PUBLIC SAFETY
1) Appoint a liaison councillor to work with key stakeholders to resolve the issue of public safety before the end of summer 2021.
2) Hire 13 Community Police Officers by the end of summer 2021 and make sure they have the necessary powers to ensure the safety of our residents and our businesses, to prevent crime and to enforce our municipal by-laws.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
1) Establish a City of Moncton Task Force on Economic Growth made up of economists, business leaders, business support groups and other economic actors, to draft the city’s long-term economic growth strategy in light of present and future trends and opportunities. Measures could include:
a) Harnessing the advantages of our central location to grow our transportation, retail, finances and entertainment sectors, notably through logistics support services and collaborations in reasearch, development and innovations.
b) Strengthening our transportation sector, especially road and air transportation, notably by landing flights to the U.S. and Europe
c) Supporting our local artists, especially those who export their talents abroad and contribute to our economic prosperity
d) Establishing and nurturing a Health Hub with our universities, our health authorities and other local and international health partners
SOCIAL INCLUSION
1) Transform the seven segregated units in our city into modern integrated neighbourhoods by 2030.
2) Enforce and enhance Plan Moncton requirements for additional affordable housing units in the City.
3) Find and invest the required funds to ensure that our social organisations can achieve our social inclusion goals.
4) Make social inclusion and homelessness a priority of the upcoming Council.
5) Reduce the need for shelters and meals by 50% before the next municipal elections.
MUNICIPAL DEMOCRACY
1) Find out why 2/3 of citizens do not vote, then implement measures that will increase our voter turn-out to at least 50% by 2029.
2) Propose a Democracy Bylaw to make City Hall more democratic and accountable, notably by:
a) Reviewing the existing ward system to ensure it serves the interest of citizens.
b) Reviewing ward boundaries after every census to ensure an equitable voter distribution.
c) Holding regular public meetings in each ward to exchange with citizens on important Council activities and City issues.
d) Appointing a committee of citizens six months before the elections in order to encourage citizens to run for office and to vote on election day.
e) Imposing limits to candidate campaign expenditures for city elections as well as obligations to divulge contributions.
f) Imposing full transparency on Council, notably by limiting the number of issues decided behind closed doors.
PROVINCIAL-MUNICIPAL COLLABORATION
1) Make the Province and the City sign a long-term agreement to plan together all future provincial buildings, especially schools, based on forecasted growth areas and existing and planned City infrastructure.
2) Ensure that Council proposes changes to municipal governance that will make a difference for Moncton and our citizens.
BASIC SERVICES
1) Conduct a thorough review of all City services before 2025 to determine (a) what services must be provided and why, (b) if additional services should be provided, (c) if we invest enough in basic services, and (d) how to provide existing and additional services more effectively and efficiently.
ACCOUNTABILITY
1) Force Council to establish a culture of accountability to citizens, notably by:
a) publishing press releases on bad news as well as good news.
b) publishing audited updates on major capital projects.
c) consulting citizens on major capital projects.
d) holding regular public meetings in each ward to account for Council's actions.
e) posting on the City web site the list of motions and how each member of Council voted on each motion.
f) posting on the City web site the electoral commitments made by each member, so citizens can compare them with actual votes.
2) Propose a Bylaw on Democracy to make City Hall more democratic and accountable.
PARKING AND PUBLIC TRANSIT
1) Aggressively purchase downtown surface parking lots, then give them free of charge to the developer who submits the best proposal to develop the lot, in order to increase public transit ridership and city revenues as well as to accelerate downtown development.
MUNICIPAL FINANCES
1) Reinstate frugality on Council and focus spending that maximises results (as I did often during my tenure on Council from 2008 to 2016).