“I feel recharged, I’ve had a good break, and I’m ready to get back to work.”
And with that Coralee Oakes has announced her intention to run for Mayor on October 17th.
Oakes says community safety will be one of her campaign’s central priorities.
“One of the other things that I think is critical is to work with both Prince George and Williams Lake on a prolific repeat property crime offenders program and model that with what is happening with the federal government around addressing car theft. I think it’s paramount that we be coordinating because we’ve had examples here where we had an arson in Quesnel that then went to Prince George. I think we need to coordinate better. And I certainly as the Mayor would be looking forward to working collaboratively with regional leadership teams to address a lot of the public safety concerns that each of our communities are facing.”
Oakes says community safety however, requires both accountability and effective supports.
“We need to address public safety while also working toward better outcomes for people struggling with addiction, mental health and homelessness.”
She says she would like to increase pressure and build more partners to deliver accessible, timely addiction treatment and recovery services, including in-patient treatment beds, step-down care and sober-living opportunities.
Oakes says another key component to her campaign is the economy.
She says City Hall needs a stronger business-focused perspective.
“Local businesses are the foundation of our economy. Business retention is every bit as important as attracting new investment. Existing businesses create jobs, support families, and contribute enormously to our community.”
Oakes says she is also committed to continuing strong advocacy for the forestry sector while exploring opportunities for manufacturing and economic diversification, and she sees Quesnel becoming the service hub for the expanding mining sector in the region.
She also believes that population growth can strengthen Quesnel’s tax base and help maintain and improve municipal infrastructure.
Oakes feels her past experience in senior government could also be an asset to Quesnel.
“I think having served as the Minister Responsible for Local Government provided me significant insight and relationships with the bureaucrats in Victoria specifically on major projects. I also have the federal government relationship in the sense that I negotiated the Build Canada 2.5 billion dollar agreement between both the federal and the provincial government when I was the Cabinet Minister so I do think I have the skills and the connections to help with some of the major infrastructure projects that we currently have prioritized. So I think that will help and it will also help that I have maintained the relationships with the people that continue to work with the public service, both provincial and federal, and I think that will certainly help.”
At least two names will be on the ballot for Mayor in the municipal election.
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