MEET A LOCAL CANDIDATE: Cody Courtenay | KIMBERLEY BY-ELECTION 2024
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Since 95EH ran ‘Meet a Local Candidate’ Q&As back in the 2018 General Local Election, and again in 2022, I figured I would dust off the ol’ Meet A Local Candidate questions, give them some new paint, and then send them off to any City Council candidates who’d be interested in participating this time around in the Kimberley By-Election of 2024 (and you can find all the details for this election over on the City of Kimberley’s website, including candidate profiles + important voter information like how the last day to vote will be September 21st, 2024).
But, for today, let’s focus on just one of the candidates. Cody Courtenay, to be exact, as that’s who has joined us for a metaphorical cup of coffee over a healthy helping of seven questions… so let’s go say “hey!” now, eh?
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Ok, first things first… who are you and what do you do when you’re not running for City Council?
I am the owner and operator of Zener Energy (an electrical company). I lived part of my adulthood in the Valley, got married in the Valley, and returned to the Valley. I am an outdoor enthusiast who loves pushing the boundaries in most sports or recreational opportunities. When I get passionate, I am all in. I hold a bachelor’s degree in tourism with a major in recreation.
I believe that you can tell a lot about a person from what they personally recommend & why — SO — please recommend a book or film or podcast or video or article or album or some other piece of media/art that you have connected to recently on that level where you’d want to tell someone else to go check it out too (& tell us why).
Education is power, and I am OK with questioning any uncomfortable situations. If I were to tell somebody, old or young, to read and learn, I would say "Ben Gadd," the author of "The Handbook of the Canadian Rockies." I believe that, as a species, we should best know our habitat. We have been civilized as a species, but that holds little merit to Mother Nature. We must remember how to survive and protect our habitat for the now and the future.
If someone was coming to visit the Kimberley area for only a few days… what would be on the top of your list of recommendations for things they should do and/or places they should visit?
The list is not in order:
• The Flume: year-round it is active with wildlife, children, and locals, and I believe it has done a great job securing the waterway.
• The Old T-Bar: hike up the face of Kimberley Ski Hill (the views from start to finish are breathtaking).
• The Teaspot: bike or hike, it is a great loop (find the old cabin with a lookout).
• The Platzl: Happy Hans, cobblestone, building identity.
• Centre 64/Art Galleries/Museums: there are stories and history to be told in many fashions.
• Kimberley Dynamiters: there is some long-running history, and it is usually action-packed with residents and visitors.
Editor’s Note: this is an AI rendition of Cody’s above Kimberley recommendations
Look, obviously we all like living around here, that's why we all keep doing it, BUT… what's something you've found frustrating or concerning about living around Kimberley these last few years — and how could a city councillor like you help the community better deal with that frustration/concern?
Kimberley's Master Plan for the vision for the future: how do we want Kimberley to look and feel? I am not a fan of erasing the vibrant-looking community to just cover it with West Coast architecture and an earth-tone colour palette.
Of course, there's lots to be positive about around here too… so what are some developments/happenings in the Kimberley area that you've found promising or optimistic these last few years — and how could a city councillor like you help the community continue to experience more of that goodness?
We are an old city with old problems underground. I like the approach lately of repairing, replacing, upgrading, and designing first-world infrastructure that will carry Kimberley for another 100 years.
It’s impossible to know for sure how a future city councillor might vote on future issues (or even what those future issues might be), BUT, it’s not impossible to role-play to see how someone would have voted on a previous issue — SO — let’s imagine that you were on city council back when they were voting on whether to re-zone industrial land in Marysville to commercial to allow for a McDonalds-Gas-Station-Car-Wash… how would you have voted on that "controversial" issue and please explain your reasoning why? (for extra reader context: council voted against that proposal by a count of 4-3 after a public hearing and much public debate)
OCP (Official Community Plan), this is our best tool to help shape development. This development should not have progressed as far as it did. If the community had been sleepy, this agenda would have been pushed through. I am thankful for the city staff, council, and mayor for listening to the general public and upholding the OCP.
Finally… by the end of September 21st, 2024, Kimberley folks will have hit the polls and cast their By-Election votes for the one (1) City Councilor that will be serving a two (2) year term from November 2024 to October 2026, and you are one of the candidates running — SO — please make your final pitch as to why residents should be making sure they make time to vote for this recently opened City Council spot AND why they should consider you for their vote?
Voting is your voice. It is hard, day to day, to stay in tune with political matters, agendas, and overall awareness of who we are as a city and how it will affect us. I will be the voice of reason, with a grounded approach, and will make sure Kimberley remains sustainable as a city, not a town. It would be my obligation to ensure we create a community that is social once again, not just online but in person. I want residents, both young and old, to have a safe place to live, to fail, and to explore without prejudice. Not only "A good place to be," but "A safe place to be."
RECORDAMUR OMNIUM: ‘We are mindful of all.’
CLICK HERE for more info on Kimberley's ARMS, FLAG, and BADGE.
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Alright, that’s all the Q’s and A’s for this Q&A — but you can engage Cody in further conversation over on Facebook if you fancy! And if you’d like more info on who else is on the ballot + where and when to vote, please CLICK HERE to visit the 2024 By-Election page on the City of Kimberley’s website AND/OR check out the handy picture below for all your important voting info :
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And don’t forget to register for the All-Candidates Forum that Kimberley Chamber of Commerce is hosting on September 9th at Centre 64 (only 100 seats available) — and then stay tuned for some more ‘Meet a Local Candidate’ Q&As, perhaps even including some provincial candidates, over on the 95EH socials (Facebook + Instagram) and right here on the MOUN.TOWN blahg.
But, since contact info for all the Kimberley council candidates is not the easiest to track down online, if you are a candidate and happen to be reading this blog post and would like to participate in this Q&A (or you know a candidate who might), please shoot an email to “hey@95eh.ca” and I will send off all the questions/details. And then don’t forget to vote, eh?!
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JEREMY / @HI54LOFI
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