IN THE MAPLE RIDGE MAYOR’S RACE: Darleen Bernard

Darleen Bernard

RUNNING AS AN INDEPENDENT

Retired nurse, age 62

Albion resident who’s lived in Maple Ridge 13 years

I am running for mayor in this election because I am tired of the same thing.

When I looked at the candidates for this election, I thought that there was no one new or no new ideas in the group.

I want a different approach to property taxes.

I want to see a more thought-out approach to development.

I also want to create a market for our fruit and vegetables instead of importing them from other parts of the world.

I would also like to see businesses getting a financial break as they suffered the brunt of COVID-19.

I would also like to see a wildlife sanctuary.

I want change.

Together we can make changes work.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DarleenBernard

Phone: 604-356-0513

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: No.

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

1. Does the City have a handle on the problems created by homelessness?

No. I feel the city does not have a handle on the problems of homelessness.

Once Anita Place closed, a no plan for housing forced residents to leave and scatter throughout the city.

This is what I believed caused an increase in crime in the area. Streets, sidewalks, and parks are just that and should not be used for tents for housing purposes.

Housing should be a graduated approach, with the first step being housing people who are in need of housing due to lack of affordability and who are not suffering from substance abuse.

Secondly, there needs to be a treatment-first approach to housing people with substance abuse.

Treatment needs to be based on the level of substance use, with treatment lasting for as long as it takes for people to become stable.

2. Do you believe residents of the City feel safe?

No.

3. Do you support the City borrowing funds to build a new aquatic centre?

No.

4. Are you in favour of development along the Alouette River?

No.

5. Can City hall do more to attract new businesses to open in Maple Ridge?

Yes.

6. Should the City borrow funds to build a new arena facility?

Don’t know.

7. Should Maple Ridge take more direct action to combat the local opioid crisis?

Yes. I feel the city should incorporate their approach to the opioid crisis with that of housing. I do not agree with providing people with a clean source of drugs as these drugs are not medicinal. They are psychotropic drugs and have a negative impact on the body. Also what is the life expectancy of people taking this source of “clean drugs” and are any of the communities willing to experiment in order to obtain the results of using “clean drugs”?

8. Is the City taking adequate measures to lower carbon emissions?

Don’t know.

9. Are tax levels too high in the City?

Yes.

10. Should the City commit to making a decision on proposed new developments within 12 months or less?

Yes.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

How the questions were presented to each candidate

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows news readers have told us how much they value this important, straight-forward reference guide that helps orient them with the range of choices on the ballots – both at the council and school board levels.

Towards that end, we have attempted to make this package available (along with the following instructions) to each of the candidates in a timely fashion ahead of the Oct. 15 election.

Please read carefully before you start to fill this out.

To help voters in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows make their choices on election day, The News is asking local candidates 10 issue-based questions.

You must provide a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y, N, D) response to EACH of these questions.

Each question MUST be answered with yes (Y), no (N), or Don’t Know (D). This will be published in a grid in the Oct. 6 edition. Any questions not answered will be LEFT BLANK.

Candidates may also expand on ANY OR ALL of these questions (to a maximum of 200 words each). Please note any responses longer than that will be cut off at the 201-word mark.

Due to space limitations, we can only guarantee to run one of these answers in The News print edition ahead of the election. You must CLEARLY indicate which expanded answer you want to see published in print. If you do not specify, we will choose. Any and all expanded answers provided will be published online at www.mapleridgenews.com.

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