He may be the 91裸聊视频渘ew kid on the block91裸聊视频� but Kelowna city councillor-elect Loyal Wooldridge says for him, it91裸聊视频檚 clear what the top issue facing the incoming council is91裸聊视频攖he ongoing implementation of the city91裸聊视频檚 Journey Home strategy to address homelessness.
He said with the expected closing of the Inn From the Cold shelter and the Cornerstone shelter on Leon Avenue downtown in a few years, decisions concerning the strategy will be imperative.
With the planning done and the strategy now being implemented, Wooldridge expects the incoming council will be faced with a number of tough decisions and spending issues to deal with in order to meet the strategy91裸聊视频檚 goals.
91裸聊视频淭here will be issues and there will be challenges,91裸聊视频� he said, but added he feels Journey Home is a good strategy and will address one of the largest social issues currently affecting not only his city, but communities across the region and the country.
In West Kelowna, another new city councillor also also placed the issue of addressing homelessness at the top of the priority list for his city91裸聊视频檚 incoming council.
Councillor-elect Jayson Zilkie said Thursday providing a homeless shelter in the community for this winter needs immediate attention. A special council meeting has been scheduled for Nov. 8 to address the issue, just 48 hours after the new mayor and council are to be sworn into office.
Back on the Kelowna side of the lake, Wooldridge said the rest of the country is watching to see the impact of the Journey Home strategy, especially in light of the fact it goes beyond simply housing the homeless.
91裸聊视频淭he wrap-around support services are crucial,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淗ousing First cannot be housing only.91裸聊视频�
Wooldridge, who attended more than 20 council meetings in preparation for running in the Oct. 20 civic election and worked his way through a mountain of research on a host of municipal issues, said he91裸聊视频檚 happy with the previous council91裸聊视频檚 efforts to secure funding from senior levels of government for support services to augment Journey Home.
But he said the conversation is not one that ended with the introduction of the strategy.
While the homeless issue is a top priority for him, Wooldridge was not a single issue candidate during the election.
He said other priorities for him are development, or rather redevelopment, the Official Community Plan review and the accompanying Transportation Master Plan the city is working on.
Single-family homes may have been considered a 91裸聊视频渂irthright91裸聊视频� in Kelowna in the past, said Wooldridge, but the city is changing and so are the ways residents want to live.
91裸聊视频淲e need more different styles in the (housing) inventory and a paradigm shift in behaviour when it comes to transportation,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 the only way we will stop sprawl.91裸聊视频�
The new Kelowna city council, made up of Wooldridge and returning Councillors Maxine DeHart, Gail Given, Luke Stack, Brad Sieben, Charlie Hodge, Mohini Singh, Ryan Donn and returning Mayor Colin Basran, will be sworn into office Monday, Nov. 5, in a ceremony at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
The ceremony, open to the public, will start at 7 p.m and be followed by a brief inaugural meeting and a public reception.
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