2025 Candidate Q’s: Carol MacMillan
Thank you High River residents for taking the time to ask our 2025 Municipal Election Candidates the many questions before and at the All-Candidates Forum.
While we couldn’t get all the questions answered in person, we did go through the questions, remove the redundancy and have the Most Asked questions below that our candidates were invited to answer AFTER the forum.
Read on to learn more about your candidates and the issues that have been top of mind for our engaged citizens.
Visit the website: www.carolmacmillanformayor.ca
What does advocacy mean to you and how best do/will you practice this attribute of leadership?
Advocacy means representing the citizens and businesses, and promoting High River. Having regular public engagement is critical to hear the needs of the community. Collaborating with the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to have pop up engagement events, regular places of casual meet and greets, and being available to residents and business owners. Regular attendance at Board and Committee Meetings is imperative to be able to bring back concerns and issues to Council Meetings, and encouraging delegations to present at Council Meetings.
What is your position on water conservation?
Strong advocate of water conservation, and very concerned about the potential 42% of treated water loss in the Town of High River, and why this hasn't been addressed as a greater priority by Council and Administration. I am also concerned about the proposed biodigester, and its impact, as well as the potential water agreement with Nanton. The Town Plan also states that for new construction 6 ft wide sidewalks are required - concrete takes a lot of water.
A lot of the candidates talk about local economy specifically; how do you plan to grow the economy? And how do you plan to encourage sustainable growth?
I firmly believe in the importance of having an Economic Development position on staff at the Town, to focus directly on the attraction of new business, and the retention of current businesses. A detailed review of the Town Plan, and the Land Use Bylaw, to seek innovative ways to develop our economy in a sustainable way. I shop Local, and promote our wonderful businesses daily - I think that local business collaborations are a great example of entrepreneurs taking the initiative to build their businesses, and I believe that Council should encourage that, and that means looking at reducing obstacles to business success. Municipal government should not interfere with businesses, but we should be there to support and promote.
How do you plan on responding to the growing needs of the youth demographics (ages 10 to 16) of High River to help retain or bring them back when they become adults?
I certainly do not support multiple costly consultant studies and open houses about projects that come back to Council stating that "Funding is to be determined" - I am referring to the Skate Park upgrade - multiple engagements with youth getting their hopes up, and then the report coming back to Council with "Funding to be determined". We need to have regular active engagement with youth and their parents to determine what they envision for High River. And this question is very much linked to economic development - we need to bring industry into High River that allows more people to be employed in High River with livable wages, so that they truly can live, work, and play in High River. We need to encourage the community groups with active parent volunteers to take the lead on projects - the municipality can't take the financial burden of everything, plus citizen led projects lead to greater ownership and community spirit.
With an aging population and increase in disabled persons in our town, what steps do you propose to ensure a meaningful life for all residents?
Accessibility to community resources, education and awareness about resources, and direct input from residents about what they need to ensure a meaningful life in High River. Snow removal, parking, bathrooms near pathways, ways to age in place, and affordable housing are all issues that I have heard from residents. The Town Plan should be reviewed, as there are some things that I feel take away from meaningful life, such as 6 ft wide sidewalks in new construction - that's a lot of snow shoveling for anyone, let alone a senior, and detached garages - trudging through the snow to get to your car isn't exactly an option for aging and disabled populations.
What does urban sustainability mean to you?
Urban sustainability to me means that we have and maintain money in reserves for maintenance/upgrades of infrastructure along with future capital projects to enhance our community for now and future generations.