Steve Price
Website: www.steveprice.ca
Facebook: Steve Price for Sidney Council
Twitter: @PriceCouncil
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
No, independent
Do you live in the municipality where you are running, and if so, for how long? If not, what is your connection to that community?
Yes I live in Sidney, my wife Fiona and I raised our three sons here
What is your occupation, and for how long?
Currently retired, my previous positions were Board Chair Of the Capital Regional District, Mayor of Sidney, and before that Town Councillor in Sidney.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I have served as Director and President of the Peninsula Soccer Association when my three boys were playing, as well as being Director and President of the Sidney Anglers association. I was first elected to Sidney Council in 2008, re-elected in 2011 and then elected as the Mayor of Sidney from 2014 - 2018. In 2017 I was also elected as Chairman of the Board of the CRD
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
Successful towns like Sidney don’t evolve by accident, it takes time and commitment from dedicated community volunteers and also from the local mayor and council. Speaking from experience, the current mayor of Sidney is doing a good job with his duties. My motivation for running is that I believe he needs more support from council and I would like to serve alongside him and help to provide that support. My governance experience will help us move the town forward. You can see more details of my vision in a personal message to residents at www.steveprice.ca
What are your top three issues?
Municipalities large and small don’t just have three issues, they have hundreds of complex issues happening at the same time. Without a cohesive council these issues can bring a town into total gridlock and decline. Local government involves a delicate dance between politics and practical governance, which means that as a Councillor you must make tough decisions in the town’s best interests and not only for a loud minority.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
I would say my vision for Sidney in 25 years is probably the same as every Mayor and Councillor who has served our town in the last 50 years: keep the town moving forward and keep on improving over past achievements. Towns are living creatures that can either thrive or die if not nurtured correctly. This solidifies my motivation for running, that our current mayor could use more support to successfully move the town forward with new strategic plans that that are drafted once councils are elected. It’s not about one person’s vision, it’s about the vision of council and our residents!
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
Council needs to address some of our Town’s infrastructure needs. In 2016 the majority of my council voted to sell our old firehall property and build a new seismically sound, state-of-the-art firehall and ambulance station. It was a very controversial decision at the time. It was also the right thing to do, the project cost $17 million and was offset by $10 million from the old firehall land sale, but the exact same project today would cost approximately $40-50 million.By taking action and making a tough choice, my council saved today’s taxpayers about 35-40 million tax dollars as opposed to deferring the project to now. A new council elected this term needs to apply that same logic and action on the Beacon Wharf replacement to name one example.
