Tanya Foubert - Canmore Council candidate interview

ROB MURRAY: Tanya Foubert is running for council in Canmore in the upcoming municipal election. This is a little weird because we’ve done this radio thing a million times before, but instead of talking about the news, you’re the news. Tell us a little bit about your background and your related experience for a Council job.

TF: I was born and raised in Canmore just after the mines closed in the summer of ’79. I’ve seen this community change a lot. I eventually ended up in journalism school. That’s what led to me being at the Rocky Mountain Outlook for almost 15 years. Not only did I cover council, but I had to pretty much do the same work that the councillors were doing themselves. I had to read the agendas. I had to know the legislation that’s the framework within which they make decisions. I had to digest that information. Then I had to write about it in a way that the community can understand what’s going on. That work has prepared me for the role of Town Councillor, and I’m asking for people’s support in the upcoming election.

RM: Why, in 2021, is this time for you to put your name forward?

TF: I think COVID has forced many people to reconsider where they’re at in life and their course forward. For me, after 15 years in a career, I felt I had reached the objectives that I had set out and seen the successes that I wanted, and was ready for a new chapter.

RM: What would be your top or one of the top issues that you’re really passionate about and maybe some ideas around it?

TF: Affordable housing, or housing availability, and keeping the people who live and work here in our community. We have a successful affordable housing program with Canmore Community Housing, but are we actually meeting the needs of as many people as we possibly can in our community? Many of us have had the experience of friends or family moving to Cochrane or finding a more affordable lifestyle in another community. It’s frustrating because we love Canmore, and we want to be here and we want to make it work, but what do you have to sacrifice in order to do that? There are people who I have spoken to in the community who don’t qualify for Canmore Community Housing’s program, yet the building and development industry isn’t creating product that meets their needs. I believe we call this the missing middle. I think we have the ability to work with the industry to find ways to create that product, and opportunities with the Town of Canmore and Canmore Community Housing at the table. If the development industry isn’t going to build what we need to maintain community, then maybe as a community we need to be our own developer. I’m also seeing redevelopment happening – infill development in established neighborhoods and legacy homes being replaced in a way that’s being driven entirely by the market. Part of my platform is to push for master planning processes for these types of areas like Larch, Lions Park, and the Palliser area, and do a major update of our Comprehensive Housing Action Plan.

RM: Looking back on the last four years, what’s something you feel this past council did a good job tackling? Conversely, what’s something you feel they could have done a better job on?

TF: I am happy that the last council worked so hard on transit, because transit is a huge factor when it comes to how we calculate affordability in our community. It’s also part of re-evaluating the way our transportation system functions and we really have to do that and be innovative. When it comes to things that council could have done better – over 15 years, I’ve repeatedly seen the process for doing a strategic plan for the downtown core pushed off and we’ve done it again. I think the same goes true for the fact that this council never got around to doing a review on visitor accommodation and the effects of that in our community. We really need to do that work as well.

RM: If elected, how would you stay engaged with the community?

TF: I love just being out and about and at events and things, but I think you need to do more than that. I am looking at continuing my website from my campaign as a blog, I would strive to communicate what we’re working on, why it’s important, and how we make our decisions. My experience as a journalist writing about these complex issues in a way that people understand will help me with that. It’s weird to doing this interview with you, Rob, because for the last eight years it feels as if I’ve been speaking to the community every Thursday morning when we do our shows. I want to continue to do that and be available, and I think that the most important aspect of that is creating a regular schedule of availability.

RM: What’s another part of your platform you’d like to discuss that we haven’t really touched on yet?

TF: I believe the role of a Town Councillor is to help find solutions to problems and issues in the community. I know there’s been a lot of concern about the functioning of the new intersection at Bow Valley Trail, Railway, and Benchlands. It is a brand new, innovative design, and one of the things that I’m hearing the most from the community is around the signals and the flow-through of traffic. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here. Banff has, for years, been dealing with high volume congestion issues. When things get really bad in Banff they have a person actually watching the screens of the intersection and changing the signals to stop the backlogs that are happening. If elected, I would push for administration to investigate this as a solution.

RM: Where can people find out more information about you?

TF: I have a Facebook page. I also have a website. Reach out to me. I’d love to talk to as many people as I can to understand the issues that are affecting our residents.

RM: Why should people look for you in the upcoming municipal election?

TF: I care about this community. I’ve worked hard at informing people about what’s going on in Canmore, and I want to continue doing that with the added role of being at the table making decisions and coming up with the ideas for solutions to our problems. I believe that I’m the right candidate due to my experience, my knowledge, and the relationships that I’ve built with many stakeholders. When it comes to getting people to the table to collaborate, I think that I’m the best candidate for the job.