On the Issues...

• Sheri Grant-45 years of age
  
• Married to Rick, two children, Alayna Carrigan, Triston Grant and new Grandson Grant Carrigan
  
• Owner/Operator Knight Upholstery and Knight Rentals
  
• Past President of the Kinette Club and Yellowhead Auxiliary, co-chair Food Services, Mb Summer Games.
  
• Currently active volunteer for Meals on Wheels and on The Lily Festival and Chamber Boards.
  
• Boundless energy to take on the commitments of council.
  
• Plans to take a common sense approach to decision making.
  
• Will be available to listen to concerns of citizens with an open mind.
  
• Committed to making a difference in our community.

Your Questions...

NeepawaVotes.com will be posting your questions and the candidates responses throughout the election. Do your part to make an informed choice and submit your question above! Here are Sheri's answers so far...

Question: What is your plan on fixing the infrastructure problem that has been ongoing in Neepawa. There continues to be development to the west (which is good for the town) ie: Personal Care Home/Ambulance Garage/Aspenlea/10 unit housing block/residential housing/McGlaughlin GM,Westward Ford,Bayhill,Piston Ring,Subway,Tim Hortons to name a few yet the old infratruture has not been updated to handle the increased use. There has been alot of issues with residence on this issue but never been addressed by previous or current council, if elected what would your decision be to resolve this?

Answer: As councillor I promise to quickly bring myself up to speed on the issues of infrastructure. It is of course a very important part of the business of council to recognize and facilitate keeping our town up to date. We are facing many issues stemming from rapid growth, something I am very familiar with in business. It is my intention to be a significant contributor in making the best decisions for our citizens and our community. 

Question: What are you plans for development of the CN Property?

Answer: As a Councillor I would be open to development on the CN site as it surely is a valuable piece of property. I would be very supportive of someone finding a use for it.

Question: What do you think the future holds for Lake Irwin - development? Sustainable fishery? What direction would you lead council toward?

Answer: I spent many a summer’s day at Lake Irwin water skiing, had my swimming lessons there and have done a little fishing in both summer and winter as well. I remember well the Canada Day celebrations there with my husband and children.

Those are some of the great things that make Neepawa attractive when choosing a place to live.
I would like to see it developed further as far as camping, cabins and year round housing. Water quality for recreation as well as sustaining fish is very important to me and would certainly add to its appeal to those that would choose to live and visit here.

Question: Parks Canada has indicated it may be willing to allow the re-opening of Mount Agassiz. Is this good news for Neepawa and is there a role you think council should play in making sure this past tourism attraction is once again vibrant?

Answer: I am familiar with this topic, I plan to be at the meeting Tuesday night.
The re-opening of Mount Agassiz would be a great thing for Neepawa, our
neighbors to the north and our Province as a whole. I have skied Agassiz
and would love to see it re-opened; it is a beautiful example of
the diversity found in our province. There would be increased traffic through
town and increased revenue for some business owners. I believe a strong business
community is the backbone of a thriving community.
It has been a long and frustrating fight for this group to get to this point. If asked for
assistance, Council should consider any support based on the facts
of the matter and how it would be of benefit to us.

Question: A few council meetings ago a discussion was had which revealed several sitting councillors had been encouraged to run by Monty Simon.  In this election - did Simon encourage you to run?

Answer: Monty Simon did not encourage me to run.

Question: What is your position on the recent vote by Council to discontinue the discount structure for early payment of property taxes in the Town of Neepawa?

Answer: As a councillor I would give great consideration to this issue and make an informed decision. I would be open to all who have an opinion to express it to me.

Question: Would you promote a new hospital at Neepawa or Franklin?

Answer: The citizens of Neepawa and surrounding area deserve the very best healthcare possible. As a new hospital would be mainly funded by the province it will be their final decision. Certainly I think it makes more sense to me to have it in the Town of Neepawa as we are the epicentre of the area and I would lobby for that, but, if the trade-off if you will is a location in Franklin then we would have to accept that.

Question: Question as to what the candidates feel should be happening in regards to
the Eastview lodge location in Neepawa.

Answer: All avenues need to be absolutely exhausted as far as Eastview being
developed is concerned. I personally think that ball was dropped in regards
to this issue;
I will be very disappointed if it comes down. If no developer is found and
the land is cleared then we should explore the best use for the property.

Question: How do all candidates feel about town subsidy to the Neepawa Golf and Country Club when their financials showed a profit?

Answer: I do not have enough information to comment on this question. If elected I
will give careful consideration based on facts before casting my vote on any
resolution.

Question: Is any candidate going to make a bold statement, even if it might offend some voters, to show they don't always play it safe on every issue?

Answer: Those that know me well know I am almost never without an opinion; not all will agree with some of them, but I am not afraid to speak my mind. There may be resolutions that I may
or may not cast a vote for that may be considered controversial but I will answer to anyone who asks what my
reasoning is for the decision I have made.

You are never going to please all of the people all of time and with some of
the difficult tasks ahead of us as a community, not everyone is going to be happy with some of the decisions made by
council.

If elected I will be anticipating the the occasion in which I find myself squaring off with let's say for instance, Councillor Simon. As we either eventually agree or agree to disagree, I can tell you that I will conduct myself in a professional manner and treat Councillor Simon with respect.

Question: On the topic of safety at the Westpark trailer court...  Do any candidates
have plans to address the safety issues in the trailer park such as the
blocked second entrance/exit, etc.  We had a caller express concern about a
school bus loading 21 students in the area and then being forced to back
out, followed by a left hand turn onto highway 16 instead of driving through
and making a turn onto highway 5.  Same caller:  concern about trailer fire
in Selkirk - with some of the access to the court blocked what if fire
trucks can't get in quickly and someone dies?


Answer: I have lived in the trailer court for about 6 years at two different times
in my life. The school bus time spent loading and unloading is extremely brief in my
opinion. I do not see a risk there at all. Whatever went on that day is likely an
isolated incident.



Question: A second topic relating to trailer courts - do candidates have plans to
address the fees that seem to keep increasing?  Are there any concerns that
soon low income earners won't be able to afford even a spot in a trailer
park?

Answer: Certainly fees in the trailer court continue to rise but at a rate
considerably less that the taxes
on my daughter and son in law's bungalow. Some of the increases at the
Trailer court are due to
increased rent to the owners of the trailer park which is controlled by the
rental board that do not go to the Town.



Question: Another take on the Eastview Lodge issue - is any candidate willing to
publically committ to do anything it takes, including storming into Winnipeg
and making a scene to get the building renovated, occupied or otherwise used
to save it from being torn down?

Answer: I am a passionate person but also a reasonable one. I believe there are
proper channels to follow to exhaust every avenue.