Kristin Cavoukian

In the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis, we need to build as much affordable—and especially, deeply affordable—housing as we can, and I will support efforts to do so. But we also need to protect the affordable housing we already have. There are common sense by-laws that could limit the conversion of affordable housing into Airbnb-style short-term rentals, and proactive inspections of rental units that could reduce the rate of fraudulent "renovictions." Affordable housing is rental hous…

The research is clear: homelessness is a housing problem. Municipalities don't have all the tools at their disposal to solve this problem, but Monctonians are tired of one level of government blaming another. Instead of finger-pointing, we should start by using the levers at our disposal at City Hall to keep people from becoming homeless in the first place, while we lobby other levels of government to do more, and work with them to make progress. Lives literally hang in the balance.

In my view, cost should not be the sole deciding factor when it comes to public safety. That said, the public has a right to expect that our police services and the strategies they use are effective. Recently, new policing initiatives have been introduced (such as Citizens on Patrol and the Car 67 Program), and we should expect data from the RCMP regarding how effective they are, but it is important to let those initiatives operate for long enough to generate that data.

Moncton needs to grow by densifying, not by sprawling outward. We should be increasing density in the centre of our city, not only by building taller towers, but also via infill—building on vacant lots and putting empty buildings back into use. With a vacancy tax (which the province can and should authorize), we can alter the cost-benefit calculation of vacant property holders so that they either build or sell.

I want to ensure the St. George revitalization happens as intended, with no shortcuts, and with full consultation and community input. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and while the current Council approved a good overall plan, there need to be community consultations before the process begins. We must ensure the final design serves the needs of the people who live in the St. George Street neighbourhood, and the small businesses that operate there. As a downtown councillor living in t…

Housing is one of the biggest line items in most Monctonians' budgets. Anything we can do to increase the housing supply and the vacancy rate should slow down the rate at which housing costs are rising, but without deeply affordable housing (30% of one's income), we can't make a dent in affordability for low- or even middle-income people. With the rising cost of gas, we can also make Moncton more affordable by building walkable communities, a comprehensive and efficient transit grid, and an acti…

For cost savings, I would like to see City Council commission fewer studies that end up gathering dust on shelves, and instead, act on needed priorities. Studies are costly, and they can be a source of frustration when their recommendations are not acted upon. We should undertake them when truly needed, but not as a matter of course. My proposed vacancy tax on absentee landowners would be a source of revenue for the city, as would requiring the licensing of short-term rentals, which currently do…

I was disappointed by the removal of a stretch of bike lane on St. George Boulevard shortly after it had been installed. Since there was no alternate route created, this decision broke up what would finally have been a seamless active transportation corridor along a major city artery. What made matters worse was that the lane was removed without specifying who had made the decision to do so. It is disheartening when residents advocate for years to get bike lanes, only to have them suddenly remov…

Moncton may have a lot of serious issues that need to be addressed, but I think we should also be doing more to celebrate our homegrown arts and culture, starting with a long-overdue tribute to Moncton's iconic Acadian band, 1755 (ideally on rue Dufferin!).

I'm an avid gardener, and I love growing food (especially tomatoes) and pollinator-friendly perennials. I've lived in a lot of places over the years, and whenever I've moved, I've left a beautiful garden behind. If you see me out in my garden, please say hello!

Municipal elections tend to have very low turnout. This means that a handful of people deciding to vote this time around could make the difference between the status quo and something better. Also, a lot of people don't realize that they can vote for TWO people in their ward, plus TWO councillors at-large. This means you don't have to choose between two good candidates in either category. Thank you for doing your research, and I encourage you to vote for the city you want Moncton to become.