Name: Doug Rempel
Party affiliation (if any):
Education: UBC Sauder School of Business RED
Occupation: Real Estate sales & Habitat for Humanity
Previous political experience:
Residency (city/neighbourhood):Abbotsford central
Community involvement: Member of: Chamber of Commerce, Triathlon BC, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. Currently volunteer time for Habitat for Humanity UFV & the Abbotsford Triathlon. Previous volunteer work includes all the past summer games, coaching football at Rick Hansen Secondary School, Abbotsford Youth Commission, Junior achievement, and Toast Masters. Board of director for GARD an organization that does water and health programs in Uganda.
Marital status/children: Married with 1 daughter
Email: dougrempel@hotmail.com
Social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dougrempelabbotsford Twitter: dougjrempel Web site: www.dougrempelabbotsford.com
What do you feel are the three key issues Abbotsford voters should be considering in this civic election?
1. City debt
2. Homelessness/affordable housing
3. Sustainable development
What's your plan to deal with homelessness in Abbotsford?
I plan to support the organizations that have the expertise in this area. I want to continue to work towards having a safe place for our most marginalized to live. I plan to continue to donate my time and money to be a part of the solution and walk the walk with them not just talk the talk. I am going to continue to put pressure on the provincial and federal governments to supply us with funding to help eliminate poverty. I am currently helping to organize a fundraising event that will raise funds for homelessness and affordable housing.
How would you make city hall more accountable and transparent?
Taxpayers deserve to know how city leadership is spending their tax dollars. I will follow best practices as set out by other successful municipalities and ensure we have policies that will provide adequate details regarding the City’s finances and that they are clear to all of our tax payers. I plan to have an open door policy. If people have an issue I want to be able to get them solutions and answers as quickly as possible. I will push to have information readily available. I want to hear and address the complaints that people have. I know we can’t make everybody happy all the time but we can strive to be better and do a better job every day.
Are changes required in local municipal spending?
If so, what are they and how would you address them?We need to look at every penny we spend. We need to look at how much we spend on the top salaries at the city. I am not saying we get rid of people. When someone quits or retires let’s think long & hard if we need to replace them, let’s talk to staff and see if we have people already on staff that can fill in the gaps without compromising our public service. Maybe we replace our city vehicles a little less often or think about landscaping our city properties and parks with plants that take less maintenance & are still beautiful. I will engage with other communities that have been successful with being debt free or getting out of debt to learn from them. I will consult with successful businesses people to get prudent advice. I will also make sure that at city hall we watch the pennies to save the dollars. I have many years of experience negotiating multi-million dollar deals and leading staff. I will use this experience to ensure we operate a fiscally responsible city hall and get the most from our very capable city employees.