I have been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember. While my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup in a short while (ok…40+ plus years) I can checkout some exciting local hockey by the Port Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association.
PoCo Minor Hockey sent out a short survey to Candidates in the upcoming election. These surveys really force me to analyze the positions in my campaign and test my ability to communicate answers back which balance the need for services and the need to hold the line on tax increases.
I am not sure if the answers to this survey will be made public or if PoCo Minor Hockey will come out and endorse some candidates. That said, I wanted to publish the questions and my answers here on my website. As always, I would enjoy your feedback.
Why is Port Coquitlam Minor Hockey important to you?
I played hockey in my hometown of Mississauga, Ontario from the age of 7 to 16. It was during these years I learned the importance of teamwork, exercise and friendship – many lessons I have carried forward to today. Parents of children in sports are connected and invested in the community. They have a unique and varied perspective on what needs improving and what should remain in place. This is why during this election I have been connecting with “the soccer moms” and “hockey dads” as they are truly in touch with Port Coquitlam.
If elected, how will you support Port Coquitlam Minor Hockey?
Two of the ways I have proposed to assist Port Coquitlam Minor Hockey is to build a third sheet of ice and look into the lowering or even removing of “user fees”. PoCo can use sponsorship models (as the City of Port Moody did) to finance the construction of this third sheet of ice. Coupled with the savings from having to rent ice time outside of the City, the cost should have little impact on the property taxes of residents while improving the available ice time to our local teams. We need to remove the financial barriers to sports / recreation participation. This means lowering or doing away with user / registration fees and securing funds to offset this cost. This part of my plan would most likely take five to seven years to complete but I have the will to start this process – something which has not yet been done in Port Coquitlam.
Can we share your answers with our membership?
You can certainly share my answers with your membership. I am also interested in having feedback or other suggestions from your membership so please contact me at (604) 418-9177, dave@dave.ca or visit my website www.Dave.ca. Thank-you for the opportunity to address you and your membership.
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