Gwen O’Connell
Retired, age 68
Pitt Meadows resident for 46 years
My husband, Paul, and myself have lived in Pitt Meadows for the past 46 years.
We raised two children here, and have five grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
I am very passionate about this community and the people who live here.
I believe that even when our population maxes out, we can still have the small-town community feeling.
All ages should feel welcome here, to live, work and play
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Gwen Hopkins O’Connell
Phone: 604-220-9524
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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: Yes, since 1993, with a three-year break and then a four-year break, for a total of 22 years.
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Questions:
(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)
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1. Should the City switch from a volunteer-based (paid-on-call) fire department to a full-time model?
Yes. We will need to continue to phase this in. Had this been brought to council attention years ago, we would not be playing catchup. We just do not have enough volunteers now.
2. Should Pitt Meadows take more direct action to combat the local opioid crisis?
No.
3. Do you support the construction of the Harris Road underpass?
Yes, I do.
4. Should the City set targets for the creation of more low-income and seniors rental spaces, social housing units, and/or co-op development to improve home security?
Yes, and we are working on one now with BC Housing.
5. Do you support the proposal for the new CP Rail logistics yard?
No.
6. Should the City be offering more tax breaks, rebates, and other incentives to entice new businesses to town?
No. We first need to meet with new companies and see what there needs would be to come to our community.
7. Do you think residential property taxes are too high in Pitt Meadows?
No. I know that as all living expenses go up, this can be a large item for many families.
8. Does Pitt Meadows need an indoor swimming pool?
No. We cannot afford the operating costs.
Had we made the money off the taxes from the industrial park that we were led to believe we would receive, it may have been a different story.
9. Do you support the City creating a separate RCMP detachment, exclusively serving Pitt Meadows?
Yes. Once we did the feasibility study, and realized how much money was going out the window each year, I realized it was time to take the next step.
10. Should Pitt Meadows parks and nature areas be protected at the cost of future development opportunities?
Yes. But we need to look at each situation seperately.
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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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