November 12, 2009
Fielding anxious to undertake newest challenge
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By Trevor Suffield
Nov. 12, 2009 |
When St. James-Brooklands Coun. Scott Fielding was first elected in 2006, he had no idea how quick his stock would rise at city hall.
After stints as the chair of the economic opportunity commission and the standing policy committee on property and development and serving on Mayor Sam Katz’s executive policy committee, Fielding was recently named to one of city hall’s most high profile positions as the finance committee chairman, succeeding St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel.
Fielding sat down with Metro reporter Trevor Suffield to discuss his thoughts on another property tax freeze, how his new position will affect his riding and, more importantly, what impact it could have on his children.
Q: Do you feel any pressure taking on this new position?
A: I wouldn’t say that I feel pressure, there are some challenges, but I feel energized to do this. There are some things that I’m really passionate about in making sure we’re managing the city properly and that we’re efficient.
Q: What are your thoughts on a property tax freeze?
A: A big priority is maintaining our property tax freeze, which is important to me and important to the mayor. Winnipeg has had a property tax freeze for about 12 years or so, and I think overall we’ve done a very good job. In the 90s, we were way above what other cities were doing in terms of municipal tax bills, so you were paying way more in Winnipeg than you would in Toronto. With the freezing, we’ve actually caught up with most cities. The problem is when you put in municipal taxes with school taxes together we’re still not as competitive as we should be. From a property tax point of view really what it does is it makes you more competitive as a city, in terms of driving people in, and it’s also ensuring that you’re efficient in terms of the services that you’re delivering.
Q: How can you balance the needs of the people with the needs of the city?
A: I think you’ve got to listen to what people are saying and what they’re telling you when you’re going to the soccer game or the community club. They’re talking about crime, they’re talking about the infrastructure deficit, about spending their money more wisely and about maintaining a competitive tax environment. These are things that I hear all the time, and I think it’s important to listen to the people in your communities as opposed to the inside chattering here at city hall.
Q: How will your new position impact the people of St. James?
A: When you are making decisions on finances and where the city is making money, obviously I know the issues that impact St. James, like CentrePort. I understand how those issues are very important. I understand how crime really impacts not only the downtown, but also the suburbs, and you draw on those experiences that you take from living in those communities and you are able to have more of an impact on financial decisions. At the end of the day, we have to make decisions that affect the city as a whole, as opposed to St. James, so we take into account more, but you are in-tune with those issues. It’s an interesting vantage point.
Q: Finally, you’re in charge of the city purse strings; will this have an impact how you handle your children’s allowances at home?
A: (Laughing) We’ll have to be as stringent with their allowances as we are at city hall, and there will have to be some business plans for an increase in their allowance.
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