New faces in Ste Anne race

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This article was published 13/10/2022 (929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The race for council seats in the Town of Ste Anne is heating up just two weeks out from Election Day on Oct. 26.

Just two current councillors are running for re-election while three are vying to sit for the first time on the four-person council. At the helm of council is Yvan St Vincent, a former councillor who was acclaimed to the position when Mayor Richard Pelletier announced he would be seeking the reeve’s chair in the RM of Ste Anne.

Einarson eyes growth

An accountant and part time bartender with experience volunteering on boards hopes to win the hearts of residents, new and old, in town.

Jason Einarson is looking to support the town’s economic development as the population increases, a trend he’s seen since moving to Ste Anne eight years ago. Einarson said he wants to bring more commercial opportunities and expand services to keep up with the growing town.

To address medical staff shortages at the hospital and clinic Einarson said Ste Anne needs to become an attractive place to live to recruit workers to stay.

“It’s not something we can do as a council, but we can be a conduit and liaise with them in order to make it a better place for them,” he said.

Putting ice in the Ste Anne Arena earlier would help to make it more financially stable and give participants a longer hockey season, the candidate said.

Einarson said he doesn’t have a proposal for the intersection of Highway 12 and 210, which can see multiple collisions in a week, because he feels the intersection makes sense.

“There’s room for all the merging traffic, it would seem to make sense that there shouldn’t be accidents,” he said.

While he doesn’t have a stance on amalgamation with the RM of Ste Anne Einarson said, at a minimum, there should be a good working relationship to ensure infrastructure used by both groups of residents is financially supported.

Klassen seeks full term

Incumbent Coun. Cornie Klassen wants to see taxes remain low by keeping the tax base up.

Klassen sat on council from 2010 to 2014 and, since then, was elected back to council in June 2021 in a byelection. It was Klassen’s third attempt at rejoining council since his 2014 term expired.

Working with contractors eyeing property in town and creating affordable housing for incoming residents would keep old residents around, he said. Recreation would aid in attracting a larger tax base, Klassen added.

Klassen said his previous experience on council would help him to upgrade how the Ste Anne Arena operates. Klassen wants to see more greenspaces for recreation, too.

“Sports keeps kids off the streets,” he said.

Using the overpass out of Ste Anne would be preferable to using the problematic Highway 210 and 12 intersection, Klassen said, adding he would like to “study” the crossing more before lobbying for changes like a set of traffic lights, which he said isn’t necessarily the answer.

“It would be for people who are law-followers…but there’s also stop signs there that people fly through so why would they stop at lights?”

Klassen said he is “totally against” amalgamation with the RM of Ste Anne, saying the town is already “running perfectly.”

Wiens looks to “work together”

Jeremy Wiens makes no promises but does commit to working with residents on their concerns.

A real estate agent by day, Wiens said he thinks a seat on council would be a “good fit” for him after working with local businesses and the Town to promote them via commercial videos.

Safety and security in town is a priority for Wiens. He said he would work to support medical, police and fire services by promoting the town to attract new families, workers and small businesses.

“There’s gotta be a reason for people to come,” he said. “What kind of incentives can we give as a town to draw them in?”

Taxes will inevitably go up, Wiens said, but keeping increases to a minimum is his goal. When asked how he would achieve that Wiens said it would be one of his many “learning curves” if elected to council.

Wiens said more lighting at the Highway 210 and 12 intersection may decrease accidents but admitted he “isn’t sure what the best answer is.”

“But I think something definitely needs to be addressed there,” he said.

When it comes to amalgamation with the RM of Ste Anne Wiens would like to see the two municipalities working toward being on the “same page.”

“The town has a lot of services that the RM would benefit from,” he said. “I think in the future it’s definitely something to consider.”

Zaretski to champion transparency

A rookie candidate in the Town election wants to see more transparency between council and residents.

Krystyn Zaretski said council minutes lack detail and communication between the two parties isn’t as clear as it should be.

“In this day and age with technology, the way it is, we should be utilizing all those avenues in order to ensure everyone is on the same page,” she said.

As a volunteer board member for some recreation organizations Zaretski said she would work to find more grants and use everything at her disposal to upgrade recreational opportunities within Ste Anne. She said sports for kids aged 13 – 18 are lacking.

As a councillor Zaretski said she would work to attract medical workers to town to address shortages in the hospital and clinic which she says needs to be used better.

“It’s an emergency room, it should be open 24/7,” she said of the Ste Anne Hospital.

Living close to the Highway 210 and 12 intersection Zaretski said “something needs to change.”

“I don’t think it can stay the way it is,” she said, adding council should look at alternative options like yields, closing off access on one side or installing traffic lights.

The candidate said she is “100 percent” for amalgamating with the RM, citing town residents shouldn’t foot the cost for services just as many RM residents access as well.

Incumbent Coun. Lyle Davis did not respond to a request for an interview.