By Doreen Marion Gee

On November 15, 2008, we will be electing a new city council for Victoria. One Mayor and eight City Councillors will be elected. Each candidate was asked two basic questions about James Bay:

1)      "What is the most important James Bay issue to you? Why is it so important to you?"

2)      "How much importance would you give to the feedback from the James Bay Neighbourhood Association in your decision making, if elected?

Dean Fortin - Independent. Contact: dean@deanfortin.ca

1) The most important issue to Fortin is the lack of affordable housing in the area. He says that it is important because housing is essential for quality of life. When a person spends too much money on rent, it impacts every aspect of their life. Nutrition suffers along with their social life. Fortin's concern is that the housing "crunch" downgrades people's lives and results in social isolation. He sees a need for more affordable housing in James Bay. As chair of the CRD Regional Housing Trust Fund and Vice Chair of the CRD Housing Corporation, Fortin believes that he has shown leadership in helping Parry Place to become a reality. And he says that "he will do more."

2) Fortin says that he places a high value on feedback from those people directly affected by issues in their community. "The James Bay Neighbourhood Association has my support" says Fortin. He believes that it builds the community and guides development. Their feedback is important to him because they are the facilitator of the community voice.

Rob Reid - Independent. Contact: rob@frontrunners.ca

1) Reid believes in having ongoing consultations with the residents of James Bay to find out exactly what the important issues are for them. He wants to do regular walks around the neighbourhood and knock on doors to meet the locals and find out their concerns. Sharing of ideas is important to Reid who wants to hear feedback from individuals and community groups in James Bay.

2) In Reid's opinion, the feedback from the James Bay Neighbourhood Association (and other associations) is crucial to decision - making at city hall. In fact, many of these decisions made by council are based on the needs and thoughts of people in the community. He believes that "Neighbourhood associations have the ability to spot potential opportunities for plans down the road. Their input is very important." To Reid, the JBNA and other associations represent the larger community and have the potential to facilitate positive change in a community.

Saul Andersen - Independent - James Bay Resident. Contact: saulstar@shaw.ca

1) Andersen's major concern is development in James Bay. He feels that many developments in James Bay are excessively large, overdone, and don't fit the community landscape. It is important to Andersen that shorelines and green spaces are protected. The significance of this issue derives from his larger view of the world, where so much development is too massive and not sustainable. He would like to see buildings constructed on a more human and manageable scale.

2) Andersen supports the James Bay Neighbourhood Association because people should be active and involved in their community. He would value their community input "very highly." The feedback from the JBNA is very important to Andersen because they are engaged in the community and are addressing development issues. They are a valuable source of advocacy for the community.

Steve Filipovic Independent. Contact: greens@stevefilipovic.ca

1) The bulging problem of homelessness is the biggest Victoria and James Bay issue. He says that many poor and homeless people come to James Bay when they are told to 'move along' from downtown streets by Victoria police. Tackling homelessness and poverty is important to Filipovic because he sees the human devastation every day. In the park across from his home, people sleep on the grass where prostitution is rampant. People should not be living like this in a rich country, says Filipovic.

2) Filipovic is very supportive of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association and he feels their feedback is very important. He shares the Green Party principles of democracy, equal voices, fair debate and decentralization. In his view, the JBNA embodies these principles. It is very important to have decentralized community groups that are autonomous and reflect community values. He calls members of the JBNA "politically savvy." Their feedback is critical to Filipovic because "they have the power to do a lot of good" in the community. And the JBNA has a valuable function: People learn how the political system works through sharing opinions and learning from others in the Association.

Hugh R. Kruzel Independent. Contact: kruzelh@hotmail.com

1) The number one James Bay issue to Kruzel is "Maintaining a sense of community." This means keeping the "feel" of James Bay as well as preserving its look. It is very important to Kruzel that we retain our small - town friendliness where people wave hello and talk to each other on the street. He is against development super-projects that tend to ghettoize a community and breed a different and less caring neighbourhhod. He is also worried about how these big developments could change the James Bay skyline and he thinks that we should all "have a chunk of sky to look at!" Kruzel wants to create a culture of smaller and more human-scale projects. To him, there should be an urban model where there is a limit of so many stories in a building and then all developers should have to stick with that plan.

2) The value of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association is "huge." He feels that the feedback from the JBNA is valuable and should not be shut out of City Hall decision-making. The feedback from this Association is vital to Kruzel because people need to be heard. When nobody listens to them, people naturally get angry. He believes that the locals always know what the answers are and their input is critical to City Hall.

Kristen Woodruff Independent. Contact : rogueyoga@gmail.com

1) "A Mayor's job is to see what James Bay's natural way of functioning is ...from that seeing, appropriate action results." An important issue is to have an abundance of healthy food available to James Bay residents. Therefore, effective action by a future Mayor would be to plant more food (and less decorative flowers) on city property to provide readily available food for the people of James Bay. When a Mayor encourages the natural healthy function of a community, then the neighbourhood becomes a better functioning part of the larger world.

2) Woodruff thinks that it is essential and necessary to listen to what the voices that make up James Bay have to say. To her, this is important "in order to see what is the natural function of James Bay." Woodruff says "As long as the James Bay Neighbourhood Association seems capable of listening deeply to the citizens of James Bay, I would listen to the Association and encourage Council to do the same." However, she feels that it is also crucial to listen to those voices that come from outside formal organizations."

Georgia-Anne Jones Independent. Contact: jayanti2jones@yahoo.ca

1) The primary issue for Jones is sewage treatment because she does not believe that it is necessary. She does not want a sewage treatment plant in James Bay. Jones wants voters to know that she is against sewage treatment and that taxpayers' money could be better utilized somewhere else. To her, a more pressing problem is the bad condition of our storm drain system.

2) The James Bay Neighbourhood Association has "total value" to Jones. The reason for its importance is: "We have to do what the people want." To Jones, City Council has to pay attention to what is being discussed in the community. The Association's feedback is essential to Jones because we need to give priority to what residents need over and above everything else. She believes that the Association and all the residents of James Bay need to have a say in development issues. Jones is adamant that if she is elected mayor, she would "have to start saying ' No' to all this construction" in James Bay and in the city.

Roland (Ron) Taylor - Independent Contact: Tel. # (250) 386-1684

1) The major James Bay concern for Taylor is the presence of "big rigs" on our busy community streets. To Taylor, these huge commercial trucks have no place on urban streets. When they park on busy James Bay streets, local residents have to walk on the street to get around these trucks which also impede their view. This is important to him because it poses a safety hazard for people as they are forced to blindly walk in the middle of traffic. He sees it as "a danger to the public." He gets worried when he sees seniors and mothers with baby carriages forced to walk in the middle of James Bay traffic. According to Taylor, the area in front of the Pharmasave in James Bay is especially hazardous with trucks blocking pedestrians and traffic. If he is elected mayor, Taylor will ban all big rigs from the whole city until after 9 PM at night unless they have a designated parking lot where they can park away from pedestrians.

2) Taylor would consider the feedback from the James Bay Neighbourhood Association as essential to his decision - making as Mayor. If elected, he plans to work closely with the JBNA and he will value their input on community issues. He thinks that the feedback from the JBNA is vital because "we all have to work together" to get things done. Taylor is a firm believer in action: "You don't just talk about doing things" he says "You just do it."