ROB MURRAY: I’m speaking with Corrie DiManno who is running for Mayor of Banff in the upcoming municipal election. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself and your related experience for the job of mayor.

CORRIE DIMANNO: I spent my summers growing up here in Banff with my dad, and then I moved here when I finished university in 2010. I started reporting, and that was my first touch point with the municipality, learning about the issues, meeting folks in the community, and getting a sense of who Banff is. From there, I ran for council in 2013 and was lucky enough to get re-elected in 2017. I’m just feeling so energized and ready, and just excited to try to lead this community into the future.

RM: Why mayor? Why are you running for this particular role?

CD: I want us to be the best community we can be. I want us to be a strong economy, a healthy community, and I want us to have a protected environment. I think that I can get us there.

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

CD: One of the top ones is this concept of living where the world visits. For me, that means balancing our economy with our community and with our environment. We saw, pre-COVID, what it can start to look like when we’re off balance with those things. I really want us to think about the sustainable ways that we can build back all of those three things post-COVID. It’s going to be working with Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, working with the Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association, and with Parks Canada. One of those big projects is this really forward-thinking vision of what tourism is going to look like in Banff National Park in the future, making sure that residents have a voice at that table and that we can all give meaningful and genuine feedback into what we want our future here to look like. The other side to that – this community is reliant on tourism, so that puts an extra pressure on our residents. Affordability and cost of living will continue to be priorities for me because we need to make sure our residents are supported. A big piece of that for me is housing sustainability. The past two councils have absolutely move the needle, but I believe there’s still more work to be done. Also, we want to be a model environmental community. Banff is in a beautiful position to be a leader in climate action. We have an environmental master plan and we have a transition road map to help us make those big steps into the future and to be that leader. I want to continue the leadership that council has shown, and be a strong advocate when it comes to lobbying the provincial and federal governments for funding for these projects, because we can’t do it alone.

RM: Looking back on the last four years on council what’s an issue or a decision that you think went really well or you’re particularly proud of? Conversely, in hindsight, what’s something that maybe missed the mark?

CD: Something I’m really proud of…there’s so many. The Astor, that’s entry-level home ownership for purchase in Banff. We haven’t seen this kind of a build in a couple of decades in our community. I’m also very proud of the Bear Street shared street. It is so future forward when it comes to thinking about how we can all share space. If you were down there this summer, there’s people sitting at cafes, there’s people skateboarding, biking, kids scooting by. It’s just really cool. I think it’s a great experience for visitors and I think it was the people’s street for residents. You would have interactions and bump-ins with friends. You just see it on paper when you’re making these decisions, so it was cool to see it come to life.

Conversely, your question was what was something that maybe missed the mark? I would say with the pandemic, there were some really challenging decisions that we had to make as a municipality. As someone that is an elected official, it was a position I had never really imagined having to be in. Some may say that we didn’t do enough, or we did too much. We did this right, we did this wrong. I would just say, as a whole, that was just a really challenging time where you’d leave the meeting and for a couple of days after you’d just wonder, hope, and pray you were making the right decisions. It was just a really tough time. Self doubt creeps in and you just hope that you’re making the best decisions with the information you have in front of you.

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

CD: There are many ways to get in touch with me, whether it’s someone running in to me at the post office, or a Facebook message, or what have you. I try to be very accessible. I’m always open to go for coffee and I’m always open to have a phone chat. At a higher level, council as a whole needs to be really accessible, so making sure that our meetings are in a plain language so people can understand what’s happening. We’re looking at doing a hybrid model; I know that Zoom has been really good for engagement.

RM: Is there another issue or a part of your platform that we haven’t really touched on yet that you wanted to talk about today?

CD: Voter turnout been one of my initiatives during the past couple of campaigns. I’m just really passionate about it. I think it’s the best way to use your voice, to express the kind of future that you want. I’ve always encouraged every eligible voter, but especially the young demographic here in town, to use their voice and to exercise their right to vote. I’m encouraging everyone to learn when, where, and how to vote.

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

CD: My website. From there, you can find my Facebook page, Twitter page and Instagram page.

RM: Why should people vote for you?

CD: I feel very strongly that there’s still important work to be done here after my eight years on council, and I know that I have the leadership skills, the experience, and the tenacity to guide us into that future. My vision for Banff continues to be progressive. I know that Banff can rise to the challenge of being a strong economy and a healthy community while having a protected environment.

Filed under: Banff, Municipal Election