By The Canadian Press

Guy Beaulieu

Oct 15, 2018 | 3:13 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 Vancouver and have lived in Nanaimo and Gabriola off and on for over 20 years, raising a family here. I have also worked in Alberta for several years before returning to reside in Nanaimo. I am a Human Resources, Labour Relations and Aboriginal Relations professional with over 40 years experience in resolving problems through alternative dispute methods such as mediation and arbitration. This has included aboriginal workforce development, health and safety, workers’ compensation, human rights and respectful workplace issues. I currently provide Human Resources, Labour Relations and Aboriginal Relations services as a consultant. I have served as a Director, Vice-President and Audit Committee Member of a Credit Union. I have served as an industry advisory member to the board of an Aboriginal pre-apprenticeship training program and was on a government committee that promoted hiring, training and retaining apprentices in industry.

Contact information:

Website: http://guybeaulieu4council.ca

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Facebook: @guy4nanaimo

guy@guybeaulieu4council.ca

(250)606-1212

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 Councillor, that I am running for, is to represent the residents of Nanaimo in the municipal government with dedication and integrity by providing policy and fiscal oversight; collaborate with the rest of Council to set policy in order to provide direction to the CAO; understanding with continual updating the wide range of areas the City is involved in; ongoing consultation with Nanaimo residents through committees, task forces and other means of community engagement; maintaining a working knowledge of the legal environment that the City is situated in; familiarity with planning processes and outcomes; being well prepared for Council and Committee meetings.

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

My vision for Nanaimo is a city where residents live together enjoying all that Nanaimo has to offer with its marvelous location, business and employment opportunities, educational facilities, recreational activities and cultural amenities. I will do everything in my power as a City of Nanaimo councillor to make this a place where citizens thrive and say they are proud to live here. Our City must be affordable for our children and grandchildren with all the services we enjoy kept affordable.

My vision includes having constant contact and feedback from our all parts of our community including partners and stakeholders, such as community associations, businesses, other levels of government, social services, educational institutions and other community organizations.

We need to look at innovative methods of consultation, especially with our residents, many of whom are feeling left out of the process. Online feedback is certainly an obvious method.

Rotating townhall style meetings are another with information meetings held in different parts of the community instead of being city hall centric. This also includes integrity and upfront transparency so people know what their City is doing for them. Most information should be readily available online not requiring the filing freedom of information requests.

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?

Affordable housing by growing it through the private sector and by utilizing all funding which senior governments offer. This is a priority as our children and seniors are being priced out of home ownership or renting a home. Seniors housing is a special area of concern as our population ages. Related to this is health care upgrades so Nanaimo residents receive treatment locally, especially for Mental Health and Addictions which may require supportive housing.

Economic Development resulting in investment and job creation by attracting businesses to Nanaimo and facilitating existing ones is an important priority. Nanaimo once was a city that had multiple employers paying living wages. There is now too much precarious, minimum wage employment that is a contributing factor in making housing unaffordable.

Better transportation with improvements to transit and roads is a priority. This is a necessity if we want Nanaimo to continue to be sustainable. Our roads need to be both more pedestrian and cycling friendly in order to encourage these forms of transportation. Walking paths need a higher priority, especially those planned along the waterfront. Our transit system is sorely in need of upgrade as it is difficult for many of us to use it efficiently.

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?

Much of the pressure on elected officials from those who may not agree is self-inflicted. When residents don’t understand an issue because they have not been consulted or there is no transparency they sometimes react in a contentious manner.

This is unlikely to occur when people are engaged early in a decision making process which provides education and information. I have spent my entire career providing explanations to people and finding resolution to difficult issues in employment situations. I believe these skills will be valuable in my role as a Councillor.

For respective financial information, click here.