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Geoffrey Vanderburg: Ward 11 Calgary council candidate questionnaire

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Name: Geoffrey Vanderburg

Ward: 11

Occupation: Managing Director, Iradesso Communications Corp; public relations instructor, Mount Royal University

Political/volunteer experience:

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Director, River Park Church, Calgary; Volunteer, North Glenmore Park Community Association; Volunteer, Lakeview Community Association; Volunteer, Inn From the Cold; Director, Glenlake Minor Hockey Club, Calgary, from 2014 to 2020; Director, Lakeview Community Association, Calgary, from 2002 to 2018; Member, public relations advisory committee, Bow Valley College, Calgary, 2015 to 2017; Volunteer, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, 1985 to 2015; Senator, Western University, London, Ontario, 1999 to 2000​

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What is your motivation for seeking a seat on city council?

I’m keen to take advantage of my communication experience to help strengthen this amazing city. Calgary’s Fall 2020 Quality of Life and Citizen Satisfaction Survey suggests only 43 per cent of Ward 11 residents trust the City of Calgary. After 20 years of running a communication firm, three years serving as an instructor of public relations at Mount Royal University and 15 years on the board of the Lakeview Community Association, including the role of president from 2017 to 2018, I’m well positioned to help city council win back trust. In addition to committing to clear, concise and consistent communication, I promise to be respectful, reasonable and responsive.

Describe your leadership style:

I’m a democratic leader. I will lead by soliciting input. I will lead by showing humility. And I will lead by building bridges. When we take the time to form relationships with people with whom we initially disagree, we realize how much we have in common. It’s time to switch our thinking from political polarization into non-partisan collaboration. Municipal politics has the potential to unite us when we focus on shared outcomes. The key is to listen and learn.

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What do you consider the single most important issue facing Calgarians, and what should be done about it?

While roads, public safety and taxes are on everyone’s minds, the first challenge facing Calgary’s next city council is to win back the city’s trust. The solution to this problem must come on many fronts, including engagement with residents before it’s too late to influence outcomes, frequent feedback loops to make sure city council stays in touch with the evolving will of the people and two-way symmetrical communication that focuses on dialogue, negotiation and mutual understanding.

What are the three most important issues in your ward, and how would you address them?

The City of Calgary’s latest satisfaction survey suggests the three most important issues on the minds of Ward 11 residents are roads, public safety and taxes. There’s a perception some of the city’s core services were overlooked while council pursued major expenditures for the Green Line LRT, the event centre, the BMO Centre, Arts Commons and the Foothills Fieldhouse. Calgary will benefit from these expenditures for years to come, but given the residential and commercial tax pressures, now is the time to focus on needs instead of wants. A key component to addressing this challenge will be two-way communication. Ward 11 residents want to know they’re being heard, but they also want to know what’s being done to address their concerns. People deserve an open dialogue.

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Do you support the city’s downtown revitalization strategy? Where should funding and programs be focused?

Everyone pays for the pain facing the city’s centre. Residential property taxes go up when revenue from commercial taxes goes down. Unfortunately, some of the problems facing Calgary’s core will not solve themselves. As the city searches for solutions, I believe council is on the right track with its Greater Downtown Plan. It makes sense to work towards a better mix of residential and commercial space in the core, to attract new businesses and investors and to consider ways to enhance opportunities for enjoyment, comfort and entertainment. It also makes sense to continue to position Calgary as a leading centre for innovation, both within and beyond the oil and gas industry. The key is to ensure the city has no role to play in picking winners and losers. The incentives available for one company should be available for all.

What innovative project or job creation measure can you propose to aid Calgary’s post-COVID economic recovery?

Imagine the mayhem if every city councillor came to City Hall with his or her own innovative plan for economic development. Let’s try this. Let’s try that. City council needs some humility. Councillors are not experts in health care. Councillors are not experts in local area planning. And councillors are not experts in job creation. With excellent organizations such as Calgary Economic Development, we do not need 15 more original projects coming from city council. We need execution. Council needs to focus on listening, learning, revising and implementing. Asking each member of council to propose a unique vision for the city is a recipe for fractious division. City council needs to listen to the experts, engage with residents and then carve out a collective vision.

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What should city council do to keep young adults from leaving Calgary?

City council has a key role to play in convincing young adults to stay in Calgary. My students at Mount Royal University tell me they want to live in a city that values diversity, equity and inclusion. They want to live in a city that does the least harm to the most vulnerable. And they want to live in a city with political hope. Of course, they also want jobs. The key is to give them optimism about the wealth of opportunity that awaits here in Calgary in a wide variety of sectors, including aerospace, agribusiness, financial services, life sciences and technology. The oil and gas industry is the primary driver of the local economy, but young people want to know there’s more to Calgary than the energy sector. Council is well positioned to communicate this message.

The next city council could be asked to return fluoride to the city’s water supply. What is your position on this?

My commitment is to follow the will of Calgary voters in the Oct. 18, 2021 fluoride plebiscite. There are two factors I weigh regarding matters that are beyond my areas of expertise. First, what are the experts telling me? Secondly, what are my constituents telling me? Both are important. I am on council to represent the residents of Ward 11. At this point, I’m supportive of adding fluoride to our drinking water because that’s what the Alberta Dental Association & College, Alberta Health Services, the Canadian Dental Association, the Canadian Medical Association and Health Canada advise and because that’s what Calgary voters decided in plebiscites in 1998 and 1989. We’ll soon know what voters think about fluoride in 2021. I think the voter is always right.

* All candidate Q&As have been edited for clarity and brevity. 


Visit Calgary Votes 2021 for all your election news.

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