2025 Candidate Q’s: Ken Braat
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: www.KenBraatforMayorHR.com
What does advocacy mean to you and how best do/will you practice this attribute of leadership?
Advocacy has been lacking in the administration and I believe it should include economic development. Establishing an office to attract small industrial, service, and manufacturing companies could help develop our southeast industrial and commercial area - not with big box stores, but with well-paying jobs. At the same time, collaborating with downtown businesses to create a Business Realization Zone could make High River a fantastic weekend destination for the Calgary region. Our town has so much to offer, and it's time to proclaim, "High River is open for business!"
What is your position on water conservation?
Water is essential to any community and High River excels at conserving it. Residents contribute by watering their lawns less and being mindful of their usage. Now, High River needs to collaborate with developers to ensure the underground services installed in new neighborhoods are designed to work efficiently with low-water-flow infrastructure, helping every home reduce water usage in the future.
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?
By bringing back an Economic Development Department, something we haven't had for over 12 years, we could address the issues that are all too evident. Just look at the nearly empty southeast industrial and commercial area compared to the growth happening just across Highway 2. Former High River-based agricultural implement dealerships have now relocated to the Foothills County. The current Mayor and Council seem opposed to creating such a position, one that could actively work with growing companies to bring their businesses, along with higher-paying jobs, to High River.
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?
Frankly, working with High River-based service clubs and groups and assisting in finding provincial grants and bursaries to help offset costs for recreation projects like skate parks, playgrounds, and other outdoor activities is essential. High River is geographically large, and considering that, we should ensure both sides of town have equal opportunities for youth recreation.
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?
High River already provides a lot for our aging and disabled community, but the truth is that every community can always do more. This means fostering engagement and discussions about what else can be done. While we can't tackle everything at once, creating a priority list with input from both communities is the best way to establish a plan for continuous improvement.
What does urban sustainability mean to you?
To me, "Urban Sustainability" means having a strong economy supported by a healthy tax base, including Commercial, Industrial, Retail, Manufacturing, and Residential Property Taxes. When all these aspects of High River's economy are thriving, that's true urban sustainability. However, our current reality heavily relies on property taxes, with continuous increases in the Town of High River's portion of Residential Property Taxes (the latest increase is funding the pool expansion.)