1. I think City Council needs to invite community discussion on how our community could be designed to cope with a less abundant future. YES Lee Fehler: As you may know this is a central part of my platform, planning for long-term growth and making sure that we are proactive in city planning rather then reactive. As we all know rehabilitation of cities and urban centres is vastly more expensive then planning for the future. I hate to harp on these issues but I am the only candidate that has spoken out on this so far in the election.
2. I believe City Council should provide transport alternatives for those who don't own a car such as pensioners, students and low-income families. YES Lee Fehler: This is another big issue in my mind, when talking with many
community groups we find that there is actually a need in our community for
public transit. Often new immigrant families who arrive in Steinbach only have
one vehicle so if one of the parents is away at work there is not another
vehicle available in the frigid cold of winter, without the means to get around
this certainly puts people at a disadvantage. So not only is this beneficial in
an environmental sense but it is also extremely valuable for the social fabric
of Steinbach as it prevents social isolation which can be a cause of both crime
and addictions. It is also important that IF we do go down the road of a public
transit vehicle for our small city that it is an attractive mode of
transportation, in this way there is no negative stigma for the use of public
transit. I would not support a half-hearted attempt in this area as doing so
would have the negative effect in the desired results instead of the positive
effects. 3. I believe sound urban development should include ensuring equal solar access to residential sites and building walkable, connected neighborhoods. YES Lee Fehler: Again this is one of the key planks in my platform in terms of livable, walkable, connected neighbourhoods. I think this is one of the major issues affecting our growing city and failure to plan for this can stymie future growth and again add to the social disconnect of our city in terms crime and addictions. Not only that but neighbourhoods with few connections actually increase the pressures of traffic rather then relieving it, an example of this in our city is in the Westview Place, Lund Drive area and the new possibility of dense residential in that neighbourhood. Though everyone is in favour of these advancements where people are worried about these developments is in the area of traffic and the single entrance to their neighbourhood. This is why we must always have an eye towards the long-term development in Steinbach and I think this is really an area where City Council can improve. By looking at the key planks of my platform you can see that this is my greatest area of expertise and commitment for Steinbach and again that in a city that is growing by 30% over every 10 years it is so important that we plan appropriately.
4. I believe the City should provide incentives to individuals and developers who intend to use energy conserving technology. YES Lee Fehler: I think this a great issue when we look at things like solar and geothermal energy. However I think we have to be restrained into how many incentives we can provide at this moment. There is a big drive towards fiscal responsibility in this election and I think that on the priority list right now things such as doctors, the library, and urban planning are on a higher scale at the present time. I would support measures like these but it would require as much a grassroots movement as it would the support of City Council
5. I believe the City should purchase land to increase public green space. YES Lee Fehler: I think Steinbach has done an excellent job in providing green space for our community, I certainly support the addition of green space for our community and a continuation in the amounts of green space provided for our community. That being said I think it's more important to increase density and style of developments rather then increase green space. What is also important is that we create green space and public spaces that are more useful rather then just green space. Again I am the only candidates talking about placemaking in the community and the only candidate with the education, vision, and desire to do this correctly. I do not think we can complain about the amount of green space in our community at this time but I certainly support the continued addition of it in newer developments as our city has always done.
6. I think that local government has a role in the protection of native flora and fauna. YES Lee Fehler: I think council does need to step in and protect native environments. An example of this is the stand of trees that will be protected near Southland Church and Bushfarm Road. Areas like that will now be developed with trails, made useful, and thus we can l have longterm native environments within the urban area. It is also a personal passion of mine to try to find areas where we can have native tall grass prairie gardens such as those found at the forks. In doing so we can provide people in the urban environment with insight as to what our native lands used to look like.
7. I support a role for council in discouraging the use of plastic bags. YES Lee Fehler: Again this is an issue that requires a grassroots movement and would require significant signatures in my opinion for City Council to pursue. It's a great idea and a great issue but the problem is in how to address it. While we are reducing plastic use at the same time we have to take note that biodegradable bags can have a significant impact on the environment as well if you look at how much natural land has to be used in order to grow the appropriate products to produce the bags. I think we would have to look at issues that would encourage citizens to use recycled bags and similar styled products through "discounts" rather then "fees". If we try to add on plastic bag taxes there will be significant resistance from the public, it's important that we are cautious in this issue and try to address it in a way that benefits all of Steinbach's citizens.
8. I believe that government should challenge its citizens' ideas or habits regarding the environment. NO Lee Fehler: While I support green movements I think the local government should be supportive rather then restrictive when it comes to these issues. Public support for restrictive measures will be negative and thus would kill any movement before it took root. Thus I think City Council should support such measures as public bike stands, bike lanes, and some of the other issues previously discussed such as urban planning, new urbanism, street oriented design, etc.
9. I believe the use of chemicals for cosmetic lawn and garden purposes contributes to human health problems. No Answer Lee Fehler: Again I think government must be supportive rather then restrictive. I certainly agree that lawn products add to local environmental problems such as algae blooms in Lake Winnipeg and that the issue needs to be addressed. Yet we need to be cautious in how we approach these issues in city council.
10. I believe the use of chemicals to control mosquitoes has a negative effect on other pollinators and human health. No Answer Lee Fehler: While I myself do not support mosquito fogging, the realization is that our city is built near swamp like lands in this Manitoba clay and the result is that the public is often driven mad by mosquito swarms. Although I would advocate that we try not to fog the support of the public for the opposite is quite strong and in the end this is a democracy that we work in.
11. In recent years large corporations have taken over the grocery and stationery markets. Since large corporations have resulted in growing stress on local businesses, I believe City Council needs to take steps to stop this trend. NO Lee Fehler: I think we have to look at how having large grocers downtown
adds to the benefit of local citizens and assists in walkable, liveable
communities. I think this is more of a national and international concern and
should be addressed in those areas. Yet again if you look at my platform you'll
see that I support small business downtown and that we need to foster these
conditions. I am again the only candidate speaking about street oriented
design, proper public planning, the reduction of parking lot and strip mall
oriented construction, and mixed-use developments all of which support and
endorse small business.
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