Whitehorse mayoral candidates talk housing, safety, vaccines at CBC forum

Whitehorse's three mayoral candidates talked housing, transit, safety, and COVID-19 vaccines among other topics at a CBC forum on Monday evening, just three days before election day.

Patti Balsillie, Laura Cabott and Samson Hartland met in the CBC Yukon studio in Whitehorse for the polite 85-minute exchange that often saw the candidates agreeing on issues and approaches. There were some differences, but no fireworks.

Cabott and Hartland often referred to their work as city councillors in explaining what they'd do as mayor, while Balsillie — a newcomer to city politics — described herself as a "restless" agent of change.

The city's housing crisis was front-and-centre at the forum, with each candidate fielding several questions about how they'd make it easier for people to find affordable homes, or rental units. 

Hartland argued that the city's responsibility is to provide a steady supply of building lots.

"It simply boils down to supply," Hartland said.

"The key is to complete the official community plan so that we know where the next residential subdivision will be in Whitehorse."

Balsillie talked about the city's limited ability to solve the housing problem, saying it will require input from the community.   

"There's many solutions that will fit many different demographics, from densification and building up, but also tiny homes and the idea of yurts on larger lots," she said. 

Cabott touted a 100-day plan to host a housing summit, and also said she'd push the city to buy some empty downtown lots and develop new affordable housing units. She also suggested land trusts and cooperative housing as possible solutions.

"I think what distinguishes me from my competitors is, the way we've been doing things is not working. We get further and further behind and it becomes more and more expensive to purchase a house here," Cabott said.

Asked about rental accommodation, as opposed to home sales, Hartland referred to tweaking the city's development incentives if necessary. He also balked at the idea of the city buying and developing its own housing.  

"I start to wonder whether folks have done their own cost analysis on what sort of those options would cost us as taxpayers. What services would we have to cut, or what sort of tax increases would we have to achieve?" Hartland asked.

Balsillie agreed, saying that the city is not a rental-housing developer. She also suggested that the city should look outside the downtown.

"I'm not sure anymore that downtown Whitehorse can handle more densification," she said, seeming to contradict an earlier statement about densification being a solution to housing.

"I think the greatest and immediate opportunity is going to lie with First Nations and their lease land that they have to develop, and I would like to see the city at the table, supporting and facilitating."

Community safety

Asked about what the city could do about community safety, the three candidates seemed to agree that there was only so much the city government could do.

Hartland said it's ultimately up to the RCMP to manage policing in the city, but said the city will raise concerns and represent citizens.  

"I still feel safe in this community, I still feel safe walking around … Yes, we've got some issues that flare up, and they seem to happen in cycles, we've seen this happen before, we've banded together as a community," he said.

Cabott suggested a community safety officer program, or a community watch. She also suggested that city bylaw officers could be "a little bit more eyes and ears."

Balsillie referred to an alleged recent assault against a teenager, involving a group of adults. 

"That is where we are going if we do nothing," Balsillie said.

"We need to understand cause, and we need to work together, and we need an action plan, yesterday."

Sunday busing

The candidates were also asked to weigh in on the city's transit system, and whether they would push for Sunday bus service to resume immediately. All seemed to support the idea. 

Hartland said the city is currently in negotiations with the Yukon government over Handy Bus service on Sunday. And he said he's open to running the regular bus service on Sundays even at a cost to taxpayers.

"If there are ways that we can come up with, creative ways to fast-track it, and I've got the support of council, and it's a priority for council — absolutely we would pursue it before 2023," he said.

Cabott said "the time has come" when the city needs Sunday bus service.

"We have a growing population, no longer can we afford not to provide that service," she said.

Balsillie said on-call Handy Bus service on Sundays is overdue.

"In the short term, we just need to get somebody on call to facilitate people that are living with physical disabilities to be able to move around on those Sundays."

Balsillie also said that citizens are being encouraged to use public transit for environmental reasons, and so the transit schedule should meet their needs.

Mandatory vaccines for city workers

The three candidates were also asked whether they would support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees, similar to what the Yukon government announced last week for its employees.

Cabott spoke of how the city has diligently followed the advice of the territory's chief medical officer throughout the pandemic, and said the same would hold true for a vaccine mandate.

"If she … says to the City of Whitehorse, 'we would recommend mandatory vaccinations,' then I would support that," Cabott said. 

Balsillie said she's been asked about it several times — and said she can't support a vaccine mandate.  

"I value safety, I value, you know, the right to choose for my body," she said.

Hartland said he agreed with Cabott, and that his decision would be guided by advice from the chief medical officer, and the rest of city council. 

"I think people are still reeling from the news last week, and what exactly this means ... I think there's a lot of people wondering what's going to happen next," Hartland said.

Voting day in Whitehorse is Thursday. Besides electing a new mayor, voters will choose six city councillors from 17 candidates.