigate and develop possible solutions to create a plan to lower taxes over a period of 5-10 years.

Although it is now 25 years old, the CBRM doesn’t necessarily function as a single entity. Do you have any ideas for bringing our “community of communities” closer together?

Although councilors have to represent their own districts, I believe that all of the CBRM should be just as important to each and every councilor and we need a council that will work closer together in a more unified manner so that all communities thrive. We need to make sure that the needs of every community in the CBRM are being met. All districts have to know that there is fairness in the distribution of resources. Each community should be supported in recognizing and celebrating their unique history and experience, i.e., when cruise ships come into port each community should develop tours to be offered to tourists so that all districts may benefit.

Where is one place in your district you always bring visitors?

One place in my district is the Baille Ard Trail because of its beauty and tranquility. The trail is a great walk with beautiful scenery. Outside of the district, I’ve also taken people to the boardwalk, the Miners Museum, Fortress of Louisbourg, Baddeck and many more.

What is one question you wish I’d asked you?

About the need for affordable housing. This is a topic near and dear to my heart because I grew up in affordable housing with such organizations as Nova Scotia Housing Authority and Seton Foundation. We have a great need for more housing that is affordable for seniors, single-parent families, etc.

 

Keith MacDonald

Why do you want to be a CBRM councilor?

I want to be a CBRM councilor because I have plans to urbanize and a seat on council can make that happen.

What is one issue of concern to you and what is your plan to address it?

While it may not be the most important issue to most people, one particular issue that I think I am the only one planning to address is the problem with CBRM Transit.

Before the pandemic, the Sydney-Glace Bay and CBU Shuttle buses were frequently at capacity, barely any room to move around, and this will continue after the pandemic if it is not addressed. This issue raises safety issues for people who have to ride a filled bus along the highway (the federal government as of September 1st requires new buses that drive on the highways to have seatbelts), and is a disservice to people trying to get to Glace Bay, Walmart or the Mayflower Mall because if the regular bus is filled, the CBU Shuttle is the backup, but it does not go to these places.

There are also issues like the pointless bus routes, in my opinion. The Steeles’ Hill bus does not go to a grocery store, it just drives around the neighborhood, and CBU students living in the Ashby Road apartment complex are better off walking all the way down to Prince Street to get the bus, because transferring from the Ashby bus requires you to transfer at Dorchester Street. Going backwards to go forwards is bad transit design, especially when you take into account the long wait times for our buses.

I am currently working on a complete overhaul of CBRM Transit and, councilor or not, I intend to present my work to Council. With the system I’ve designed, you should be able to get anywhere in the CBRM in one transfer or less, reach more destinations without adding routes (although I did add routes), serve business growth by putting the Mayflower Mall and a shopping center on every bus route, put every high school on a bus route, and design the routes in a way that you should be able to get to most destinations in the quickest way possible. There are also small details that make all the difference in attracting transit users to the CBRM.

Although it is now 25 years old, the CBRM doesn’t necessarily function as a single entity. Do you have any ideas for bringing our “community of communities” closer together?

The CBRM is not a compact city, we are a bunch of towns separated by access roads and highways. Each town has its own identity, and that’s the key word I want to bring up, identity. The CBRM is an ugly name for a municipality. Outsiders don’t know what it means, it appropriates the island’s name without including the other municipalities, and it has too many syllables, both in the name and in the acronym. I think that the CBRM and the county are due for a name change. We need a new identity, especially if this election leads to effective change. By taking on a new identity, we change the psychology of how people perceive us. We wouldn’t be seen as the decaying community we are now, we would be seen as a growing city, and that is attractive to newcomers and investors.

Where is one place in your district you always bring visitors?

One place in my district that is an attraction is the Baille Ard Trail, it’s a great place to go for a nature walk or run. I recommend exploring the trail with a partner or a small group.

(I also go to the boardwalk often, my parents live close to it and I used to walk it at 10pm at night, if I stayed inside too long, sometimes people play guitar there usually seniors. It’s quiet and you can hear dogs in Westmount.)

 

Glenn Paruch

Why do you want to be a CBRM councilor?

