Don Atchison shuns bike lanes and BRT, boosts mining and 'jobs, jobs, jobs'

Former Saskatoon mayor turned comeback hopeful Don Atchison wasted little time during his campaign launch speech Friday before staking his ground on a variety of issues.

Bike lanes on Third Avenue S. and a costly bus rapid transit (BRT) system? Atchison wouldn't vote in favour of them, he said. 

Nor would he support defunding the police, water and sewer rate hikes, a planned property tax increase in 2021 (which still requires a final city council vote this November) and new landfill development, Atchison said. 

"Our campaign is about what matters to all: safety, security, certainty and stability," Atchison said from Rotary Park Friday morning, with Remai Modern art museum and the River Landing development serving as his backdrop.

Atchison castigated current city council for what he called "a bleak and dismal record of accomplishments over the last four years," and contrasted that with his own tenure as mayor from 2003 to 2016.

"When I was mayor, we built bridges.… River Landing, [the new] police headquarters and the food bank.… We need a proven leader, one that has the ability to lead the city through the post-pandemic," he said.

Asked to clarify his criticism of current city councillors, Atchison replied, "I don't think they have come forward with any really major projects at all. They've done lots of talking, lots of studying along the way, but they haven't done much in the way of actually finalizing or moving programs ahead at this particular time."

Atchison also said he would not vote in support of the Low Emissions Community Plan, which he called "a $19-billion environmental program," echoing similar language from fellow mayoral candidate Rob Norris.  

The LECP describes a broad sweep of energy-saving initiatives over three decades, each of which requires the approval of city council.

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The plan estimates that the city will need to spend $6.1 billion with businesses, residents and third-party funders like the federal government providing the remaining $13 billion. 

According to the city, this will result in savings and new revenues of $11.8 billion, and a net return of $5.7 billion.

Atchison also cited figures for the BRT system that differ from those put out by the city. Atchison called it a "$500-million bus rapid transit." The city has priced the first phase of the project at an estimated $120 million, with the city covering $32.5 million of that cost and the rest coming from the provincial and federal governments.

Ward 7 councillor Mairin Loewen came to the defence of the BRT earlier this week, saying it's a project that will be tackled incrementally. 

"I think it would be unwise for the city to walk away from the potential to have significant capital support from another government, which could ultimately not only deliver a very good service to the city, but generate a considerable amount of construction in the community," Loewen said. 

PRIDE parade record questioned 

Shortly before Atchison's speech, a man holding a rainbow coloured flag called out to Atchison and criticized him for not attending previous Saskatoon PRIDE parades.

Atchison was asked about that part of his record during the news conference that followed his remarks. 

"We're here today to talk about policies, not parades," Atchison said. "I can tell you that I've been at the flag raising in 2016 and so those are discussions or talks that we may have somewhere else down the line."

Lighthouse shelter needs 'a new solution' 

Atchison cited some initiatives he would back as mayor, including petitioning the provincial government to bring back the Homes First program (a home inspection program cut by the provincial government while Atchison was mayor), a long-term retention program for new immigrants, a master plan for downtown Saskatoon and improved Saskatoon Transit service.

He wants Saskatoon to become the mining capital of Canada and called for "jobs, jobs, jobs."

"We need to look after the basics first," he said. "We need to look after the businesses of our community, the families and the children."

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Atchison also turned his attention to the downtown Lighthouse shelter for vulnerable people, saying it requires "a new solution," and that current operations have failed those in need. 

"I think it's incumbent to look at the people that are there, that are living there [and] can't go in there 24 hours a day and there's no facilities for them to use," Atchison said.

He said he would be open to moving the shelter's location but did not specify a preferred new spot. 

The provincial government and Saskatoon Tribal Council need to be involved in addressing the issue, he added. 

Atchison did not mention plans for a new, $134-million downtown library branch in his initial remarks and adopted a neutral stance when asked about it.

"That's up to the library to deal with," he said. 

Norris had a different take on the library Friday.

At his own media event less than an hour after Atchison's concluded, Norris said he would seek to rescind a previous decision of city council to approve $67 million in borrowing for the project by the Saskatoon Public Library. 

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Norris called the proposed 134,000-square-foot building "gold-plated" when viewed in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and the period of austerity the pandemic portends.

"It's excessive," Norris said. 

Norris said he was not worried Atchison would take votes away from him and give current Mayor Charlie Clark an edge. He said Atchison's entry into an already-crowded race is a sign of "increasing dissatisfaction with the Clark administration."

Mayor Clark reacts

Clark said he welcomed Atchison — who he defeated by more than 3,000 votes in 2016 — into the 2020 race.

"He has made important contributions to the city that he should be proud of," Clark said of Atchison. "The reason I ran in 2016 was because Saskatoon and the world were changing and we needed new leadership to guide the city forward. We were in danger of being left behind by holding on to outdated ideas."

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Clark noted that Atchison mentioned a few ideas that Clark has already gotten underway, citing the Lightouse, downtown investments and economic growth.

"I am currently working with the province, Saskatoon Tribal Council, police, [the downtown Saskatoon business improvement district], and community service providers to find a solution to downtown safety and the Lighthouse," Clark said. 

"It will be an interesting race, and I think it really will come down to whether people want to return to policies of the past, or be part of moving forward in a changing world."