Voters in Sechelt will see three names on the ballot for mayor on Oct. 17. John Henderson withdrew from the race and will not seek re-election. Two of the candidates served on council during the last term and one is a doctor seeking elected office.
Paul Dhillon
Dhillon is an emergency physician and has served 12 years in the Canadian Armed Forces.
“As a physician you bring very clear direction and decision making and at the same time being really patient focused, I think that translates across to being citizen-focused or neighbour-focused and you are always trying to achieve the absolute best outcome so I think the military side it’s being really focused on the mission, which is making Sechelt exceptional and that we have had an incredibly divisive four years where I think we have lost focus on the mission and personal missions and personal egos or just personal animosity has taken away from that absolute singular focus on making Sechelt exceptional,” he said.
Safety and security are top of mind for Dhillon in his campaign. He said it is a theme he heard at most doors he knocks on.
“To me it comes back to being a safe and secure community where my wife and kids can walk through the downtown and not be scared and for shop owners, local business owners to not be going to bed at night and afraid that their buildings are going to be broken into or their windows are going to be smashed overnight so that to be seems to be the fundamental issue for Sechelt. It’s such a small and tight knit community and everybody is hurting because of it,” he said.
As mayor, he said he would use his position to advocate to other levels of government for change and oppose policies that do not serve the community.
He said he plans to retire in Sechelt and will make personal financial sacrifices to serve as mayor if elected.
“I will be continuing to work as a physician. I work in the emergency room here so it’s a really great way, excuse the medical euphemism, to have the pulse of the community. On Friday night at 10 p.m. when I am work as a physician and then Monday morning in there as the mayor knowing how the community has done over the weekend,” he said.
Alton Toth
Toth has served two terms on council and seven years of the Sunshine Coast Regional District board.
“I have spent the last two years as chair of the regional district and I have been able to bring together my eight other directors to really discuss, debate and vote on issues that might not benefit their area specifically but are good for the region as a whole,” he said. “One really great example – I was able to set the table for the CEO of BC Ferries to come to my boardroom and sit there in person with a full house and we asked him questions, we pitched some ideas to him, we had a good discussion and at the end of it he says ‘I’ll come back any time you ask me to’ and I think that’s a sign that I am doing something right when it comes to bringing people together, showing leadership.”
Toth said he wants to work with the shíshálh Nation to create a Sechelt Inlet harbour authority to deal with derelict vessels, liveaboards and cleanup issues.
“If we can develop sort of a joint authority over that area, we are going to be in a much better place to do something about it rather than just pointing fingers at each other,” Toth said.
Toth said there has been behind-the-scenes work with the non-profit Together We Can to bring addiction treatment and recovery support to the lower Sunshine Coast.
“I also want to work on downtown community safety and that is not only safety for residents who are living downtown who are feeling victimized every day from some of the issue that we have got going on – but also our homeless or our addicted who need help getting into treatment, need help getting better, need help getting even just a basic roof over their head so that they can stabilize,” he said.
Dianne McLauchlan
McLauchlan did not respond to an interview request from Vista Radio by email and there is no phone number listed for her on the CivicInfo BC website.
Her website says housing is her top priority.
“Zoning is a municipalities most powerful tool but it is not being used to the public advantage. In some ways, all land here is held in the public interest and Council does not need to approve inappropriate development proposals. Council can and should proactively change zoning to advance the need for actual appropriate housing,” her website says.
Her website specifically says she wants to identify lots for seniors’ homes and rezone lots beside schools for affordable family homes.
It also says she wants the municipality to test small-lot and home-planning concepts to make better use of existing land.
McLauchlan’s platform calls for collaboration and effective governance and includes these points:
- “Stop the bullying! New BC legislation is coming to ensure this
- Don’t rush meetings, vote as a block or go to the bar afterwards to discuss Council business (with a quorum) of councillors
- As meeting chairperson/mayor encourage more fulsome debate until more aspects are explored and not call the question
- Majority must explain their reasons then compromise/change the motion to include the other ideas
- Don’t assume the staff report is sufficient or that staff recommendations have to be accepted
- Talk to the Chief Administrative Officer in private for procedural advice”
Election Day is Oct. 17.