I was born and raised in Sydney, living in District 6 my entire life with my wife and two beautiful daughters. My interest in politics goes back to my own youth, and I have closely followed municipal politics, issues and our council over the years. I have a vested interest for our community to thrive, as I would like to see my own children be afforded the same opportunities as I had. I am a hardworking, blue collar individual who is not afraid to stand up for what is right or to go against the grain as they say. I live my life with honesty and integrity, and that’s the way I will serve the people of District 6 if the residents of the community see fit to give me that privilege.

What is one issue of concern to you and what is your plan to address it?

Well there are many concerns with our local residents, so it is very hard to pick just one. Affordable housing, taxes and getting our fair share of equalization are very hot topics from residents. I agree on all of these key issues and will work hard to get change. However, a very important issue we do not talk much about is senior accessibility to grants. There are many senior citizens on fixed incomes in our communities who could benefit from support programs and grants. I think we need to do a better job at raising awareness of such services that are available within our CBRM. I would like to see council more active in changing how they advertise such services to one of our most vulnerable populations.

Although it is now 25 years old, the CBRM doesn’t necessarily function as a single entity. Do you have any ideas for bringing our “community of communities” closer together?

CBRM has several urban communities over a large geographic area of which Sydney has historically been the “hub.” I believe one way we are working towards bringing our communities closer together is the move of NSCC to our downtown core. A strong, vibrant downtown core, doesn’t just benefit Sydney, it benefits the entire municipality. The Highland Arts Theatre and the Cape Breton Center for Craft and Design are just two examples of assets in downtown Sydney that attract and service residents from all over the municipality. When we develop and create a strong economic hub, we can increase revenue within our CBRM, creating spinoffs to surrounding communities. I believe this represents a great opportunity for our community growth.

What is one place in your district you always bring visitors?

A place I love to bring anyone is the Baille Ard Nature Trails that are located next to my house on Cottage Road. It is a place that both my children and I love to explore. I say it is like “country living in the city.” We are very fortunate for the wonderful volunteer group, The Baille Ard Recreation Group, who fought tremendously to protect and wonderfully maintain it all these years. I think anyone who has the opportunity to do so should visit this beautiful trail system.

What is one question you wish I’d asked you?

I wish you would have asked how I feel about council meetings behind closed doors. I truly believe no public service worker should be able to conduct themselves in secrecy. I think we all forget sometimes who it is we ultimately work for. We are there to represent the constituents of our district and voice their concerns/issues. No meetings or discussions should be happening without full disclosure. We need transparency and we need to be held accountable for our actions.

 

Todd Riley

Why do you want to be a CBRM councilor?

I have seen from my work experience how grass roots organization and hard work can be a force for good for ordinary people. Public service and politics was in my mind earlier in life, and now I have raised kids and had a chance to help people outside the system I want to help more by seeking change inside the system. When people ask me why I want to offer myself as a candidate for council, my answer is very simple: I have an investment in a life here and I need to do whatever I can to preserve and promote that life to help others. Sadly, sometimes the “ service” in public service is lost.  My aim is to put that back

What is one issue of concern to you and what is your plan to address it?

One major concern is accountability in spending taxpayer dollars.  We have a $150 million budget and, like most businesses, you can sit down and find ways to reduce spending by 3-5% on an annual basis without cutting jobs. I had the opportunity to run a business by investing into our key resources, who are the people, and eliminate or reduce unnecessary spending where applicable. That will be on key component in my platform.  We can be talking about $3-7.5 million in savings and reinvest into roads or reducing the CBRM debt quicker.

Although it is now 25 years old, the CBRM doesn’t necessarily function as a single entity. Do you have any ideas for bringing our “community of communities” closer together?

The answer in the future may be a council elected at large with one vision for the CBRM where we will have a united council working towards each community’s goals.  A priorities and planning committee should be set up and established and viewable to the electorate so they can see what are the key line items council is looking to invest in or improve upon.

What is one place in your district you always bring visitors?

