An Okotoks candidate wants to focus on the budget, diversified housing and maintaining the town’s charm as it grows.
Sylvia Doublet has lived in Okotoks since 1987, and spent 30 years working in finance for a large, multi-national oil and gas company.
She said the business experience and her knowledge of the town would play a role in helping council address the challenges that lie ahead with water, finances and planning for future growth.
“My financial career provided me lots of opportunity to gain knowledge in many areas, including property tax, financial reporting, asset management, budgeting, and also communicating with government bodies,” said Doublet.
The budget for the next term is of primary concern, she said, as the town recovers from COVID and the extent of the pandemic impacts are realized.
With future Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding decreasing as the Province shifts to the Local Government Fiscal Framework, she said fewer dollars coming from the government could make budgeting difficult.
“We’re going to have to be very diligent in how we do our budget,” said Doublet.
She is also focused on maintaining the town’s character and viability as it grows. The charm is part of what drew her family to town 34 years ago.
“I think today we still have that charm, but I’m proud of how the town has grown and how many amenities are available to us now,” said Doublet. “When we first moved to town, we hardly had a grocery store.”
It comes down to ensuring the lifestyle of Okotoks is maintained, she said, and building on what is already in place, like pathways, parks and playgrounds.
As a patron of the arts, she said a future performing arts centre, which is proposed as phase two of the Arts and Learning Campus, is on her radar.
“I want to see opportunities we can showcase local artists, as well as confirming the status and funding strategy for a performing arts centre to make sure it’s in our future,” said Doublet.
Building the business community is also important and has helped Okotoks grow, she said. It also helps keep residents in town, if high school and post-secondary students and graduates have places to work.
A larger business base is needed to continue supporting a growing population, she said, but that needs to be balanced with infrastructure.
“We have to continue to work on the supplemental water supply that the previous council has put into place,” said Doublet. “We have to work with the provincial government to determine what grant the Town of Okotoks actually can receive and make sure we get that grant in place and we get that pipeline up and running.”
In addition, she said providing a broader range of housing is vital to keeping and attracting residents.
It’s not just about affordable housing, although that plays a role as well, she said.
“We’ve got so many beautiful, single-family homes in Okotoks, but we have to make sure that all the different needs are met for the different demographics,” said Doublet. “We have a very nice diverse community here, and we just want to attract more people, not have people wanting to leave because they can’t get the type of housing they need.”
