Joanna McCallum - Canmore council candidate interview

ROB MURRAY: Joanna McCallum is running for re-election for Canmore council. Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and your related experience for the job.

JOANNA MCCALLUM: I moved to Canmore in the spring of 2000 along with a lot of my cohort at that time in their mid to late twenties. We got jobs in hospitality, met partners, had babies. In about 2004, I decided to volunteer to be on a community services advisory committee. After the birth of my second child, I volunteered to be on the Vision Keepers group, which was the group that was meant to take the Mining the Future vision and interpret it into the Municipal Development Plan. In 2010, I decided to run for Canmore council. I won that election and have won two other elections since, and I’m working on my fourth.

RM: Tell us about an issue or a topic that you’re really passionate about and some ideas you have around it.

JM: Anybody that knows me knows that I’m really passionate about housing. Affordable housing, attainable housing, income appropriate housing, however you want to call it. If you know where you’re going to sleep at night and it’s affordable, it’s attainable, and it’s secure, you have the best chance of success. I’ve sat on the Bow Valley Regional Housing (BVRH) board since 2011. I’m really proud of the two projects we’ve pushed through. Phase two of our seniors housing project is going to be wrapping up in the new year. That’s going to give us that housing for seniors in Canmore that we really haven’t had, that Level 4 dementia care. I sat on the Canmore Community Housing Corporation board, CCH as it’s now called. I’ve been proud of the projects that we have been able to put forward – McArthur Place, Hawks Bend in the last term, and now we’re working on… I can’t remember. What’s the name of the new project, Rob?

RM: Ravens Ridge!

JM: Yes, that one will house 10 families. I’m happy to continue to move forward on these kinds of initiatives in Canmore, and really have a much broader vision for our affordable housing projects in this next term.

RM: Looking back on the last four years of council, is there an issue you feel council tackled really well or something you’re particularly proud of? Conversely, is there something that you feel maybe missed the mark?

JM: I’m really proud of our COVID response. We took a surplus, which I would say the majority of municipalities in Alberta just gave people a tax cut and walked away, and we decided to instead take those funds and reinsert them into the middle of Canmore, providing business supports and supports to individuals and non-profits that were not available through provincial and federal levels of government. Municipal governments don’t have particularly deep pockets, but we are close to the people. Those programs and services that were provided through Economic Development, FCSS, and the Family Resource Network assisted Canmore in understanding where some of our gaps were and how we can fill them. That work isn’t over. I think there was a lot of dignity and humanity in that response. I’m really proud that council bought into that idea.

Conversely, I’m kind of disappointed with how the Teepee Town Area Redevelopment Plan played out. There was a real wish from not just the neighbourhood, but from the community, to keep that neighbourhood local. The notice of motion to bring that back was a bit disappointing. In the end, all of 2^nd  Avenue has been commodified for tourist homes. There are going to be some local families that are able to stay in those homes, but most of them will end up being for tourists. That was a bit of a sad moment based on the amount of work that I had done on the Teepee Town task force, but the will of council is that, and we move on to the next project and hope to make it better.

RM: How would you stay engaged with the community?

JM: The community has no problem finding me! I heard from them quite a bit during COVID. I had visits with people in their driveways and my driveway, over the phone, through zoom, and prior to COVID I was pretty well known for being happy to buy the coffee if anybody wanted to have a chat about anything.

RM: What’s an issue or a few issues we haven’t really touched on yet that you’d like to talk about?

JM: I sat on Roam Transit for the last four years, and I’m really pleased with how Roam has morphed into a need-to-have, especially during the pandemic. We became an essential service. Ridership is picking up. I am pretty proud of that. There’s one thing that I’m looking forward to working on with my colleagues at BVRH, assuming that I get reappointed, assuming I get re-elected, and that starting to investigate supportive housing partnerships for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. We did a Housing Needs Assessment, I want to say in 2018, and really saw quite a hole in the community in terms of how those folks are able to age in place. There isn’t any facility whatsoever available to that cohort. I would really like to start investigating how some of the lands that we have in certain neighbourhoods could be converted or redeveloped. I see this as one of our most vulnerable populations alongside of our seniors, and I’d really like to make sure that they’re cared for.

RM: What’s the best way for people to find out more information about you?

JM: My website. People are also welcome to email me or have a chat on the street.

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

JM: I believe I have the experience and the tenacity to move us forward. Not on my own, but alongside a strong crew of representatives. I have a lot of connections with the provincial associations that represent us to the provincial government. I’ve worked really hard on my governance skills and my connection skills through various levels of government. I’m just hoping that the people of Canmore can see how important that experience is going to be helping us through the next four years. I think the next four years are really going to be tough for our community. I am willing to do the hard work of getting us through this time.