An all-candidates forum held Tuesday, Feb. 18 in Barriere gave voters some insights for the upcoming March 1 byelection.
The election has been called because former mayor Ward Stamer left local government to become an MLA and councillor Rob Kerslake, who had been acting mayor, decided to run for mayor.
Former mayor William Humphreys is also running for mayor and there are four candidates vying for one councillor position - Robert George, Stephen Boylan, Alan Fortin and Brody Mosdell.
Some of the topics discussed ranged from recreation enhancements, doctor recruitment and retention, and economic development to permitting off-road vehicles on regular roads and expanding the sewer system the north side of the Barriere River.
Kerslake said he is on a quest to find non-taxpayer revenue and if elected would continue to work as hard as he has while on council, and cited his dedication to getting the Barriere Business Centre open.
Humphreys said Barriere is a good place to live, and it’s important to get investors to invest in Barriere, as well as develop a network to build a community everyone is proud to be in.
Mosdell, the youngest candidate, said he would like to support more commercial projects and participate in overall planning that will impact future generations, while making responsible decisions about infrastructure.
George said he’s been in the community for 25 years and has never had a family doctor. He suggested it there should be a provincially mandated time for doctors to stay in a community before they leave to go start their own practice.
Fortin said he would like to see more low income housing in the community because young people graduating from school cannot afford to get into the market. He would like to see an apartment building added to Barriere.
Boylan said he will be looking for grant opportunities for seniors and sports systems and working alongside council to lobby government to get more seniors programming in place.
The forum ran for about 50 minutes, giving every candidate time to answer all the questions as well as make an opening and closing statement.
The Barriere and Area Chamber of Commerece broadcasted the forum on Facebook live, which had received 1.2K views by Monday, Feb. 24.
To read more about the councillor candidates check out the ronaldomanosa online or the Feb. 13, 2025 issue. The two mayoral candidates were featured in the Feb. 6 edition.
