Raven's responses to the Chamber of Commerce

Each candidate has been asked to provide 150-word answers to nine questions posed by the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce.  Here are my answers.  The AVCC hopes to publish responses from all Kings and Annapolis County candidates by October 1.

Do you think Kings County or Annapolis County is “open for business”?

To earn the label “open for business” Kings County needs to actively identify, attract and/or welcome new businesses and consumers. Council recently cancelled funds for the Kings County Regional Development Agency in reaction to the federal government’s cutback to local economic development initiatives─an undeserved and unwise move.  This agency helped win the Grand Pre UNESCO world heritage designation─a major boost for Kings tourism. It also negotiated collaboration between the county and towns’ planners for new businesses.

Businesses that can create profit levels sufficient to locate here, stay here, and pay taxes serve their own needs but also the public interest.  These “good businesses” are the type we need to open our doors to. They enhance our commercial tax base, create stable jobs, and provide good wages. They will keep, or bring back, Kings County children from those places where such jobs do exist.  If such jobs are elsewhere─why not here?

What could the county do to improve conditions for small businesses?

Creating clarity is job one. Kings County needs a predetermined support package for establishing or expanding businesses.  Business owners don’t like─and should not have to deal with ambiguity. Ambiguity makes financial planning and borrowing unnecessarily difficult.  Common sense, solid regulations, not red tape, should be our guide.  The county also needs to improve services to small businesses by listening to the voices of experience─small businessmen and women. 

Small business correctly condemns “rescue millions” to “off-shore companies” whose business plans/models result in a recurrent need for government’s financial support.  Small businesses are a better investment in general and the county needs to be a stronger advocate with the province in this regard. I also believe tax incentives must be tied to wage scales/benefits for new businesses.  Clearly those that bring good, stable jobs deserve more support from our tax base than those that employ a minimum wage workforce.

Mink farming is becoming a contentious issue in some neighbourhoods. Do regulations around raising mink need to be changed?

I have limited knowledge of the mink industry other than it presents significant opportunities for economic growth in other counties.   There, fisheries by-products provide a food source to the ranches, industry is relatively unregulated and its expansion has been hotly debated. Mink sewage attracts flies, smells, and has resulted in some mink farms becoming labeled “bad neighbours.”  It appears more stringent regulation is under development and mink farmers have collaborated in this endeavour.  

Additional good news is that provincial and federal funds have been invested to develop ecological uses for minks’ liquid and solid waste.  There is also a growing, stable, profitable market for mink. Demand exceeds supply.  I support the introduction of mink ranches here if they are regulated and operate with solid humane and ecological standards.  Before expansion of this industry we must “have our ducks in a row” so ranches will be in the best neighbour category.

What role do large-scale wind turbines have in the Valley’s future?

Industrial wind turbine development has been suspended in Kings. I support that. When it’s re-addressed a full scale consultation is promised.  It’s now time for us to turn our attention to developing a green energy plan that’s a good fit for all of us.  I believe alternatives to “big wind” will provide better, longer term economic value.  We can look at best practices regarding green energy in rural communities around the globe and adapt those to our particular needs. Doing this in close consultation with citizens, small businesses, and community organizations will make us successful. Many residents and businesses are engaged on both sides of this debate.  Together we can create a custom plan that suits who we are, where we are.  We need to take a close look at do-able smaller-scale strategies to help our residents reduce their energy costs thus benefiting us rather than “big wind.”

Do you think the level of municipal taxation in the county is fair in relation to the level of services offered?

Certainly not in many areas of North Kentville. There, homes paying regular tax rates see county water lines by-pass their homes.  Residents living on Z-roads cannot get their roads graded or sand-sealed.  Busy, narrow residential streets are dilapidated… Sidewalks are absent… Children are in danger.  It’s been a mess for “long many a year” with no-one paying any attention to requests for help.  At the same time our county wastes, on my estimate, at least 10% of our annual $40Million municipal tax base on unnecessary expenditures. 

Developers/builders find council services incompatible with their needs…Too quick to tax before building begins… Too slow to provide inspection services once building has begun… Ready to create obstacles… Slow in providing solutions.  We need to abolish the residential taxes that must be paid by developers on building lots once a subdivision is approved until such time as a house is begun and/or completed.

Is there enough industrial land available at this time? How could any perceived deficit be addressed?

The RDA and CBCL consultants recently produced recommendations regarding industrial sites (Kings County recently de-funded the RDA).  It is my understanding that several optional sites are noted all relatively close to Highway 101 and serving Kings County from East to West. 

My perspective is that industrial growth, for both regulatory and infrastructure efficiency, is best located in a few rather than many locations and in closer rather than further proximity to the main highway.  This has the additional benefit of fewer residential neighbourhoods being located close to industrial sites or being passed through by heavy traffic.  The next council will have to make sound decisions regarding approval of sites.  Three or four could be the best balance to ensure that residents who work at sites do not have long distances to travel to access the jobs located there.

Agricultural land zoning has generated long and difficult debates over the past decade in Kings County. What do you think the county should do to balance protecting farmland and encouraging development?

Farming is the heart and soul of who we are in Kings County.  The health of this county is defined by what we do to preserve farmland for future farmers. 

Supporting farmers in the work they do means buying local for many of us. That’s not enough. Council must work harder to convince the province to act on the recommendations of the Agricultural Land Review Committee. Those recommendations should already be leading us toward a stronger farm economy.

I initiated and helped organize the first annual event to raise money for the Annapolis Valley Farmland Trust.  Over 200 people attended.  The trust’s focus is purchasing easements from farmers who want to retire so land remains in the agricultural district. My commitment is to the strongest protection possible for farmland.  Opening doors to farmland development is counter-intuitive to preservation. The current council has not appreciated that concept, the next council must.

What are your thoughts with respect to aquaculture in the Bay of Fundy?

I am strongly opposed to aquaculture in the Bay of Fundy where a profitable, historical and sustainable lobster fishery exists and the flow of wild Atlantic salmon to our rivers is beginning to recover.  Independent research shows that open aquaculture is a fraught with serious problems.

On the other hand, land-based fish farming holds great economic possibilities for Kings County.  Sustainable Blue is located only 45-minutes from Kings County in Centre Burlington, Hants County.  There, fish are raised using proprietary water treatment technology.  The marketplace is proving to be ready for fresh disease free, drug free, organic salmon and other species.  This company’s product is sold in advance of its readiness for market.  This is the kind of aquaculture needed in Kings County.  Safe.  Sustainable. Innovative. 

When we find things that we cannot/should not do, council has a responsibility to lead with regard to what we can do.

What is your personal stand on the issue of cell towers in the county?

Increasingly more residents in the county are relying on cell phones as their primary means of communications.  Businesses are more mobile and more efficient because of cell phone technology.  We need a dependable network of cell towers to provide effective service.

However, caution needs to be taken with regard to the location of cell phone towers.  The scientific community is divided on the potential impacts of the type of radiation emitted by cell towers. However, it is widely accepted that adverse effects are not significant for most people.  Kings County needs to work with cell tower owners to negotiate locations that place towers at distances from homes and work sites that exceed the minimum guidelines.