In beautiful Saskatoon on Treaty 6 Territory and the Traditional Homeland of the Métis.
I can’t believe summer is coming to an end soon. It has been a good summer with lots of different weather and, of course, festivals and events that make the warmer months in Saskatoon most enjoyable. I have been out and about and have had many good meetings and conversations with you. Your conversations are so valuable to me, and I really appreciate them. It has been a busy summer for City Council, with many meetings and decisions being made.
My priorities haven’t changed. I aggressively advocate for
lower taxes, and a focus on improving basic core services such as roads, sidewalks, transit, parks, and snow removal. I always work hard to ensure that residents in Ward 9 feel safe and have a good quality of life. I will continue to be a strong voice for fiscal responsibility, community development and public safety. I want to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used sensibly; and I believe in accountability of our tax dollars while championing initiatives to improve infrastructure and public services.
While my colleagues and I agree on many things, we do not agree on every issue. I never hesitate to stand up for you in Ward 9. I might not win every vote, but I will ALWAYS stand up against policies that I don’t think make sense and always take into consideration the valuable feedback from Ward 9 residents.
I voted against the budget and the corresponding mill rate increases. It did not focus enough on core services that affect all of us every day. I am in favour of cancelling, reducing, or pausing capital projects and focusing on core services so that all can enjoy and experience a good quality of life.
I wholeheartedly supported the community support workers on some Saskatoon Transit routes that began on July 1. These were the only full-time equivalents (FTEs) I supported in the entire budget. The City of Saskatoon has now surpassed a population of 300,000 people, transit ridership is increasing, and we need to change and adjust accordingly. There have been far too many safety issues for both the transit drivers and the bus riders. I also brought the motion forward to have Plexi-glass barriers installed on all buses to protect the drivers. This passed, and now all buses, new and old, have the barriers. Saskatoon Transit will be implementing Free Child Fare in September 2024, and I was happy to support it.
I voted against the Garbage Utility for the black bins. Saying that we are saving money on the mill rate but creating another utility was not transparent. What is that saying: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
I voted against the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). As I stated at City Council, I do not want to be held captive by any level of government or organization. We were told that if we did not support it, the City of Saskatoon would not receive funding for projects down the road, such as transit or any other capital projects the city might take on. Also, there was a very short timeline, which did not, in my opinion, give enough time for the appropriate due diligence, including engagement. I am proud that the city has been working on a housing/homelessness strategy. There was still work to do on it, but we would have been able to engage the public and have the time to do it right.
I voted against the 22 million dollars for the city to build their own organics facility. I think it will cost much more than that. In this case, I think we should have used professional companies for the organics facility. I was disappointed when the East Side Organic Depot was closed after being removed from the budget. I did not support the closure.
Park improvements are high on the list for me, as well as road and sidewalk repair and I was happy to support them as I was happy to support the expansion of access to drinking water and public washrooms, specifically in Pleasant Hill and Riversdale.
This is a sampling of some of the items and issues that have been on the minds of citizens, and I have heard from you about them. I would be happy to discuss these or any other city issues further.
I am very active in Ward 9, connecting with you. I have regular Coffee With Your Councillor events and have many other community engagements in the ward as well as working with the Community Associations. If you have an event you would like me to attend, please contact me and I would love to join you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or issues. Please follow my social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formally Twitter) and on my website bevdubois.com. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to represent you. It is a privilege to serve the residents of Ward 9.