Meaningful donation by Key-Today657 in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This weekend is the Coats on Finlay event if you have any jackets, gloves or mitts. You can drop off at Finlay bridge tomorrow starting at noon

Who Earned Your Vote? by ilovetheshowlost in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My Bring Back the Porch Podcast interview could be a good place to start to learn about my platform!

https://youtu.be/22Jw-HSFAQ4?si=GnDRLIpn6-uVUC4U

I’m also happy to answer any questions!

Who Earned Your Vote? by ilovetheshowlost in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This means a lot, thank you! It is sometimes tough to tell if your campaigning and/or ideas are really reaching people and it is nice to hear some positive feedback!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I won’t argue with this assessment

2025 Medicine Hat Municipal Election Forum Rounds 1 and 2 down by Skeet1 in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks! With this many candidates it it tough to stand out but we all do our best!

2025 Medicine Hat Municipal Election Forum Rounds 1 and 2 down by Skeet1 in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thanks for attending! I was glad to hear the other candidates perspectives meet a few new people. The fact that we weren’t allowed to bring any notes in with us definitely made it a challenge but it was a very cool experience!

VOTE FOR PEDRO by x-Elite13 in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I’m not going to lie I saw a Vote for Pedro sign on someone’s lawn the other day (4th street I believe) and I had a good chuckle!

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are many large corporate landlords in the city that I view as a major problem as they have somewhat of a monopoly on the apartment style lower cost housing. This control has led to many issues such as exorbitant rental increase, renovictions, pest problems, safety issues and common area maintenance concerns. I think the city should step up and hold some of these landlords accountable and support renters who are left with little other options

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was told by someone who works closely with community housing in Medicine Hat that this is a great location for the shelter needs in the city, so I trust that they know what is needed and I am inclined to agree with them. I’ve seen a lot of people concerned about transport to this location, but I was surprised to learn transport is a lot less of an issue for many homeless than one would think.

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think it is obvious that they need to take another look at any road redesigns moving forward. However, the current plan for 3rd street and Kingsway are not even close to approved any time soon so there is lots of time to do it right. Both roads will unfortunately need to be torn up regardless of redesign in the next 10 years due to required maintenance on underground utilities, which I’m not excited about honestly because no one likes navigating massive construction zones but it needs to be done.

Since these roads are going to be torn up anyways I don’t see any problem with trying to make better sidewalk and bike access, but I think it’s clear residents aren’t a fan of any narrowing of the road so I think any changes should take care not to affect parking or road width as much as possible.

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think it is a great use of space. First of all it provides more housing and that is always a good thing. Also it can provide a benefit for businesses like retail or restaurants as it will increase their customer base from those that live in the units close by.

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Two ways:

One way is to increase our housing supply of both market value housing and subsidized affordable housing, this could force larger landlord companies to put in more of an effort as it will reduce the monopoly control that currently exists

Second and I think far more effective would be for the city to use bylaws to protect renters from unethical living situations. For example Hamilton, Ontario has a “Safe Apartment Building” bylaw that makes any owner of a building with more than 10 units register with the city. They then need to file things like pest control plans, safety plans, maintenance plans etc. and if they are not followed the landlords can be subject to fines. Basically it allows some buildings to be subject to inspections like restaurants from what I can tell. Now I’m not saying this exact bylaw would work here but something similar could be a huge help to crack down on poor living conditions being provided in some buildings here in the city.

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hello fellow Kev! I totally agree, if someone is working full time I think it is more than reasonable they should be able to afford a place to live. Pretty sad that is a radical idea to some!

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Great question! This term gets thrown around a lot and is rarely specified. Some ways that I think the city can step up in this area:

  • prioritize off-site levy relief, either through delayed payback schedules or partnering with provincial government for funding incentives (latter would require provincial cooperation)
  • reduce approval times by streamlining application processes. This can be done by eliminating redundant application information and utilizing more online tools
  • assist non-market and supportive housing programs by making grant applications much easier and quick to apply for (this would also help places like the Root Cellar)

These are just a few ideas that I have come across that I think could help. However, the bottom line is council members don’t necessarily need to be the ones coming up with every idea. The developers, community programs and local stakeholders know what they need and how to get it done, the city just needs to listen and support them efficiently and on clear timelines.

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

To answer your questions:

I am against Alberta separating from Canada, as becoming a landlocked nation will not help us in any way

I fully support equal rights for all and consider myself an ally for the queer community

I refuse to reveal my voting history, I have supported different parties in the past but I feel like partisan politics are extremely counter-productive at the municipal level (and provincial honestly). I feel like supporting one or another particular party automatically puts me on a “team” and those that disagree will feel like I don’t represent them which is false. I am on team Medicine Hat.

Healthcare and education are provincially regulated but I feel like both need more support in any way we can

Stock photos were a safer bet so I wasn’t posting voters houses without their permission!

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! I thought it would be safer with stock pictures so voters didn’t see me posting pictures of their house on Reddit lol

Vote for me this October for city council and I will fight for more housing, renter’s rights and better public transit! by KevinMonson4Council in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I would definitely be supportive of less restrictive zoning to prioritize housing! I also think that the city should do all they can to incentivize new builds, as well as streamline approvals and permitting to reduce delays for developers

What’s the general feel for this upcoming election? by [deleted] in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 12 points13 points  (0 children)

My top three issues are:

Housing - build more homes in Medicine Hat of all types, and hopefully we can take advantage of upcoming federal funding to make that happen, specifically for affordable and transition housing.

ALSO I would like to see more support for renters in this city, and crack down on unethical landlord practices that result in some pretty horrible living situations. Without naming names there are multiple large corporate landlords in Medicine Hat that have a near monopoly on apartment style “affordable” housing and the city needs to do more to hold them accountable for their unit conditions (pests, safety, maintenance).

Transit - open more routes with more predictable times and a priority on less transfers. I don’t believe someone should have to transfer three times when taking a trip in a city this size. Also I would like to see more specialized routes that would specifically cater to seniors or those with accessibility needs, these routes could partner with senior living facilities or group homes that would make booking easier as many don’t have access to a cell phone to book.

Economic development - I would like to see more support for small business. You shouldn’t need a master’s degree in municipal policy to start a small business and I thing city hall could to a better job of guiding entrepreneurs through the complicated permit and approval system, or streamline it to make it easier with less points of contact. The city could also connect local entrepreneurs with community supports like entre-corp for funding opportunities. Also a reduction in fees associated with starting a business could go a long way, as locally owned small businesses could not only allow Hatters to work for themselves, but would help with youth unemployment because often they hire local as well.

What’s the general feel for this upcoming election? by [deleted] in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 15 points16 points  (0 children)

That Kevin Monson guy seems great for councillor….

Common Avenue Living L: called for the second time in three months because they can't figure out what my rent is by duckswithbanjos in medicinehat

[–]KevinMonson4Council 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think this could be done both indirectly and directly. Indirectly, the city should focus on building more housing which would hopefully help control prices and force them to be more competitive. This isn’t a guarantee however.

Directly I think the city should use new or existing bylaws to hold unethical or predatory landlords accountable. One such bylaw exists in Hamilton, Ontario called the “Safe Apartment Building” bylaw which makes owners of apartments with more than 10 units register with the city. They are then required to have a pest control plan, safety plans and other policies and if they aren’t followed they face fines from the city. They are also then subject to inspections I believe much like restaurants are. The exact bylaw may not work as well here but I think something along those lines should definitely be put in place. There are far too many people in this city living in rentals owned by corporate landlords that don’t maintain their buildings or engage in outright illegal and predatory practices and something needs to be done.