La Broquerie candidates discuss priorities ahead of municipal election

Road repairs and drainage were among the concerns raised by candidates at the La Broquerie election forum held Oct. 19 at Marchand Community Hall.

All 11 candidates for reeve and council participated in the forum organized by resident Sajda Siemens, ahead of the Oct. 28 municipal election. About 90 people were present.

Incumbent reeve Ivan Normandeau is facing former reeve Lewis Weiss. Nine council candidates are competing for six seats, with three councillors to be elected in each ward.

Ward one candidates are Benno Friesen, Darrell Unger, Andy Loewen and Colleen Maurice. Ward two candidates include Erna Friesen, Bas Langelaan, Laurent (Larry) Tétrault, Fernand Piché and Paul Gauthier.

Candidates answered questions about priorities, affordable services, infrastructure, transparency and their vision for the municipality.

Weiss said drainage should be addressed before deciding whether a road needs rebuilding. He suggested purchasing an excavator to allow municipal employees to work on drainage in sections.

“Once that road is drained, then you look at it again. Does it actually need rebuilding?” he said.

Normandeau said the council was dealing with roads built decades ago without proper standards. He said improvements are made, but emergencies and difficult spring conditions could shift spending priorities.

“We meet at council, we all talk about it, we hear you guys, and we want to make sure we fix it, but like everything in life, it takes time,” he said. “We need to budget, and see ministers to see if we can get some grants.”

Erna Friesen said road repairs and drainage should be planned together, with priority given to roads, ditches and culverts in the poorest condition.

“If water is not draining properly, road repairs may not last,” she said.

Candidates differed on how infrastructure and recreation spending should be balanced.

Benno Friesen and Loewen said roads should take priority over recreation.

“Our budget for maintenance is just over $2 million. Our recreation budget is just $1 million,” Benno Friesen said. “Is that comparatively fair to spend half as much on recreation as we do on infrastructure?”

Gauthier said recreational facilities benefit rural residents as well as people living in town.

Candidates were asked whether they would support recording and streaming council meetings.

Normandeau said he would have no issue with streaming if the new council supported investing in the equipment.

Weiss had no problem with recording meetings and suggested audio recordings if cameras were expensive.

Gauthier said he was open to streaming but wanted equipment costs to be considered.

Voting will take place on Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Club de l’amitié, 97 rue Principale, in La Broquerie.