Natasha Palen
Question
What are, in your opinion, the biggest challenges that Lafleche had faced in last few years? And what are the challenges that it will face in the coming years? What would you do to overcome them?
Answer
I have lived in Lafleche since May 2020 and, in my opinion, I think the biggest challenge I've seen, or heard about, was the lack of being able to retain town employees. I have spoken to a few past town employees and to be quite honest they were not treated very well at all; verbal abuse, bullying, and harassing does not keep town employees. There is a code of ethics for the Council and Mayor which they must adhere to. If any one of them isn’t following this code, then the others in office need to hold them accountable for their bad actions. If it seems to be the whole Town Governing Body is not following this code, then the town residents should feel safe to hold them accountable. After all, they were the ones that voted the Governing Body in. I believe that this issue needs to be addressed with the new town body going forward. It may be that a new set of guidelines need to be set up, or education on the existing ones, so that they can be followed by every town employee.
Additionally, those hired under the Council should have a written list of expected duties to follow. And they also need to feel heard from the Mayor or Council, when they present issues they see happening within their job and field of expertise. They were hired for their knowledge and skill set in their department.
Question
If you had an unlimited budget, what are three things that you would do to imrpove the lives of the residents of Lafleche? If, more realistically, your budget was limited, what's the one thing that you'd do?
Answer
Three things I would do on an unlimited budget is to fix the roads, sidewalks, and the sewer lines. I would like to see more attractions of some kind in Lafleche and it is my hope the new Mayor and Council can work on that.
On a limited budget, honestly that's a tough one as the roads are in great disrepair but a lot of the sidewalks are in dangerously bad condition, posing trip and fall risks to many, especially to our seniors and those with mobility issues. However, there are many grants out there that can be utilized that may cover the cost of many things, or at least pay a good portion of the cost, which might ease the financial burden of fixing many things the town could not address otherwise.
Question
By looking at the candidates, it's easy to see that we will have for sure a new Mayor and a brand new Council (apart from a couple of members that might be re-elected). Are you worried about the idea of getting into a new role like this and possibly not having the support of people with current experience and knowledge of what has been done in the last few years? Is there anything that you hope will be different, when the new Mayor and Council are elected?
Answer
No, I am not worried at all. Looking at the other candidates there are many very experienced and more than qualified candidates. I really hope that the newly elected Mayor and Council will agree that transparency, honesty, and integrity are important. I’d like to also see them unified in recognizing that all the residents of Lafleche need to feel welcomed, valued, and safe when they address Council in voicing their concerns and opinions. Residents should be seen as an important part of how the town is run. Many have had great ideas that could have helped the town become better but they have felt they weren’t heard and their voices didn’t matter. Many residents have lived in Lafleche all their lives and may be more knowledgeable of the community than those who may sit in office just because they’ve lived in the town so long and governing bodies come and go.
Question
What's your idea about transparency when it comes to institutions? Do you think the current administration is doing a good job at communicating with the people? Is there anything you would change in how the Mayor, Council, and Town Office communicate with people?
Answer
I have to say we are all residents of Lafleche and we all have a right to know what is going on, what decisions are being made, what ideas are being considered. The town minutes posted on the Town of Lafleche website are often behind, and even if you read the ones added there isn’t much information. This leaves those interested in the latest information frustrated because they weren’t able to address any issues they may have in a timely matter or before any official topic has been voted in.
There is also the issue of many residents not having access to the internet or use Facebook and therefore there needs to be a way that these people can get information just as quickly as those who can access information via the internet and Facebook etc.
The Mayor and Council members should be approachable and available to answer questions even if that means the residents call the town office and book an appointment to speak to a member of their choosing, perhaps rotating the council members and the mayor to be in office once every two weeks or once a month.
Question
How do you think that your knowledge, skills, and work experience would benefit the Town, if you are elected?
Answer
I have a Business Administration Diploma which comes with a wide range of skills such as finance, economics, selling, and some tax experience. I have experience in working in retail where repeat customers would come to me because they knew and trusted that I would assist them well or direct them to who could if I was unable to. Due to my public relation skills and knowledge of the store I quickly worked up from cashier to the Office Assistant. I also worked in car dealerships doing various tasks such as warranty claims, SGI claims, answering phones, and customer service. Currently, I am an online medical transcriptionist and have been for years. To sum all this up, I have a broad range of knowledge and experience in many areas and I am also an extremely hardworking, trustworthy, respectful, honest, and an empathetic worker.
Question
Do you think the Town should look at ways to improve the economy? If so, what are your ideas?
Answer
Absolutely, a town cannot survive without economy. Unfortunately, small towns cannot expect the residents to fund this completely nor can residents afford to do so. Therefore, we need more people stopping here, some kind of attraction for tourism. Lafleche needs to be known for something. Let's all work together and figure that out. We can also help our economy by actively searching and applying for grants to help with tourism, recreation, and the infrastructure of our town which in turn will draw more people in and therefore helping the economy.
Question
What do you think could be done to improve retention of the Town's employees?
Answer
Town employees work the hardest in my opinion. They deserve respect, appreciation, guidance, and also clear communication from other employees, the administration, Mayor, and Council. They should feel safe in their job environment not stressed and harassed. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and justly and like those addressing them would like to be treated themselves. After all, the town employees are the reason the town keeps running.
Question
How are you currently involved & supporting our community? Are you involved in any of our local organizations?
Answer
I support the coop buying groceries and gas and the pharmacy. Also, my husband and I save all our cans and bottles for the students from the school who come around every year at this time and we give them all our bags. I am not currently involved in any local organizations. I would like to be. To be honest, I am not even aware of what local organizations Lafleche has and I have found it somewhat harder to fit in since we were not born here.
Question
In case you are not elected, what are you planning to do (if anything) to still be part of the political life of our community?
Answer
Now that there is a whole new body of council being voted in, if not elected I would like to go to the town meetings to keep up on what is happening. I'd really like to see a lot more residents taking part in that as well. We all need to be involved.
Question
What do you think the Town as a whole (not referring exclusively to the administration, but also residents) could do to attract new residents? What is something you would do as soon as possible, if given the chance?
Answer
I believe to attract new residents we need to make our town more cosmetically appearing, to me it looks like it is simply dying. We also need to interact with other communities, bringing more events and markets here. Promotion would also be a big part in attracting residents. If given the chance, Lafleche definitely needs some kind of promoting so perhaps an upgrade to the town's website.
Question
SaskTel has announced that Lafleche will be included in their fiber network for high speed Internet by the end of 2027. Are you aware of any potential challenges coming from that and if so, what can be done or should be considered? How do you think we could, or should, take advantage of that?
Answer
I am not aware of the potential challenges that come with that but now that the question has been asked, I will definitely be looking into that.
Question
Do you think we should strengthen our relationships with nearby towns?
Answer
Absolutely!
Question
What can be done to attract new businesses to Lafleche?
Answer
Lafleche needs promoting to attract new businesses, perhaps radio and website upgrades. Perhaps looking at developing business-friendly policies such as lower taxes for new businesses and reduced regulatory barriers. These steps can encourage entrepreneurship, boost local economies, and create job opportunities, ultimately attracting both residents and businesses.
This is my political statement/response to questions posed to election candidates and therefore protected and not for use in legal action. Natasha Palen (Forest) for council member of Lafleche, Sk.