It was an All Candidates Forum, but it didn’t have all the candidates. Of the four men that people in Yorkton can vote for on April 4, only two were present at the forum itself, Greg Ottenbreit with the Sask Party and Aaron C. Sinclair with the Liberals. Greg Olson with the NDP and Chad Gregoire with the Green Party were not in attendance.
As the incumbent candidate, Ottenbreit had a tendency to go back to the Sask Party government’s record when it came to the different questions raised through the forum.
A question raised about how the province plans to help the city with Broadway rebuilding pointed to existing roadways programs the city can use as well as additional revenue sharing, while a question on rising rent had Ottenbreit point to programs with subsidized housing as well as handling disability income differently, taking it out of social assistance.
That’s part of their strategy for the election and into the future if they receive a renewed mandate, Ottenbreit says, keeping on the track that they have been on for the past eight years.
“We’re going to continue on with the work we have done, and supplement it in areas where we know there are needs. You won’t see a lot of huge spending promise, but a lot of continued work based on our past record.”
While the NDP was not present at the forum, Ottenbreit did use them as a foil on several occasions, including knocking their record with hospital closure when asked about the potential of a new health care facility in the city.
When asked about the absent candidates, Ottenbreit says they plan to run a strong and active campaign whether or not other parties do the same.
The most frequent response from Sinclair was a promise to do more research into different issues, especially when it came to audience questions. The admission that more research needed to be done followed questions about issues surrounding seniors, increasing rent costs, ways to hold the line on medication costs, and the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Sinclair did have a clear idea of how to spur economic growth, however, promoting a return of the film tax credit as well as getting the province’s different First Nations part of pipeline and refinery growth in the province, along with heavy infrastructure investment.
The first time candidate says it was a great opportunity to get out in front of the public and get people to know him and his party. He says the questions were diverse and interesting. While doing the campaign largely by himself, he says running for the Liberals is the best fit for himself.
“I’ve been a life-long Liberal, and I’ve always felt the Liberal ideas most closely coincide with my ideals.”
