Jeff Mah - Canmore Council candidate interview

ROB MURRAY: Running for Canmore council in the upcoming municipal election – Jeff Mah. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your related experience for the job of Canmore council.

JEFF MAH: My wife and I moved here in 2012 to take over the Yoga Lounge. I just got more and more involved. I did a whole bunch of stuff as a reluctant activist for advocacy with Bow Valley Engage, and this seemed like a logical extension.

RM: What made you decide, in 2021, to run for election?

JM: The temperature of the times. The pandemic has been really rough on a lot of people. All these issues that our community deals with are just right at the forefront, whether it’s climate change, affordable housing, and with TSMV bringing their ASP proposals forward, that only heightened these issues in people’s minds. At the same time, I feel within the world right now, especially in our community, there’s an appetite to know more about these various issues, and also to start implementing bigger change. This seems like a really great time to try to be a part of that decision making process from a Council capacity.

RM: You’ve touched on a few issues. What would be your top or one of the top issues that you’re really passionate about and maybe some ideas you have around it?

JM: I think one of the bigger ones is the livability side of Canmore, and that includes sustainable development and affordable housing. We have to look at creative solutions, whether it’s exploring how we can do zoning, or we can look at the things like land bank purchases. Do we need to like expand our footprint? That would not be a bad solution down the road, but in the meantime how can we work with like the footprint we have? The other piece that came up during the TSMV stuff was environmental stewardship of this community. I think a lot of folks would actually view the fact that we still have a wildlife corridor that functions as amenities or features that make this place unique and special. If you’re like looking at proposals that destroy these things or seriously hinder them, that kind of strikes at the heart of the community, of what makes this place special and important.

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

JM: Council did a pretty good job playing the cards they got. I think about Hawks Bend in Larch, that affordable housing project. We had a little bit of opposition in the beginning, but if you look at it now…I have friends that live in there and the place is awesome. There’s an affordable housing project that was executed brilliantly. The people that designed it actually looked at what people who live in this community need. That was a win.

I think where Council could have done better was the handling of the pandemic. I feel our neighbours up valley in Banff…I really admired the leadership they took. We’re going to try this to give our citizens a sense of safety and to still try and be open in the best capacity possible. Whereas I felt down here, it almost seemed like the model was to let Banff try it and whatever happens, we’ll kind of tweak it a little bit and maybe four weeks later we’ll do it too.

RM: If elected, how would he stay engaged with people in the community? 

JM: Engagement is something I specialize in. One of the things that I find disheartening is the crazy stuff where people are coming up with conspiracy theories and questioning the integrity of the councillors and the mayor. I just don’t think that’s spot on. I also think what happens is Council…they’re kind of buried with their work, head down, trying to get the job done, and it’s not an easy job. But at the same time, a little more outward dialogue or communication with the public would’ve been helpful. Like, sometimes there’s like a little article, like the mayor’s letter in the Outlook. It’s not bad, but you know what? It’s 2021. If I was on Council, I’d probably continue a lot of the stuff that I’ve been doing with Bow Valley Engage in the video format. Maybe like a weekly video digest of, hey, this is what’s going on, or this is why the decision is going this way, or, hey, maybe you guys are a little bit curious why the intersection is working like this, let me give you some background info.

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

JM: Another big part of my platform is the safety side, and safety encompasses a lot of pieces. Our EMS…the province is doing some pretty crappy stuff right now with ambulance service. We do not have ambulance coverage in the Bow Valley for significant portions of time. At the bare minimum, as a councillor I’d advocate to keep at least one of our ambulances locked down serving the Bow Valley.

Another big piece is wildfire evacuation. I don’t feel we have a robust wildfire evacuation plan that would actually stand the test of a real emergency. Also, even just the emergency messages. We get these little tests that we’re kind of failing. For example, the fire at Dead Man’s Flats – communication on that was pretty spotty. Top-down, there has to be a formalized information and signaling system that comes from a government.

The folks at the fire department, they’re amazing. They punch way above their weight, and we’re hanging them out to dry. A lot of it is a volunteer service. We only have two full-time fire staff, so what happens is for a lot of these calls we’re counting on volunteers to come in. That takes time, and the response time is not there.

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

JM: Go to my website. If people have specifics, don’t be shy, write me an email. I will happily connect with you. We can find a way, whether it’s an email dialogue, texts, we can go for a walk. I’m down at the market typically on Thursdays. Also my Facebook page, a lot of stuff happens there too.

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

JM: I’ve been here for 10 years and I’ve seen it through the lens of trying to raise a family, as a business owner, my business is in the downtown core so I understand the downtown core side of things. But also through the lens of someone that has come here and that loves this place for a lot of the same reasons other folks in Canmore love it. The beauty and the environmental stewardship, I’ve done some pretty challenging work with Bow Valley Engage. It’s  risky to put one’s neck on the line and fight for what I believe in, and I think what other people in the community resonated with as well. Because of all those pieces, I feel have the experience, the courage, and the desire to try innovative ideas to help push this community forward through these next challenging times. I’m always coming from a place of service. I love this place and I want to protect it. I want it to stay awesome for the wildlife and future generations of all of the citizens here. It’s a special place. A place worth living in. Worth fighting for.