Candidates line up for Nanaimo byelection

The upcoming Nanaimo byelection is attracting interest now that several people have already announced they are running.

Kevin Storrie, a former Campbell River councillor, wants the city to focus on two crisis situations — the lack of affordable housing and the drug problem, particularly associated with fentanyl, and said different levels of government must work together.

Another major issue is to bring stability to the current council, said Storrie, 67. Nanaimo council has gone through turbulent times.

Storrie is pledging to be a fulltime councillor to ensure citizens are heard. In Campbell River, he worked to establish the local museum.

Not all contenders have officially submitted documents. The deadline is 4 p.m. on June 2

As of Monday afternoon, six citizens have filed papers for the July 8 election. They are: Kevin Cantelon, Al Thompson, Kevin Storrie, Brunie Brunie, a social and environmental activist who ran for mayor in 2014, Boston Pizza owner Jim Mercier, school district trustee Noah Routley, Fred Statham.

The seat is vacant because Wendy Pratt resigned her seat on council in early April.

Cantelon, 47, is taking another shot at a council seat. He won just over 5,300 seats in the 2014 election.

He said he is concerned about dysfunction at city hall, pointing to insults, lawsuits and an ongoing police investigation.

Cantelon, who has retired from practicing law, said he is trained in keeping decorum and is prepared to vote with anyone provided the matter is in the best interests of the city.

He knows the council members and said, “I have a good relationship with all of them.”

Cantelon favours more focus on the rules of procedure to help meetings run more efficiently.

City council has to get back in touch with citizens, he said, pointing to the overwhelming rejection by voters of a new events centre in March.

Al Thompson, who is in his late sixties, is running because the city is “too busy infighting and wasting money.”

He ran for mayor in the most recent election. Retired from working as a commercial truck driver, Thompson advises a distilling equipment company.

Asked about how to deal with infighting, Thompson said, “I’d tell them to stop.”

When it comes to financial management, the city is too quick to hire consultants when it already has well-paid senior staff, Thompson said.

Money was wasted on staging the referendum, he said.

Thompson would favour city hall hiring more staff. He said he believes it is top-heavy in management.

Newcomer Sacia Burton, 24, announced she is running and her platform is focusing on food security, its integral value and the contribution it makes to community wellness.

Accountable and accessible government, and transparency in finances and decision-making are important to her. Burton said she wants to engage more youth and women in government.

Raised in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Burton moved to Vancouver Island in 2011 and has since completed a bachelor’s degree in politics and philosophy at Vancouver Island University.

Whoever wins will hold their seat until the next municipal general election in 2018.

A new organization called OurNanaimo has set up a web page at ournanaimo.com. Fred Pattje, a former Nanaimo councillor, is part of a team that will be asking candidates for comments on a range of issues, with responses to be posted on the website.

The organization is not endorsing any candidates, Pattje said.