Your chance to hear Ward 3 candidates’ views on local issues
As we did previously during the Ward 4 by-election, Happy City St John’s has assembled a series of questions for candidates to answer across a range of issues – we share them below and will share the answers each candidate provides when we receive them. Some of the candidates have run for council in the past and we will provide links to earlier statements they made as well. Lastly, we are collecting links to any media coverage of the candidates and the election itself. Voters will already have started to receive their mail-in ballots but the deadline to post them is Wednesday October 30th, and election day itself is November 5th – you can drop off ballots at city hall or on the first floor of the Village Mall – so we would encourage those who are not yet sure of their choice to wait and take advantage of the chance we are offering to hear more of their views and priorities before you decide.
Ward 3 media coverage (past and present)
Our Questions to the candidates
Transit
Consultants hired to study our transit in 2019 found St. John’s provided a worse transit service by most measures than ten other comparable Canadian cities, and it called for improvements like free transit for children and students up to Grade 12, as well as route and frequency improvements that were projected to cost an extra $2 million a year.
Since then, these recommendations have only been partially implemented. Nonetheless, ridership has increased to levels not seen for decades. The Metrobus budget for 2024 did not increase as a result of increased fare revenue however. Instead, Council chose to reallocate funding they had previously provided to support other priorities. Metrobus’s plan to address current and future growth was due in October last year and is in the hands of council but has not been made public, and it is not clear what it might contain.
Meanwhile, the Village Mall is a major Metrobus hub located in Ward 3, and the mall’s owners have told council they would like to build an apartment building on some of their parking lot space, but they have not said anything in the public proposal about changing or upgrading the present stops. They are sheltered but outdoors and not connected by a covered way to the mall itself.
As the cost of living crisis has hit, an increasing number of people appear to be relying on the bus as their primary form of transportation. Are there improvements to the bus infrastructure of Village Mall you would like to see made and if so who should make and maintain them? How would you balance the value and costs of the transit system with the value and costs of other projects?
Transit: Candidate Responses
Traffic and Safety
Residents in Ward 3 have recently raised concerns about increasing traffic, particularly on streets like Waterford Bridge Road and Craigmillar Avenue. The city has a traffic calming budget, but it’s limited and often a source of debate. One emerging solution could be the use of traffic cameras, as the provincial government has been recently trying out. Given that managing traffic flow and ensuring road safety can sometimes conflict with other community priorities, how would you respond to a constituent worried about traffic in their neighborhood? Are there any specific changes or improvements you’d like to see the city offer to address this issue effectively?
Traffic and Safety: Candidate Responses
Relationship with the Provincial Government
The province sets the rules on what powers cities and other communities have. St John’s is governed by the St John’s Act which is 34 years old. Towns and municipalities recently got their own revised laws but new legislation for cities, including the City of St. John’s, is still in development.
This is an opportunity for you as a Councillor to have a say in how responsibilities and powers are shared between the City of St. John’s and the provincial government. What powers and responsibilities would you like the City to gain or relinquish as part of this process? How might the City be better able to address the needs of residents as a result of any changes you would like to see?
Provincial Government Relations: Candidate Responses
Tax
The Council raised its mil rate in 2024, which spurred some public opposition. However, this increase will not be enough to cover the increased costs the City faces from inflation, and major infrastructure expenditures that we know are required in the near future. In addition, many residents want the City to provide more and better services.
The City has to balance its budget, and there is clearly a tradeoff between the priorities of maintaining affordable tax rates and maintaining and improving public services. What values will guide how you balance taxation and spending? If you would not raise taxes, what existing services would you be willing to reduce or eliminate to support your priorities?
Taxation: Candidate Responses
Crime
The city formed a committee and this month released a Safer Communities Strategy to help prevent crime and violence. What do you think of the report’s recommendations and what are some key measures would you like to see implemented, especially in Ward 3. Who do you see as the key people, community groups, and organizations to work with on this issue?
Crime: Candidate Responses
Housing
The city’s regulations governing what housing can be built in different areas were loosened this year in response to Federal pressure, and with the incentive of $10.4m of federal funding to subsidize the provision of apartments and speed up the planning process. The stated target is to provide an additional 280 housing units in the next three years. The city’s own housing needs assessment found that in 2021 there was already a need for 7,200 more affordable units, and that the number was only set to increase. Other Canadian cities – including Mount Pearl – have been much more ambitious in their planned regulatory changes in response to the Federal offer. (See this post for Happy City’s summary of the housing situation in more detail).
We have nonetheless seen an increase in applications to develop apartments on land across the city. Most recently, the Village Mall announced it would like to build 110 housing units in a multi-story building with parking on the first level on some of the parking space surrounding the Mall. It is not yet clear how tall the building would be, how much of this housing would be affordable, how many parking spaces would be lost by building over them and how many would be added back from the first level parking provided. What for you are the key issues you would want to raise in negotiations with the developer of this proposal?
Are there further changes you would like to see in the city’s planning regulations to support the construction of more and more affordable housing? Are there changes that have been made recently you do not support?
Whenever additional housing is built some nearby residents may feel negatively affected and are likely to call you to complain if you are elected. How will you respond? How would you balance the needs and priorities of present and future residents of Ward 3?
Housing: Candidate Responses
Climate Change
The City’s Climate Adaptation Plan identifies a number of climate-related risks, including stresses on infrastructure from flooding, impacts on food security, and changes to ecological systems that will impact well-being and economic growth. Infrastructure that is being built today needs to be ready to face these challenges, as well as support the city’s goals of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city’s highest-emitting sectors, such as transportation, come with an upfront cost. As a City Councillor, how would you evaluate options for climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, and what factors are important to you in making those decisions? Are there particular policies you would like the city to prioritize to support climate change adaptation and/or mitigation?