2026 Charlottetown Municipal Election Questionnaire

We need to prioritize essential services over nice-to-haves. If this means the city lacks the financial resources, new revenues must be considered to ensure adequately funded emergency and other essential services.

Public safety is a fundamental responsibility of Council. When the Fire Chief identifies a need, Council must seriously consider the professional advice, examine the risks and costs, and be accountable for its decision. As Mayor, I will support transparent decisions and, where resources cannot be provided immediately, a clear plan to address those needs through future budgets.

My first job is to listen to your expert advice and understand your needs; then I need to know the timeline; and finally, I have to find a way to pay for it and make it happen. I believe in surrounding myself with people who understand the problems and have solutions in mind.

The Fire Chief’s job is to give Council professional operational advice. Council’s job is to listen to it, understand the evidence, ask questions and provide the resources necessary to deliver the service.

I would expect the Chief to identify the problem, the risk created by it, the proposed solution, alternatives, costs and the consequences of delaying action.

But I also believe we should improve the governance structure through which those conversations take place.

Charlottetown currently deals with police, fire and emergency management largely through the normal standing-committee structure of Council. I would like to move toward a Public Safety and Emergency Services Commission, subject to the requirements of provincial legislation.

Its mandate would bring together the strategic oversight of policing, professional and volunteer fire services, emergency management and municipal public-safety functions.

I would envisage a structure that includes elected representation but also independent members with appropriate public-safety, emergency-management or governance experience. The Police Chief, Fire Chief and emergency-management leadership would participate directly in its work, with appropriate representation of the volunteer fire service as well.

The Commission would deal with matters such as long-term staffing, budgets, major capital requirements, facilities, equipment, communications, emergency preparedness, interoperability, performance measures and lessons learned from major incidents.

What it would not do is interfere in police investigations, tell police officers how to conduct an operation, or tell the Fire Chief how to command a fire scene. Professional operational authority has to remain with the appropriate chief and incident commander.

The principle is straightforward: integrated oversight and planning, professional operational command.

That would also give Council a much better forum for considering a request from the Fire Chief in the context of the entire public-safety system instead of looking at each department as an isolated budget line.

Financial constraints are real, but a recognized public-safety requirement does not disappear because it is inconvenient to a budget.

If something cannot reasonably be completed in one year, Council should establish a funded multi-year plan rather than repeatedly postponing it.

Council’s job is not to run the fire department. That is the Fire Chief’s job. Council’s job is to listen, ask questions and provide the resources needed to do the work safely.

Money will always be a consideration. I understand that. But Council also has to consider the cost of doing nothing.

If the Fire Chief says the department needs more resources, Council should ask for the facts, understand the risk and develop a plan to address it. We may not be able to do everything in one year, but we can start.

Public and worker safety must be at the top of the list.

Mayor and Council have a responsibility to work with the CAO and Fire Chief to monitor and ensure that the necessary resources are available for emergency services.

Balancing professional safety advice from a Fire Chief with municipal constraints requires a structured, risk-based approach to governance. City leaders must weigh critical emergency needs against infrastructure, community services, and a finite tax budget.

I believe the mayor and councils' role is to evaluate with expert advice and numerical data what the best course of action is. Resources needed can be both to prevent possible likely and unlikely events. Weighing the likelihood of those events taking place would best describe the government's role. I would balance the cities' overall needs with the emergency responders' needs by looking at how well the job is being done. If a large majority of calls are resolved with minimal injury and property damage with the current amount of staff/volunteers, as well I would consider the cities’ priorities based on how important they are to the wellbeing of our citizens. If removing funds brings into serious question, the wellbeing/safety of the citizens, those projects would take priority. If there is reasonable risk to the citizens without further funding to the emergency responders, that would take priority. I am not a person that values vanity projects; I am a much more practical and preparedness person.