ROB MURRAY: I’m chatting today with Vijay Domingo, running for council in Canmore. Tell us a little bit about your background and your related experience for the job.

VIJAY DOMINGO: I came here at the age of 22 and it’s been 30 wonderful years. This town has given so much to me and I’ve had the opportunity to work in so many industries. I really have gotten to know a lot of the people in this community. It’s a wonderful place and I think it’s important that people take the time to give back.

RM: Why, in 2021, are you running for council?

VD: It’s just good timing for me. I semi-retired here in 2019 and our two kids, we raised them here, they’re off to university. I have the time, the focus, and the energy to really commit to the complexities of what this town is facing.

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

VD: Affordability is being spoken about. I think Three Sisters Mountain Village is still a very emotional topic that we have to focus on. I think transportation and the intersection is one that is getting a lot of attention. What I want to bring to the table is not just about making decisions, it’s about process. I feel I have so much experience in some of these challenging items. We need to improve our communication and revise some of the methods so that these topics are not so divisive and we can actually create solutions together. It’s not about what I want. It’s really about what the community wants and needs.

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

VD: This council has spent a lot of effort and have been role models for environmental design building and even programming. I think we need to applaud that leadership, and the community buying in to that culture. Even with transportation, focusing on different modes of use. We need to continue to work on that culture here.

I think Three Sisters Mountain Village was something that we probably could have done a better job on. When you take a look at the process of having three readings, there’s a reason for that. I think they are intended to avoid the divisive conversations. The community was really trying to speak out at that process. I would have hoped with the decisions they were making – you have Administration that’s first approving and supporting a project, and we have a public hearing process which is important, but I think to vote ‘no’ would have been better perhaps at the second reading rather than the third so that there was time to get a solution and some conversation going. We’re in a situation now where we have a developer going through the legal process and the future of our community is now being based, unfortunately, on the results of a legal review. That is unhealthy for any community. If I could turn the clock back, I think we could have approached that communication and that process a little better, and connected Council’s decision with Administration and with the conversation with the community.

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

VD: My approach has always been to just be out in the public. In order to know the community, it’s taking the time to be with the community leaders, with community organizations, and spending the time in the community so that you really feel well-rounded that you represent not just the general ideas but to really get educated. Being a good listener is critical to having success in any issue.

RM: What’s another issue or plank in your platform you’d like to chat about that we haven’t really touched on yet?

VD: The new one that’s come up is environmental, and I think it has to do with the election signs. I’ve intentionally not plastered the town with signs and what I’ve done, and I’m going to try and work with bylaw on maybe having a new way of doing a signage in the town, is using some larger signs and placing them with the permission of private property owners and trying to minimize the amount of election signage. If you do see some of our larger signs around town, know that it wasn’t just me doing that. It was trying to work with private land owners to see if they would be willing, not so much just to support my campaign, but to support the reduce of signs throughout the election periods.

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

VD: On my website.

RM: Why people vote for you for Canmore council?

VD: I really feel like I bring strong experience. Thirty years in the industry – I’m a chartered accountant focused on financial planning and being accountable in those areas. I’ve done everything from healthcare to hospitality and live theatre entertainment. I’ve covered the gamut of what people are engaged in this community and I bring that experience to the table. I look forward to having the opportunity to solve some of these challenging issues we have in our community.

Filed under: Canmore, Municipal Election