Statement by council candidate Shawna Gagne

1. Why are you running for council?

 First, I love Tahsis, our family made this place our home. We bought and fixed up our house and we run our business from here. We are fully invested in Tahsis.

 Second, I made the decision to run for council now because I have witnessed the decline of opportunities and services available in our community. The residents of Tahsis are missing out because our leaders have not welcomed them in the decision-making process. People need to be involved and feel valued.

 The difficulty accessing information and the resistance to new ideas has grown over the last 7 years. Living here has given me perspective on the needs of our community and the unique challenges we face. 

 I am offering to volunteer for this community because I see the potential and believe if we work together that anything is possible. Our best assets are the people who live here.

 Many issues have surfaced over the last few years and each one brings more division to the community. We have seen irresponsible spending, lack of transparency, an increase in food insecurity, no public consultations, no attempts to grow our economy or our town, more red-tape bylaws and unfair policies, projects that risk Salmon habitat, no support to our local businesses and charities and no building relationships with local First Nations. 

Together with my team, I look beyond the obstacles and see the possibilities.

It has been the same old same old. You cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. It’s time for change! Together we can!

 2. What part of your background prepares you to serve on council? 

 I am prepared to serve on council because of the various experiences throughout my life.  Our team brings plenty of experience, unique perspectives and diversity as individuals and combined.

 Although I have not previously sat on a municipal council, I have worked closely with many. I gained knowledge of the way governments operate through the mentorship I received with the NDP and Jack Layton, and during my two previous (MLA & MP) campaigns. My efforts doubled the vote in my riding.

 I have decades of experience in provincial gov, federal gov and in private sector offices. I attained the designation of CR4 & CR3 Admin in the federal government with high security clearance while working for years in the library, central records, mail room and reception at Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, a federal government office of 300 staff that supports regional businesses through grants and loans. Part of my job was preparing the daily briefing media reports for the Minister of ACOA for use in Parliament.

 I studied communications & marketing and applied these skills when I operated my own boutique promoting local artisans. I also gained advertising and admin skills when working for Welcome Wagon as a trade show coordinator, hosting up to 30 businesses, many non-profit organisations and 500 patrons with a full program featuring guest speakers on issues relating to pregnancy, child development and infant safety.

 I have deep values in human rights, fairness, and issues affecting women. This was nurtured first by my mother who worked for the NB Advisory Council on Status of Women. This interest continued to develop with my involvement as Junior VP with Business and Professional Women’s Club, which promoted equal wage and business opportunities for women, and as VP on the board of the Council of Canadians and the Moncton Arts Society.

 I am proud of all my achievements. Especially the work I did in partnership with my husband Pascal, who is running on my team for mayor. Witnessing the lack of representation in NB, we transformed two galleries together, created a space and opportunities for local Indigenous artists, and hosted over a dozen artist openings (vernissages). It was all about giving back, shinning the light on others, and promoting others. We collaborated with the Assembly of First Nations during their annual assembly hosted in Moncton. And then we organized the 1st National Indigenous Day in Moncton. Successfully, the event brought politicians, residents, local indigenous, and thousands together for a flag raising, march, and festivities all day long. 

 Our dedicated team has decades of experience in business, the arts and rights advocacy. Producing documentaries, organising events, working with grants and budgets - we bring a variety of knowledge to the table. We have the experience, skills and passion to bring positive change to Tahsis. We have researched other mill towns and can learn from their success; we have plenty of ideas and solutions that could easily be duplicated and implemented here.

 3. What is the one thing council could do to improve Tahsis the most? (As in what is your priority)

 To improve Tahsis, council needs to listen to the people – put residents first. Over the last seven years, I have observed our council make decisions, spend money and be complacent without ever consulting the residents. It is time to put the residents of Tahsis back into in the decision-making process.

 Our pledge and commitment:

We will focus our energy here, balance the budget, increase revenues, and we will not raise taxes. We will create initiatives, attract new businesses and jobs with incentives, create a “local first” policy, manage our own resources such as logging, and re-establish the Chamber of Commerce. We want to bring the residents back into the decision-making process plus give recognition and support to our vital local organisations such as the Hatchery, Literacy Society, Seniors Society, the Women’s Hospital Auxiliary and others.

 4. Any additional comments:

 Responsible spending, inclusiveness, fairness, transparency, consultations, giving a seat at the table, food security, sustainability, protect old growth, create local jobs by managing our own logging and wood salvage, protect the salmon, support businesses, increase tourism, bring back Chamber of Commerce, welcome new residents, attract new investments, outdoor shelters for picnics and performance stages, maintain our hiking trails, local first – hire local, nurture community spirit, increase communication, commercial greenhouses, bring more jobs, reduce red-tape, more arts & culture, create an art council, consult people, update wages, build genuine relationships with First Nations…

I am working with a great team: Pascal Pelletier, Mervyn Brown and Elena Puente. To show our commitment we vow to volunteer our time as mayor and councillors – without salary or payment. Instead, we plan to place these funds in a charitable trust to finance community projects that are much needed in Tahsis, benefiting all who live and visit here. This amount would be in excess of $100,000 over our four-year term.

All four of us care deeply for this community and see the potential of Tahsis. We have the vision, passion and joint ability to make significant changes.