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Brent McIvor

Candidate promotes budget cuts and affordability

What's one thing people would be surprised to learn about you? Equally comfortable hanging out with my friends, or with my daughters and their friends. Share similar interests but I am having trouble getting used to Drum & Bass!

What world leader would you most like to go for dinner/drinks with, and why? Barrack Obama. His accomplishments and journey through life is simply fascinating.

What book do you recommend everyone read and why?  Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - 1997 book by Jared Diamond - Short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years.

Give an example of a difficult situation you have overcome? When the Japanese economy's bubble burst three of my main clients there went bankrupt. I had revolving letters of credit for years worth of work with them. Overnight their fax numbers went dead! I had to layoff almost all staff. Went from six of us in office to me. I became the chief cook and bottle washer by myself. Fortunately the U.S. market saved us and was able to build up biz again. Oh, broke my neck..... another story!

What are your favourite sports to watch on TV? Of course ski cross, especially when Ashleigh is racing. Interested in most sports but usually only during play-offs. Rather do them myself!

Brent McIvor isn't interested in being beholden to anyone politically so the candidate for mayor is financing his campaign himself.

 

He is being supported in his efforts in his first stab at politics by his daughter Ashleigh, the Olympic ski cross gold medalist.

McIvor has lived in Whistler since 1980 and raised Ashleigh and Lindsay, his other daughter, here in Whistler through his years as a school teacher, general contractor, value added wood products exporter and now business consultant with his company called McIvor Strategic alliances.

While working in the mining industry, McIvor spent six years studying at university and graduated with a political science degree.

"I feel that we're at a watershed," said McIvor when asked what motivated him to run for the mayor's job. "I feel that the planning in this valley has been fantastic. I think we're the envy of most resorts worldwide."

Despite that belief, McIvor said the resort isn't sustainable due to an increase in the municipal budget of 57 per cent between 2006 and 2011 combined with the state of the world economic situation.

"We can't sustain the municipal government and programs that we have," he said.

Affordability for young people, specifically his daughters, is a primary concern for McIvor.

The pay parking issue is part of McIvor's affordability concerns. He was clear in stating that he opposes pay parking in the day lots.

He has some very clear taxation and budgetary goals if he is elected mayor. On his website, McIvor wrote that riders of the village shuttle should pay for the service and a $1.9 million dollar saving can be found by cutting municipal vehicle expenses in half over the course of five years. McIvor has also said he will save taxpayers $7.2 million by cutting the five-year budget for the proposed visitor hub.

McIvor said he would go line by line through the budget and make cuts.

Through all the cuts he said he believes there is money to have the library operate every day once again.

McIvor is often referred to as the fourth candidate behind Ken Melamed, Ralph Forsyth and Nancy Wilhelm-Morden.

"Let the other campaigns battle it out and cause some hurt," McIvor said of his competitors.

"What we need is for somebody to get elected who gets along with everyone, who can form consensus, who will conduct themselves in such a way that they are listening to the community and not just special interest groups," said McIvor.

In the run up to election-day McIvor is using social media to get his message out along with door knocking. He said he doesn't plan to put "cheesy signs up and down the highway" to remind voters of his entry in the race for mayor.

"It is time to have an interim hold the line budget and determine where cuts should be made," said McIvor in summing up his election campaign.

 

 



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