Candidate Questions - Jamaal James

1. In 2023, for several reasons, a secondary audit was requested of SAMA.  SAMA declined this request.  Currently the City and council have chosen to do nothing in regards to this issue. What are you prepared to do?

I believe that it is important for taxpayers to have fairness and consistency in how they are taxed. They deserve accountability from their municipal government, as well as answers and an efficient means by which to redress any unfair situation that may arise pertaining to taxation. I am committed to tax reform that results in a more fair, consistent, and transparent process for all taxpayers. We need those taxpayers to sustain our municipality, so we must do everything that we can to ensure that they are treated and taxed fairly. I'm committed to tax reform that is conducive to achieving this in order to retain and attract people and businesses to bolster and grow our tax base.

2. Saskatoon has a Governance Committee which oversees their property tax/assessment department, and theirs far exceeds ours.  Are you prepared to implement the changes needed in order to mirror/reflect theirs? Or something better? 

Exceeds ours by what metric? In terms of accountability or process? In terms of overall revenue or size?

I'm not sure what you mean by "far exceeds ours," but as I've said, I'm open to exploring and implementing any option that improves the process for our city and its residents, be it a similar method to theirs, or something more suited to Moose Jaw's specific needs.

3. a) In your words, What does a Moose Jaw Citizen say when they are asked “What do you think of Moose Jaw?”

I think that the answer will vary widely depending on the person and the day. I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but I think that Moose Jaw is a vibrant and diverse city, with great people and a unique culture. It has some challenges to overcome, but it also has the people and the means to overcome those challenges and thrive as a city.

B) If you are elected, What will the Citizens be saying in 4 years?

If all goes as intended, then I hope that they'll say that they love this city, and are happy with the direction that we're heading in. Ideally, that they want the council that follows to build on what we've done. Again, I can't speak for them, but I hope that I can do what's needed to make them say things to that end. If nothing else, I think that they'll at least say that I was honest and accountable to them.

4. Right now there is a lot of talk about a proposed hotel on the zero block of River Street West. Rumours which include the potential building of a parkade by the City in the area.

The question is as an elected official how much City money - if any - are you prepared to spend either directly or indirectly in an effort to see the proposed hotel development get off the ground? I'm not willing to commit to spending taxpayers' money on that undertaking until we address the current challenges facing our city in terms of spending and infrastructure needs. I'm willing to spend money on vital infrastructure upgrades to give them the best chance at success, because the entire city will benefit from those upgrades, but in terms of city investment in a business, I don't think that it's appropriate to use tax money to fund private ventures.

5. Are you in favour of more or less funding by the way of levies? Or do you favour finding more funding by the way of tax increases? Can you explain your reasoning?

I'm actually more in favor of levies for funding major capital expenditures. The reason being that having a consistent dollar amount based on the necessary expense helps shield taxpayers from sticker shock when tax assessments happen, and ensures that the funding coming in is consistent regardless of fluctuations in property values or mill rates. I understand that rates may have to increase to compensate for increased operations costs, but I'd like to see us keep rate increases to a minimum where possible.

6. In your own words what is the most important infrastructure projection that needs to be completed?

We actually have three that I feel are all of immediate priority. Those being the Crescent View Headworks Station, the South Hill Reservoir Pump Station project, and the ongoing water main replacement project. These projects are vital to maintaining clean and safe water supply and sanitation for our city, and we need them to be our top priority currently. Closely behind are the new landfill, and the Thunderbird Viaduct.

Where or how would you locate funding for this project?

We must exhaust every avenue to source funding and grants from both the provincial and federal governments, and prioritize these vital infrastructure projects over non-essential budgetary items. If we cannot source the necessary funding from other levels of government, then we will have to look at where we can trim non-essential spending and pause tax exemption programs to help make up the shortfalls. That failing, then we may have to consider levies and...if absolutely unavoidable, then tax increases. I hope that we can find the means without having to resort to tax hikes or levies though.

7. Affordability is a major concern for many residents.

Are you prepared - yes or no - to strive to make Moose Jaw more affordable? Can you briefly explain how you would accomplish this?

Affordability is a huge priority for me, because it is crucial to maintaining and building a solid taxpayer base to fund all of the essential and non-essential services and facilities that we have. It's also vital to reducing poverty, homelessness, and crime that results from the consequences of poverty...which costs us even more to address. My means to make Moose Jaw more affordable involves making smart and sensible fiscal decisions. This means prioritizing needs over wants, reducing wasteful spending, and making sure that we have the necessary funding to do things right the first time when we do spend. We must be accountable for every dollar that we spend so that we can avoid having to take measures which reduce affordability for our residents needlessly.

It also means finding ways to make housing affordable for new buyers and people who need to downsize. Perhaps that means implementing policies to enable the zoning for, and building of, flat pack, container, and tiny homes, which can be more financially attainable than conventional builds. Promoting affordable entry into home ownership generates tax revenue, and allows people to build equity to potentially upgrade, so promoting policy to that end would serve us well.