Red Deer city council candidate Hans Huizing says listening to Red Deerians and understanding their different viewpoints is what being a city councillor is all about.
That’s why he does not support proposed provincial legislation to allow municipal election candidates to list party affiliation on ballots.
“When you are part of a party, you have a very specific leader. The leader is the one who definitely has their hand on the tiller and sets what the priorities are for that particular party,” said Huizing, 53.
“As an independent person, you are beholden to the people who voted for you more than anything else. I love that.”
He said the most important role for municipal politicians is to understand and represent the variety of views of citizens. Being open-minded leads to discussion to arrive at the best decisions for the city and that’s what Red Deer needs the most.
Red Deer is at a crossroads, and stagnation is the biggest issue that the city has to tackle — whether it’s economics or health care, he added.
“There are so many things right now that are not being take care of, and we are really creating a system where nothing is occurring. There’s a lot of aspects of the city that area really, really positive, but we’re not tapping into that potential.”
For example, it’s time for the city to advocate for an acute care centre to provide care that is difficult to access, like mental health. It could be located in the area of 30th Avenue and 67th Street to be close to the future ring road.
As the principal of the Spanish bilingual school Vista Grande, Huizing recalled hearing about a child with suicidal thoughts waiting 17 hours in Red Deer hospital’s emergency department who never did receive treatment.
He said homelessness is also clearly connected to mental health and addiction and the city must advocate for provincial resources.
As a teacher, Huizing was a member of a variety of provincial committees with the Alberta Teachers’ Association. As a principal for five years, he continues to work to create what he calls the ABCs — alliances, bridges and coalitions.
“I am very good at the ABCs. When you work together, you can accomplish amazing things. I am a community builder. I understand how to get people together.”
He said as a principal working with a tight school budget, he also knows how to be creative and persuasive to access grants, donations and sponsorships.
Huizing was a Red Deer City Council candidate in 2021.