Grande Prairie resident Shae Guy has thrown his hat in the ring as he looks to earn the right to sit on Grande Prairie City Council in 2021.
Guy, who suggests he will run on a platform that he says will look to build a “Transparent, Innovative, and Safe City”, believes he can help make those words more than just a slogan.
“I was raised here, and I came back from college recently, I love the city, I like the community here, and I like public service in general, so I thought City Council would be a really good way to serve Grande Prairie,” he says.
The 19-year-old says one file he would like to see movement on would be in the introduction of a municipal police force, replacing the RCMP coverage for the City of Grande Prairie. He adds that the feasibility of the RCMP would be one of the first things he would look to address if elected.
“Since 2011, the citizen satisfaction of the RCMP has been kinda low, so I think it’s time to look at a municipal police force in this city like in many others in Alberta.”
“You can do a partnership with the county for example and do a regional partnership… the province doesn’t kick in any funding for municipal police services though, so there would be no funding from the province or federal governments…so it would come directly from taxpayers,” he says.
Guy admits that while it’s one of his first ideas, it’s not something he would pin all his efforts on.
“I think it would be something worth a conversation, I don’t know if there would be overwhelming support for it since it would cost more than the RCMP. Right now, the fiscal climate isn’t great to start spending money frivolously.”
He adds he would also like to see more effort made when it comes to closing the gap for non-profits and front-line social services directly involved in the homeless situation, as well as the opioid crisis.
The municipal election is set for October 2021.