Incumbent Banff town councillor Grant Canning has thrown his hat in the election ring, while Rob Lillington is the latest newcomer planning to run for municipal politics on Oct. 16.
Lillington, regional operations manager for the Rocky Mountaineer, last week filed his notice of intent that he’s running for council, and Canning announced he’s seeking a third term on council.
Canning said his decision to run is rooted in looking at what’s been accomplished over the past seven years he’s been on council, from transportation to housing and other initiatives, such as an off-leash dog park.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve done and the efforts we’ve made to improve the quality of life for residents,” he said, pointing to housing and transportation initiatives as key areas. “There’s a lot more than can be done and should be done.”
Central to Lillington’s platform is a long-term healthy community, fiscal responsibility, improving access for small and independent businesses to make a go of it in Banff, and housing in terms of staffing, rental rates, availability and affordability.
Lillington said he would get more into the specifics on his ideas on how to accomplish his goals once he kick-starts his campaign, but said transportation is an important issue he says is related to long-term community health.
“My votes would reflect emphasis on benefits for residents first, with the consideration of tourism secondary,” said Lillington, who has lived in Banff for the past four years and in Canmore for six years before that.
“In light of that, with the paid parking issue, I would not be able to support paid parking without a resident permit program. I don’t want to see residents being charged for their parking needs.”
Canning, owner of Banff National Perk on Bear Street, said much has been done to deal with transportation and traffic.
“When I look at everything from counters and individual parking lots, and apps, those types of small things can make a difference,” he said.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve done with additional transit services. These types of things make a big difference to those who don’t own cars or have income issues.”
Canning has made his position on paid parking – a top election issue for the community - clear.
He supports the concept of paid parking if revenue generated goes into initiatives that address transportation issues in the community, including lowering fares, or making public transit free.
“It’s absolutely backwards in a community where we have such an issue with congestion and parking that we let people park downtown for free, but we charge them to take the bus,” he said.
As for progress made on Banff’s housing shortfall, Canning points to the affordable housing development on Coyote Lane, formerly known as Deer Lane, as one of council’s finest achievements over the past four-year term.
Council had committed to building 100 units by 2018 to address the need for affordable housing in the community.
“There’s going to be 130-plus units for people who need housing, desperately. These are the people struggling most in our community to find housing and that has been accomplished without adding a single dime to our taxpayers,” he said.
“Moving forward, I want to continue with Cave Avenue and the Banff Avenue property when we get to that point,” he said, referring to lots on Cave Avenue and three lots on the 300 block of Banff Avenue.
Incumbent councillors Corrie DiManno, Chip Olver, Ted Christensen and Brian Standish have all told the Outlook they’re taking another shot at council. Barry Ferguson and Allan Buckingham also submitted notice of intent papers.
Two-term mayor Karen Sorensen announced she’s seeking re-election. Long-term resident Hugh Pettigrew is running against her.
Nomination day is Sept. 18.
