There were more questions than answers during Thursday night’s Vanderhoof Mayoral candidates debate.
Gerry Thiessen, running for a fourth term as District of Vanderhoof Mayor, and Justus Benckhuysen, a volunteer in the community for 20 years, met at the Nechako Valley Secondary School.
The debate began with two questions, one chosen by each candidate, and moved into a round of 13 random questions from the public.
Thiessen chose to speak about the pine beetle issue, while Benckhuysen identified his major priority by choosing government transparency and accountability.
In particular, Benckhuysen mentioned expense reports from Thiessen that have not been available to the public.
“I’ve not had an issue with the expenses per se, but it has been reported to me that people have requested expense reports and they have not been given.”
“Staff is supposed to give that, if they’re not, then what is the issue? If that is the case, why is the mayor not directing staff to do what they’re supposed to do?”
“Somewhere along the line that has been broken down and there needs to be an explanation for that,” said Benckhuysen in an interview with MyNechakoValleyNow after the debate.
Thiessen seemed to be unaware of the issue.
“Well I think they’re all there. When it comes to my report, I look at my expenses and I am very careful with them,” he said.
Thiessen added it “hadn’t come to him” that anyone was looking for them but if it had, he would direct that request to District staff.
Near the end of the random round, a subject arose that called the District into question over free speech.
The following question came from a member of the public:
“Do either of you foresee continuing the practice of having councillors visiting residents at their places of work or private contact in order to ask residents to refrain from public discussion on District policies or actions?”
Despite the very specific nature of the query, both candidates claimed they did not know what situation it was referring to.
“I don’t know what specific example that was based on, but my perspective is this; a political leader should not be going to your home or work place to try and quiet you down about speaking publicly about an issue.”
In regards to what situation the question may have been referring to, Thiessen didn’t have answers.
“I don’t know where it came from. I can’t imagine a councillor going out and not encouraging free speech.”
The debate also brought up discussions of mental health, mobility for an aging population and conditions of the Nechako River.
Highlights of the Random Question section
In the likelihood that there will be unanswered questions at end of the night will you commit to respond to written questions?
For this question, both candidates enthusiastically agreed that they would do their best to answer questions from the public.
There is interest in live streaming council meetings and the community is benefiting as a result. What are your thoughts on live streaming?
Another question both candidates agreed upon, Thiessen said this was a good option that he would be willing to try, while Benckhuysen, who’s top priority is accountability, said he has been an advocate for live streaming council meetings.
What do you identify as Vanderhoof’s housing issues and how do you plan on mitigating those?
The candidates both said that Vanderhoof, and the north in general, are in a housing crisis that needs to be addressed.
Benckhuysen identified the housing issue, saying “the economics just aren’t there”, with high rental prices, costs of developing, and competition with social housing. He wants to bring those issues together and try to find a collective solution.
“What we’re facing in housing is a concern, right across the north,” said Thiessen. He blamed the crisis in part on housing codes, which he said are suited for the lower mainland, but not the north. He wants to advocate for making it more affordable to build houses in the community.
Do you think Vanderhoof should be applying for the connectivity fund that is currently available, and if so, how do you see these funds improving our local internet service?
Thiessen and Benckhuysen seemed to be on the same wavelength, saying how important it is to the future of the residents of Vanderhoof to have good, accessible internet connectivity. While both noted it isn’t a municipal responsibility to ensure these services, they said it is their responsibility to lobby for the community in this regard.
The debate was live streamed, you can watch the full session here.