From a business perspective when we have clients down they love the Montana’s and the Steel City to eat. This is a tough one because they also love sitting on the deck in the summer at Governor’s and enjoying the view along with the Old Triangle and they are not in my district. One thing many of our clients have said is we surely don’t lack in great food and beauty.  In general, outside business, walking the Baille Ard Trail is one people really like.

What is one question you wish I’d asked you? 

Why do you think you are the right person for this job?  That would be my question I wished you asked.  I think it is pretty simple, most people running for office tend to run on their name, people they may know, etc, I want to run on what I have done and what I can be measured on.  People always ask candidates running in an election what have you done to earn my vote or confidence and I think by running a successful business for 20 years and bringing in clients where we were able to invest $350 million-plus in payroll to our economy is huge. I also had to step up my game and find a buyer when we suddenly closed back in 2018 for six weeks.  My job was much easier finding a buyer due to our great workforce and results. I want to continue to promote our workforce and people of Cape Breton.

 

Joe Ward

Why do you want to be a CBRM councilor?

The CBRM is one of the most poorly performing—and hamstrung—economies in Canada. Our current mayor and council, as a whole, have not demonstrated their ability to improve our situation. I think I’m more driven toward change, bold enough to propose solutions, doggedly persistent, and have a unique skillset that may not have been available to the council before. I’m also inspired by the opportunity for change and the potential to see a new mayor with Amanda McDougall as the current frontrunner.

What is one issue of concern to you and what is your plan to address it?

As Senator Dan Christmas said, “Cape Breton is slowly dying.” I think the CBRM is on an austerity budget and is trending towards insolvency. CBU’s success with the growth of international student enrollment was the biggest economic breakthrough within the municipality, but we need to do more. My focus is on the family of solutions related to generating more CBRM revenue or reducing costs fairly. This includes our operating grant (Equalization), cutting provincial service fees, fixing tax distortions from the CAP (without hurting seniors or anyone losing it) and lowering taxes.

I think we need increased autonomy for tax reform, which can be negotiated à la carte (versus waiting for a full charter, the precedent set by Bill 85 amending the Municipal Government Act). And I think we should negotiate an operating grant increase (via Equalization funding) that is used to invest in tax reduction and a CAP fix. I also believe we can spark a construction economy boom—and slow or reverse out-migration—by pursuing a 0% tax on new home construction for individual homeowners, phased back in over 10-years.

Although it is now 25 years old, the CBRM doesn’t necessarily function as a single entity. Do you have any ideas for bringing our “community of communities” closer together?

This may seem trivial, but perhaps we could start by reverting “City Hall” back to the “Civic Centre.” When people get the sense the CBRM is Sydney-centric, it’s easy to see where the bias comes from. Of course, we must also acknowledge that there’s a correlation with the density of commerce and population and investments. However, as former councilor, now MLA, Kendra Coombes once said, “We are a community of communities but right now we are not behaving as a community of communities.” She was advocating that proposed tax incentives for just three downtown cores within the CBRM be offered to all—to avoid creating inequities among them. Every act of council must consider the impact it has on all communities.

Where is one place in your district you always bring visitors?

Our visitors are usually family members coming home “from away.” Thus, the one place in the district I bring them is to my home! It used to be about catching up, great conversations, and excessive amounts of coffee and tea. With the birth of my son, I think it’ll be more about cuddling the baby, and excessive amounts of coffee and tea! The great thing about the CBRM is that we’re always close to our neighboring communities. While District 6 lacks oceanfront property, we’re never far away from the shoreline when guests arrive—the ocean always being a top request. But in District 6, the place my partner and I enjoy is the Baille Ard Trail. I’ve recommended the track, but she prefers to get immersed in nature. I haven’t been able to convince her that it’s also fun to count laps. Haha.

 

Still to come:

We’ve collected the whole set!

 

A note on this feature:

I decided to send candidates questions by email because, while speaking to each in person would be preferable, I knew I wouldn’t have time to conduct (and transcribe) 55 phone interviews.

I will update these pages continuously as responses roll in and send out notifications on Facebook and Twitter announcing new answers.

 

And finally…

Enjoying the election coverage but aren’t ready to commit to a regular subscription? Why not throw a few coins into the Spectator’s (virtual) hat?