Jason Habuza wants to get his name out there and bring change to the average Red Deer citizen.
“I moved to Red Deer in 2007 and since then I’ve noticed a lot of stuff in general that every day citizens notice. Affordable housing was an issue. When I moved here in 2007 the first thing I noticed was the provincial government had to step in and change the affordable housing situation, because it’s not something you see everyday, people living in camps outside of the City,” he said.
Habuza, who grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, said he saw landlords and management companies raising tenants’ rents through the roof.
“That’s also partly why crime exists in my opinion, because everything is getting so expensive,” he said, adding that he and his wife ended up buying a condo because their rent went up $100 for a one bedroom apartment.
He said crime is another issue he sees in the City, and said he continues to witness it.
“I work nights at a fast food industry, I work nights at a gas station and I see day in, day out different assorted stuff each and every night, and what I don’t see is patrols out on the street, and that’s why I wanted to run,” he said.
Habuza said if he were voted in, he would work towards eliminating crime and having more affordable housing.
“In order to combat that we need a ward system like most other cities have, where each councillor can look after their own ward or their section of the city and get the feedback from the citizens in that area, and what their concerns are and what their needs are, and then voice them to the table at City council.”
Habuza said the north end of Red Deer, which is where he resides, seems under-appreciated, which leads into another component he would like to work towards – tourism.
“All I see in the north end is eight to 10 liquor stores that suddenly popped up in the last four years,” he said, adding that there needs to be more interest in the north end.
He compared living in Regina to that of the size of Red Deer, but Regina always having something to do.
He said when one thinks about summer concerts and festivals, they don’t think Red Deer. They instead think Calgary or Edmonton.
“There’s nothing to do in the summer unless you count Bower Ponds on July 1st. We need more tourism, we need to promote our parks more. I think we can hold more events in our parks to get people from out of town coming in.”
One of the ideas Habuza thought about is people promoting their major sports teams, and possibly holding spring training in Red Deer, like the Calgary Stampeders and other football clubs.
“They did it in Fort McMurray, why not in Red Deer?”
He said people should vote for him as he wants to bring change to the average Red Deer citizen.
“I’m not a businessman, I’m not here to make money, I’m not here to profit off of it. I want to speak for the person that can’t speak out or doesn’t want to speak out or doesn’t wish to speak out.
“That’s where I’m coming from.”
carlie.connolly@reddeerexpress.com
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