Q&As

Morning Jim, do you think the municipal budget is reasonable for the population and services we have?

That's a great question. And the short answer is I don't know. There's a lot of factors that go into determining if a budget is reasonable. One of the biggest things I would think to look at would be budgets of comparable towns like GFW or even others outside NL. Then you would have to look at priorities for the individual towns. Gander might spend more in some areas than other towns. Fiscal responsibility and sustainability are very important considerations for me. Gander's Strategic Plan for 2021-2025 and the 2025 budget refer to those as top priorities for the town. I see a lot of steps have been taken towards this. Overall expenditures are down slightly while the costs of general government is up. (That rsises a question for me). As a councilor I will always question spending and ask for, or personally look into, comparables to try to gauge the reasonability. After all the money being spent is yours and mine. Most of it coming out of residents pockets.

Curious as to your thoughts on the safety and security of the residents in Gander...

that question would probably be answered differently depending on where you live in Gander. For me personally, I feel safe. However, it is concerning when you repeatedly hear of vehicles being broken into, strange people scoping out properties, theft from stores, etc. I've always been curious as to the level of policing provided by town police vs. RCMP. Are there nighttime patrols? How much? Is there a need to look at using constabulary here like in Cornerbrook. Right now, I don't really have answers, but I think I have some good questions to ask if I get elected!

This Year we’ve seen a rise in wildfires. How do you ensure the Atlantic Wildfire Center of Excellence gets built and delivers the benefits promised?

It was October 7, 2024 that the Govt of NL represented by The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, and Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources Canada, were in Gander to provide details on the Atlantic Wildfire Centre and related infrastructure investments.

I’ve emailed Liberal candidate for our district, Bettina Ford, to ask for an update on the Request for Proposals for the design concept for the Atlantic Wildlife Centre campus and related infrastructure at Gander International Airport that was announced 1 year ago. Now is the time to make this an issue with the Provincial election underway!

What specific actions will you take at the municipal level to help restore air routes to Gander? Should municipal taxpayer money be used to subsidize new routes and regional connectivity from Gander?

Council has, in the past, and should again meet with stakeholders including airlines, provincial and federal transportation ministers, working in conjunction with GIAA to keep pressure on and keep it front of mind for the people making these decisions.

Using taxpayer money to subsidize routes is not an option. Investment could be made in feasibility studies and public campaigns to convince the airlines they need to reinstate these routes to Gander.

MORE ? TO COME…

J.L.