IN THE PITT MEADOWS COUNCILLOR RACE: Tracy Elke (Miyashita)

Tracy Elke (Miyashita)

Health care system liaison, age not given

Resident of Pitt Meadows for 22 years

I have served four terms on Pitt Meadows council and am running again to provide leadership, experience, and continuity for many priorities that have started over the previous terms. Those include the Pitt Meadows RCMP detachment, road and rail improvements, parks and recreation master plan, and fire services capacity.

I have worked with Indigenous communities for 32 years and honour truth and reconciliation in decision making.

I have worked for non-profits, local, and provincial government, and previously owned a small business.

I raised my son in Pitt Meadows who went through an aviation program at YPK.

Pitt Meadows residents have big hearts and community spirit.

I am proud of our community and how we warmly welcome others and support those in need.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tracy Elke for Pitt Meadows

Website: tracyelke2022.com

Phone: 604-537-4507

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: 4 terms on council.

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

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, however, a hybrid model would allow the city to keep POC model, but with full-time paid firefighters to ensure timely response and that we are meeting standards at the same level as other communities with similar populations.

2. Should Pitt Meadows take more direct action to combat the local opioid crisis?

Yes - the city could be more involved with the health authority and provincial initiatives that address substance use and opioid crisis.

3. Do you support the construction of the Harris Road underpass?

Yes - this is needed to alleviate traffic and wait-times at crossings as we are seeing more trains and longer trains.

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.

5. Do you support the proposal for the new CP Rail logistics yard?

No. As a council we all stand together with residents in our opposition to this logistics park.

6. Should the City be offering more tax breaks, rebates, and other incentives to entice new businesses to town?

Depends - small businesses may need more support, however we have a number of large businesses in the industrial park that do not need support through tax breaks or incentives.

7. Do you think residential property taxes are too high in Pitt Meadows?

No. No one enjoys paying taxes and most would probably feel taxes are too high. However, we do have one of the lowest rates in the lower mainland and the city provides many valuable services for the taxes.

8. Does Pitt Meadows need an indoor swimming pool?

Yes. But I would like to see input from the community on this decision (referendum) as this impacts taxes.

9. Do you support the City creating a separate RCMP detachment, exclusively serving Pitt Meadows?

Yes - we are paying for 23 members already and other communities of similar size have their own detachment.

10. Should Pitt Meadows parks and nature areas be protected at the cost of future development opportunities?

Yes.

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CLICK ON OUR ELECTIONS 2022 TAB TO FIND A WIDE VARIETY OF RELEVANT STORIES

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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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