A NeepawaVotes.com user asked:

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?

The Candidates responded:

Allan Drysdale

Since I am getting involved for the first time, I can only say that I hope the new council can correct the lack of forward planning we've seen over the past few years. The town should have in place a 10 to 20 year plan for development and likewise for infrastructure upgrades.

Bob Durston

Thanks for the question. Previous councils have been addressing the the issue of renewing water and sewer lines. The area mentioned had a direct line from the water tower installed to service the west end of Neepawa as well as providing for renewal of the water line to the airport which is town owned property. The Town entered into a funding agreement with Manitoba Water Services Board for this renewal as well as an agreement to supply an amount of water to the RM of Langford for which the RM of Langford pays quarterly for water used. The Town has been renewing water and sewer lines within the town over the past number of years. The previous council developed a long term plan to renew water and sewer lines in the town utilizing funds from the water/sewer utility and from Gas Tax funds receievd from the province. I beleive that council needs to continue to renew the lines along with the street restoration. It is a slow process for renewal with limited funds. Unlesss senior levels of government decide to provide larger amounts of tax dollars to municipalities, the tax payers of Neepawa cannot afford a faster renewal without a  increase in taxes and or water rate increases to cover the cost of renewals. As mayor, I would continue to make this a priority but the town also faces other challenges in funding other major projects.

Ken Waddell

A number of years ago, the community of Winkler adopted a simple plan to encourage enough job creation in their area that every graduate could come home if they wished to do so. To do that in Neepawa we need more small industry and service oriented companies. To attract those kinds of employment opportunities we will need a long term infrastructure and affordable housing plan. Some work has been done, but we can't really say we have a plan because we don't. We will have to look at every possible source of funding, innovation and technology to upgrade our infrastructure. Getting that plan in place will be a very early priority for me if I should be elected mayor.

Sheri Grant

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.