We sat down with the six mayoral candidates running for office to try to get to the bottom of their policies, beliefs and contradictions that may have surfaced during the municipal election campaign.
Watch the full video, or fast forward to the times outlined below to see answers to certain questions posed by reporter Tyler Olsen. You can also find links to interviews with other mayoral candidates below. For our election hub, with links to all our other election-related coverage, click here.
Trevor Eros admitted he doesn’t have much political experience, but said he was confident he would be able to get up to speed quickly, if elected.
“No, I don’t feel I would be 100 per cent ready, but I feel I’d be 100 per cent confident and willing and able to learn the things as I go along the way.”
Eros was asked if expanding the urban development boundary would create more sprawl.
He said Abbotsford is running out of land, adding: “If we don’t want to have over-priced high rise developments in our city, we’re going to have to space ourselves out. “
Eros has also suggested implementing caps on rental rates for new developments. Asked if that would discourage the creation of new housing, Eros said “The demand for bodies to rent houses is always going to [increase]. Even if we’re charging more, or even if we’re charging less, people are still going to come here.”
Watch the full video below
Trevor Eros
1:30 : Why are you, a political newcomer, running to be mayor rather than a councillor?
2:30 : What makes you more well-suited than the other five candidates running to be mayor?
5:00 : Do you know enough on Day 1 to be an advocate for the city in discussions with senior levels of government?
6:00 : How would you advocate for Abbotsford?
7:45 : Why is expanding the urban development boundary worth considering if it may contribute to sprawl?
9:30 : Do you think the OCP’s goals for where new residents will live are not realistic?
10:30 : Do you think that apartment buildings will be more expensive than single-family homes on Sumas Mountain?
11:15 : What do “building specific rental caps” mean?
12::45 : Many people would say there needs to be more supply of housing and that caps would discourage incentives to build new homes. What would you say to that argument?
14:15 : You are the only candidate who relies on public transit. How would you fix the city’s transit system, and what would be the cost?
18:30 : Why do so few young people get involved in politics?
21:45 : Could younger people with families not have the time to run, and would you have the time to be mayor?
22:45 : Before you ran, did you pay attention to council meetings?
24:00 : A viewer asks what can you do for veterans living in Abbotsford?
24:50 : What are your chances come Oct. 20?
OTHER MAYORAL CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS
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