Teresa May says Kelowna's recovery system is broken without proper transitional homes
At the KelownaNow all-candidates forum, Teresa May said people finish addiction treatment in Kelowna and land back on the street because transitional housing isn't there. Her answers on recovery, housing approvals, spending and what she would admit not knowing.
KelownaNow covered Teresa’s answers at Saturday’s all-candidates forum at the Kelowna Event Centre, where every candidate took questions from moderator Renee Merrifield based on their written questionnaire. Read the full story at KelownaNow, or watch the forum. Teresa’s segment starts at 1:00:08.
On recovery and the gap nobody is funding
Asked who would gather the data she wants on what actually moves people from the street into treatment and housing, and what council could do with it when most of those services are provincial, Teresa pointed at the gap she keeps hearing about:
“From the experience and the stories that I’ve heard, I understand that we have a broken system.”
People complete 30 days of recovery and come out clean, she said, “but then they end up on the streets again because there is no transitional homes that are proper that are set up for them to use.” Her answer is for the city to advocate to the province for a direct pathway through recovery, so people come out the other side able to contribute.
In her questionnaire she put it as a structure rather than a slogan: a coordinated public safety and recovery strategy that brings the city, RCMP, Interior Health, outreach organizations and recovery providers “to one table, with clear responsibilities and measurable outcomes.” She also wrote that her own view has changed over the campaign, and that “compassion without accountability isn’t enough.”
On housing, approvals and what actually sets the price
Asked for one thing she would do to make housing more attainable, she started from what she knows:
“Well, I have built homes.”
Shorten the approval procedures, she said, and look hard at fees. “The developers may have to pay the fees at the time, but in the end it gets passed down, and that’s what makes a home not so affordable.”
On the timeline for a review of the development approval process, her answer was short: “Everything needs to be accountable.” If council sets a timeline, it should be followed through.
On spending
She would not pretend to know which line items come first in a review of discretionary spending. It depends on the priority, she said, and then she said the thing most candidates will not say out loud eleven days before a vote:
“I can admit I’m not going to walk in there to city council and know exactly what I’m doing. I will admit that there will be a learning curve, but I’m willing to learn, I’m a quick learner.”
Her questionnaire holds the same line in writing: “I’m not afraid to ask questions, admit when I don’t know something, and do the work to find the answer. I don’t believe leadership means having all the answers.”
The standard she sets for a budget is one question. “Every major expenditure should answer a simple question: what measurable value are residents receiving?”
On twenty years from now
Asked what her grandchildren’s Kelowna looks like in twenty years if she gets this right, she talked about the young people being priced out of the province and the families that get split apart by it. She wants them to have homes and jobs here, and a city that makes room for young entrepreneurs and professionals.
Her introduction, for anyone who has only seen the video: she is a former teacher, a published author, a volunteer, and someone who has built businesses and homes. Her grandchildren call her TeaMa.
“I know every promise has a price tag. You may have seen me wake surfing in heels. That takes balance and a willingness to get back up.”
Voting day is Saturday, October 17. Advance voting is open October 14, 15 and 16. Make your plan to vote.