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Council candidate: Simon Briggs

Age: 36 Website: None Occupation: Primarily, accounts payable Last book read: Currently reading the Speaker for the Dead , which is a series of five books What music are you listening to these days? Everything but opera Favourite recreational pursuit
1545briggs

Age: 36

Website: None

Occupation: Primarily, accounts payable

Last book read: Currently reading the Speaker for the Dead , which is a series of five books

What music are you listening to these days? Everything but opera

Favourite recreational pursuits: I like walking, swimming, biking, playing pool, and going to movies. Mostly social stuff that involves people and getting out.

 

1. Why are you running for council?

Because someone has to speak for the everyday person or the people that are working the crazy hours that want to stay but cannot necessarily stay because of housing restraints.

If we can keep these people here, it will save us money on training. Guests will come up if they see the same person every time they visit because of the sense of familiarity, and it will make them feel at home. Also, it saves money because you do not have to train people every three months.

We also can build up a stronger sense of community by keeping people here and making sure they do not have to leave every few months or so. If we can get people to stay, and we can get more housing in, then we can also keep a steadier workforce.

I am also running because I feel that the average person does not have a voice. Most people that are running own businesses and are going for their own self-interest. Most of them are married so they are going for a family thing, so they are not going for people who are looking to get married or are not married yet.

I am also running for accountability because I feel that the councils in the past couple years are getting better at accountability, but they are still lacking communication within the community. We have to build up that trust and keep us going forward. We seem to get bogged down with a lot of name-calling and cheap shots without actually going anywhere.

 

2. Given that revenue from development is declining and the municipality is more dependent on hotel tax revenue at a time of economic uncertainty, how do you propose the municipality balance its budgets the next few years?

I have to see what the budget is first. That is the key, to see what is the most important items that will keep us going forward and not get bogged with the littler things. Look at the budget as a way to achieve our goals and work together. Communication is the key to everything.

Also, look at ways not just to cut the budget but ways to become more efficient with the budget. There are a number of ways that people do not necessarily realize because they are always thinking inside the box, not outside the box.

 

3. What other important issues does Whistler faces in the next three years?

Lack of skilled workers due to a lot of these skilled workers being forced to leave. Maybe they meet someone, they decide they want to have a family, but they cannot do it in Whistler. Maybe you can do it in Squamish or Pemberton, but you cannot do it in Whistler, so you have to leave. There are a lot of families that want to stay and are struggling to stay, and are working crazy hours and not seeing their family.

Also the environmental crunch. What are we going to do with our garbage, and what are we doing with our water? We need to look at better ways to use our natural resources. Can we put a power station in one of the rivers or something like that? Not necessarily a turbine or a flood or dam, but a water wheel. Also look into solar. For solar and wind energy, often the output to start is a bit higher but the overall effect is much better, and it will shrink our footprint. This will keep our natural resources natural, that is the key, we don’t want to become like a lot of the other ski-snowboard tourist resort areas that are reliant on outside energy. It would be nice to have a lot more self-reliance.

 

4. What needs to be done to address those issues?

A lot of it is communication with people in the community to get people involved. It is better not to tell people to do something but to encourage them to do it. Most people I have met over the years, they would like to be green if given the chance.

Also, access to furthering education without having to go abroad. Access to housing deals, which goes to keep the families here. Not necessarily having to buy them, but buildings with bigger areas where you can actually raise a family. Not studios and bachelor pads, which we seem to have a lot of, and they are stuffed with six to 10 people.



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