An electrical engineer from Yellowknife is the latest person to put his name in the ring for a city council position.
Stewart Pallard said one of his top priorities, if elected, is to allow Yellowknife residents to properly dispose of their garbage. He said one of the problems is the size of household bins; he thinks larger households should have larger bins.
“It’s not practical for a family of five [to have] the size of the bins that the city provides. This is why we are seeing illegal dumping,” he said.
When asked why he wanted to run, he said he wanted to give back to the community.
“The North has been good for me. I’ve had opportunities here that I might not have had elsewhere,” he said. “My wife and I have good jobs. Our children are happy here.”
Pallard, who is originally from Edmonton but moved north in 2017, said he worked in the territory’s mining and construction industries.
Rob Warburton, who describes himself as a social entrepreneur who brought coworking and car sharing to the NWT, also announced his candidacy last month. Warburton was until recently president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, resigning to participate in the race.
“Yellowknife has given me so much – my family, my career and a community where I feel welcome,”
Warburton said in a statement. “I love this city, now I want to give back.”
If elected, he wants to focus on affordable housing, rebuild downtown, address social issues, improve the development appeals process and support the new polytechnic university.
No mayoral candidate yet
Eight council seats and the post of mayor are up for grabs in the Oct. 17 election.
Pallard and Warburton join a growing list of election candidates, some of whom will be familiar.
Mayor Rebecca Alty announced the social media in July that she intends to seek re-election as head of the board. Deputy Mayor Stacie Smith says she will also run again.
Canadian North driver Tom McLennan announced his campaign in August.
Com. Julian Morse told CBC News in an email that he would not seek re-election.
CBC attempted to contact advisers Cynthia Mufandaedza, Steve Payne, Rommel Silverio and Robin Williams, but could not reach them at this time.
Applications for candidates opened on Tuesday and close on September 19 at 3 p.m. The last day for candidates to withdraw is September 21 at 3 p.m. Residents have until September 22 to register to vote.
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