Developing Abbotsford became the main theme through the night at the first local all-candidates meeting leading up to election day.
The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce hosted a business-themed debate between mayoral candidates, with a panel representing different interests across the community.
The event saw mayoral candidates Ross Siemens, Troy Gaspar and Manjit Sohi taking on tough questions on topics like crime, affordable housing and natural disaster preparedness. But the majority of questions and answers focused on delays in building approvals at city hall, agricultural and industrial development, and the lack of affordable housing in the city.
Sohi stated several times that he would “remove red tape” and that he’s worried for the city as development lags.
Sohi has more than 25 years of experience working in municipal governments, including Abbotsford. He has been a chief building inspector and a manager of building permit and licences.
The first thing he would do as mayor is streamline the housing approval process.
“It can be done through staff … if council and mayor directs them properly,” he said, adding, “And if we were open to business, Molson would be in Abbotsford.”
He cited anecdotes he’s heard of, such as a daycare that had a 14-month wait to build, and a restaurant that had an 18-month wait. A small subdivision, he said, takes five years to get approved and built, which does nothing to help with the housing stock or soaring real estate and rent costs.
Siemens brings his own breadth of experience to the table, coming to the mayoral race as a sitting councillor and a downtown business owner.
He said he would like to build on the positives that Mayor Henry Braun has been able to achieve, and continue to improve the way city hall functions. He acknowledged Sohi’s experiences that approval for development has been slow — some businesses are waiting longer than a year to be able to build.
“We are starting to see a change and we have been working on that,” Siemens said. “The challenge is that we have the flood that took a number of people out of the process to help with flood recovery. There has been some challenges and we are well aware of it.”
In response to another question, he said that this mayor and council “caught the attention” of national and provincial offices as an “innovative city” that “punched above its weight class” in dealing with the flooding disaster.
Connections made during the time of flooding could turn into better results down the road, he suggested. The city is currently working on several large capital projects relating to the flood.
The issue of finances also came up.
Siemens said that in 2014, the city was “$11 million in the hole” and now has $350 million in reserves. As mayor, he said, he will ensure the city remains “fiscally disciplined” and move toward investing in the community more.
“Now that we’ve got our financial house in order, we’re building our reserves, we now have some opportunities to really take a look at some of our social infrastructure and our recreational infrastructure,” he said.
Even questions about what a mayor and council could do for the city’s younger adults had the candidates working their way back to development. Sohi said the students at the University of the Fraser Valley are a group that should be catered to more, to attract them to stay and live in Abbotsford.
“What would they do on a Friday night in this town? Nothing,” he quipped, with laughter breaking out in the audience. “We have a university, give them something to do in this town. Give them an entertainment hub, and affordable housing so they stay here.”
Siemens noted that the city already does have a strong relationship with UFV.
Gaspar passed off a lot of opportunities to speak to questions, and had trouble answering other questions. But he did state that being mayor of Abbotsford was on his bucket list, and that he hoped to be mayor at some point and follow in Braun’s footsteps.
He said if he were elected he would be a good person, and work hard to end homelessness.
A fourth candidate, Dave Pellikaan, did not participate in the event. In a meeting with organizers, he said, he was asked to follow certain guidelines such as not mentioning specific issues that he is campaigning on. He says he refused to follow those guidelines. He went on stage moments before the start of the event and announced that he would be leaving.
As he left, a security guard followed him out of the building. At the same time, a second man started yelling obscenities at the crowd and accusing Braun, who was in the audience, of acting illegally. He was escorted out.
A full video of the meeting is available on the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
There are a few more opportunities for the public to hear from candidates before going to the polls on Oct. 15. There will also be more coverage coming in The Abbotsford News, including a question and answer format with candidates.
SEPT. 29: UFV Student Union Society hosts Abbotsford mayoral debate
SEPT. 30: Abbotsford mayoral and council candidates to gather for ACM Sept. 30
OCT.1 : All-candidates meeting in Abbotsford focuses on sports, parks, recreation and culture
OCT. 3: Abbotsford school trustee candidates to hit the stage for forum
OCT. 11: All-candidates meeting planned by Abbotsford Chamber
READ MORE: Roster of Abbotsford council candidates includes four names for mayor
