Ward 6 Candidate Responses

We received responses from one candidate in this ward. The Calgary Climate Hub is a non-partisan organization, and posting these responses does not indicate an endorsement. Responses are presented in the order they were received and have not been edited.

General Questions

1. What are the top three issues you hope to make progress on during your time on Council?

Lana Bentley In Ward Six the issue of traffic calming/traffic safety has come up a number of times and was identified in a recent citizen engagement survey as a key priority for the Ward. As such, I am committed to working with relevant City of Calgary Business units and Community Associations in the impacted areas to explore viable solutions. I am also interested in supporting community-based solutions around mental health and domestic violence, two social issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and economic downturn. Finally, I want to bring my unique perspective to discussions regarding Calgary's economic recovery (especially as it relates to equity seeking groups).

 

2. Women - especially low-wage, racialized and newcomers - have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. In your capacity as a public servant, how will you address these impacts and ensure that all women benefit equitably from the economic recovery? 

Lana Bentley As a city councillor I will support local projects that recognize the unique needs of women, BIPOC folks, newcomers, and the disabled community. We can examine our funding priorities through FCSS and focus our efforts on supporting agencies working in the financial empowerment space. We can also fund community based agencies to engage women in skill development for industries of the future. At the policy level, I am committed to working collaboratively with other orders of governments to change the broader context (i.e. creating an environment that is friendly to women participating in the workforce). For example, though $10/day childcare is currently being negotiated at the provincial and federal level, as a city councillor we can advocate for that program as it would play an instrumental role in Calgary's economic recovery.

 

3. Calgary has been dipping into emergency funds to pay for operations for the past several years. How would you approach taxation and the delivery of programs and services to Calgarians?

Lana Bentley As it stands now, the majority of Calgarians will not see an increase to their residential property taxes for the coming year. Specific to Ward 6, a recent citizen engagement survey indicates that a majority of community members are satisfied with the programs and services they are receiving and perceive that they are getting good value. As the Ward 6 councillor, I will make decisions with the perspective of these community members in mind.
Thinking about the city as a whole, our business community wants stability and predictability regarding taxes. This issue is ongoing and the pandemic has undoubtedly intensified this issue. The path forward will require a thoughtful approach that prioritizes long term stability.

 

4. What is your plan for diversifying Calgary’s economy for a just transition away from oil and gas?

Lana Bentley Oil and gas has been a prominent part of our local economy and to a certain extent, our city's identity. Like many Calgarians, I know many folks who have provided for their families working in this industry. We are now at a point in time where the need for change is upon us, and not just for economic reasons. Thriving requires us to make different decisions about how we relate to the natural environment. With any kind of change (even a positive one) comes a sense of loss and I believe that for some, the reluctance to change comes from a concern that without oil and gas, they won't be able to provide for their family. Process is important and the conversation with community members is ongoing as we approach this transition. I plan to work collaboratively with other orders of government, subject matters experts, and industry to facilitate the transition of our economy. My approach to decision-making is to balance consultation, evidence-based practice/ideas, and the scope of my role as a councillor. Working within my scope I will support projects, policies, and initiatives that are in service of a "future fit economy".

Climate Change and the Environment

Questions:

1. Will you commit to setting clear interim targets for Calgary and ENMAX to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees?

Lana Bentley Yes

 

2. Will you work to reduce emissions from buildings to net-zero by (1) ensuring The City's Sustainable Building Policy has clear targets, is transparent, and requires third-party certification, and (2) by providing incentives for privately-owned new buildings and retrofits?

Lana Bentley Yes

 

3. Will you support policies to ensure zero food waste not only from Calgary's restaurants, groceries, distributors, but also corporate events?

Lana Bentley Yes

 

4. Will you strengthen the City's procurement policies to ensure goods and services are sustainably and ethically sourced? The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply states that sustainable procurement "considers the impact of environmental, economic and social factors along with price and quality."

Lana Bentley Yes

 

5. Do you support focusing new development within established areas instead of continuing to approve new developments on the outskirts of Calgary?

Lana Bentley Yes

 

6. Will you support completion of the Green Line, including crossing the river to 16 Avenue N?

Lana Bentley Yes

 

7. Do you commit to providing equal access to low-cost, low-carbon transportation to all areas of the city, including transit, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure?

Lana Bentley Yes

Equity and Inclusion

1. Which of the following measures will you support to address poverty and social isolation in our city?

  1. Affordable housing
  2. Low-income transit pass
  3. Fair Entry recreation pass
  4. Increased access to childcare
  5. Increased financial support to community associations
  6. Enough for All Poverty Reduction Strategy
  7. Other
  1 2 3 4 5 6 Other
Lana Bentley Yes Yes Yes Yes   Yes  

 

2. Do you support providing City services primarily through unionized City workers, or do you support contracting out City services to private companies?

  1. Maintain unionized City workers
  2. Contract out
  3. Other
  1 2 Other
Lana Bentley Yes    

 

3. Would you support Fair Trade Calgary's initiative to make Calgary a globally-designated Fair Trade town? (Find out more at: http://www.fairtradecalgary.com/at-a-glance.html)

Lana Bentley Yes

 

4. Do you support Universal Basic Income?

Lana Bentley Yes

Diversity & Reconciliation

1. What is your plan to address the increase in hate crimes and overt displays of racism in our city?

Lana Bentley It is an interesting time to be a racialized woman in Calgary. Many friends and co-workers have told me that I am brave to run for office given that I am a visible minority woman. On the one hand, I can appreciate the sentiment behind their words. On the other hand, I would like to highlight that I am one of several visible minority women running for office in the upcoming election. The very fact that I am running and seeing growing support for my campaign shows me that as challenging as our current circumstances may be, we are seeing progress. Change is happening and we are heading in the right direction. We need to explore a variety of approaches including awareness and education, community development, and working with other orders of government to fund and develop innovative programs and policies that support equity and inclusion.

 

2. How will you support policies to ensure more Indigenous voices are included in making municipal decisions?

Lana Bentley I support the implementation of the recommendations provided in the White Goose Flying report. I also believe in the community development expression, "Nothing about us, without us." In short, my role is to help create space for Indigenous voices to drive the conversation and inform meaningful action. To that end, policies (processes) intended to amplify Indigenous voices should be driven by Indigenous voices. I look forward to listening and learning from Indigenous community members about what equitable and inclusive engagement looks like from their perspective.

 

3. What steps will you support to increase trust and reduce uses of force by police that disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in Calgary? (Please use "other" for additional ideas.)

  1. Enthocultural training for police
  2. Increase number of Aboriginal Liaison Officers
  3. Alternative response models (PACT and DOAP teams)
  4. Other
  1 2 3 Other
Lana Bentley Yes     Building trust comes from relationship building. To that end, I believe in using a community development approach to draw from the wisdom of the BIPOC community as it relates to building that relationship.

 

Mental Health & Addictions

1. Which of the following do you support to address mental health and addictions?

  1. Implement alternative emergency response models
  2. Implement trauma-informed care
  3. Supervised consumption sites
  4. Other
  1 2 3 Other
Lana Bentley   Yes Yes Fund prevention and early intervention programs.

 

General Comments

Do you have any other comments you would like to share with us?

Lana Bentley I appreciate the opportunity to share my ideas. To learn more, please visit lanabentley.ca.

 

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This survey was sent out to mayoral and ward councillor candidates throughout July and was developed in collaboration with the following organizations: