Jacqueline Gillis is the third candidate to come forward for Sechelt council, and she’s also the third member of Tomorrow’s Sechelt, a group that, for now at least, is calling itself a “loose slate” and supporting Coun. Darnelda Siegers in her bid for mayor.
Gillis, who moved to the Coast three years ago from Calgary, where she worked as an environmental consultant, said when she announced her candidacy that she’s “running because she believes our community is at risk as a place for working people to succeed.”
In an interview for Coast Reporter Radio (coastreporter.net/audio), Gillis and the other Tomorrow’s Sechelt candidates, Donna Bell and Alton Toth, said they were drawn together by a set of common issues on which they share opinions on likely solutions.
One of those issues is housing. The others are water, waste management and improving the job prospects for younger families and professionals on the Coast.
On the water issue, Gillis said the group is in favour of following the regional district’s water strategy, including the Chapman Lake expansion, which they see as a necessary first step before bringing new sources online and building a reservoir.
Gillis also said they want to look at ways to increase housing density. “One thing we are looking at is the idea of something called ‘gentle density.’ Density doesn’t have to be something that is evil, terrible and ruins the character of the town.”
Bell described the three as ranging in age from “young, to middle-young, to seasoned.”
“When we started to talk about what some of our issues were, it was amazing how like-minded we were and how much commonality there was. It’s also been great in terms of sharing resources,” she said.
Gillis said working with Bell and Toth makes the prospect of being a rookie candidate less daunting. “We went on the water [plant] tour together, we’re able to discuss issues together, come up with ideas together.”
Toth added that another advantage is the ability to split up so that as a group they can attend more local government meetings and events. “We can come back together and share what we’ve learned and what we’ve gained from those sessions.”
The other thing the Tomorrow’s Sechelt candidates share an opinion on is who they’re backing for mayor at this early stage – Darnelda Siegers. The two-term councillor is, so far, the only declared mayoral candidate.
For her part, Siegers said she’s not affiliated with Tomorrow’s Sechelt, although she did attend a couple of early meetings.
Siegers, who helped organize a campaign school for women thinking of running earlier this year, said she’s been actively trying to encourage new candidates to come forward in Sechelt, Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast Regional District and has been willing to offer advice and guidance to anyone who asks.
The trio said they’re still looking at how closely they’ll coordinate their campaigns and whether Tomorrow’s Sechelt will evolve into a full-blown Elector Organization under the local government election rules or remain a loose affiliation of like-minded candidates.
The second part of our interview with the Tomorrow’s Sechelt candidates will run in the June 22 episode of Coast Reporter Radio, which will be available Friday.
