By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Don Bonner

Oct 9, 2018 | 2:18 PM

NanaimoNewsNOW reached out to every municipal candidate to present an easy-to-read and informative guide for our readers to help with the upcoming municipal election. All candidates were asked the same four questions, which are presented here without being edited. 

Biography: I was born in Victoria and spent most of my life in Nanaimo.  A business owner for the last 21 years and prior to that was an active union member. I’m a proud member of the Algonquin Nation and active in present day treaty negotiations.  President of the United Way for 7 years on the board for 12 years. Board member of the Nanaimo Chamber for the last 4 years, Rotarian for 21 years and President twice and volunteered in Ethiopia immunizing children and clean water projects. I have been a member of the City of Nanaimo Grants Advisory Committee for 7 years.  I have has spent the last four years following council, going to meetings and making presentations.  I was also spokesperson for No Vote 2017, founding member of OurNanaimo and Administrator and founding member of the Facebook group A Better Nanaimo. 

Question 1: Describe, in detail, what you view as the most important duties associated with the role of being a councillor/mayor?

The role of council is laid out in law with the Community Charter.  Councils address the needs, both present day and future, of their community by making collective decisions which are set out in bylaws and resolutions.  As councillors we must look out for the interests and well-being of the people in our community.  We need to review bylaws, the Official Community Plan, hire an employee to run the city corporation, set a balanced 5-year budget each year, set tax rates to accommodate that budget. As a level of government, we need to have good working relationships with the Nanaimo Port Authority, School Board, Nanaimo Airport, neighbouring municipalities and with our neighbour nations Snuneymuxw First Nation and Snaw-naw-as First Nation. 

As well council needs to be open and willing to listen to the public.  This is done through an active policy of community engagement on important projects, initiatives and plans. Through this active community engagement, we would then make decisions on projects, strategic plans and a vision for our future.

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Question 2: Describe your vision for Nanaimo beyond the next four years

• Create a community that our children and grand children will be proud to call their home.
• A partnership for future prosperity with the Snuneymuxw First Nation and our Urban Aboriginal population as equals.  Our city becoming recognized as a “City of Reconciliation”.
• Our City becoming a more active partner in our arts & culture events and festivals to guarantee their success and help promote new ones thereby showcasing Nanaimo with a vibrant Arts and Cultural community.
• Building our high-tech industry through developing our Digital Infrastructure, our Social and Cultural Infrastructure and our Natural Infrastructure. Where high-tech business and workers around the world recognize that living and working in Nanaimo is Lit.
• Renewed partnerships with the School Board, the Nanaimo Port Authority, Nanaimo Airport, Island Corridor Foundation, Chamber of Commerce and the Social Service Agencies of our community.
• Our City becoming a leader in stewardship of our environment, promoting sustainable agriculture and water shed management and respect for our Natural environment.

Question 3: If you were making a list of your top three strategic priorities for the incoming Council to focus on over the next four years, what would they be and why?

• Development of the digital, social, arts & cultural and natural infrastructure to attract and retain a successful high-tech industry.
• Hire a permanent CAO and work with that person to rebuilt our City Staffing capacity. Development of a vision & strategic plan, along with a renewed Official Community Plan done through extensive public engagement to move our city through the next 20 years.
• Commit to developing A partnership for future prosperity with the Snuneymuxw First Nation and our Urban Aboriginal population as equals.  Our city becoming recognized as a “City of Reconciliation”.

Question 4: What is your strategy for dealing with the intense pressure and scrutiny placed upon elected officials, especially from those who may not agree with your decisions or viewpoints?

It’s unlikely that decisions by council will have the approval of everyone.  If that were the case, then we are not making bold decisions. Decisions that will bring our city, successfully into the future. The decisions of council must be made with the interests of the community first and foremost, and we as a council need to be able to defend those decisions.  Part of my platform is about Community Engagement.  Council needs to embrace the concept of active community engagement on the things that are important to our community so that when council does decide it’s based facts, good reports from our professional staff and community engagement and the community knows that they have had an input on those decisions.  Our community needs to know and believe that they are part of that decision-making process.

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