Town meet and greet with area MP

By Sabrina Kooistra - Times Contributor

Member of Parliament Martin Shields of the Bow River Constituency hosted a meet and greet on Sept. 11 to discuss ongoing and upcoming issues at the federal level.
Joining him at the event held at Strathmore’s town hall were Greg Gougeon, legislative assistant in Shields’ Ottawa office and Andrea Hook, constituency and outreach assistant in his Strathmore office.
Strathmore town councillors Denise Peterson, Lorraine Bauer and Bob Sobol, as well as Mayor Pat Fule were in attendance.
Although only four citizens were present, each brought concerns of varying topics. Federal issues such as next month’s marijuana legalization, and immigration and refugee vetting, to local concerns such as infrastructure critiques and questions about recycling and composting effectively and economically, were offered. Despite anxieties over slow growth, some expressed hopefulness in Strathmore’s recent develpments.
The following topics related to growth surfaced in conversations between constituents and local leaders during the evening: a recent increase in the number of services available, such as medical professionals, downtown renovations, and the opening of novel small businesses such as Origin Malting and Brewing Company and Tasty Candy Soda & Ice Cream.
“We’ve had good support from people like Martin (Shields) coming in,” said Fule.
As part of his mission to keep an intimate relationship with the 60 communities he serves, Shields spent the summer knocking on a total of 2,500 doors throughout the constituency. Although most constituents choose email and letter correspondence, Shields said his staff tries to find ways to talk to people face-to-face.
An event similar in nature was held earlier this month in Chestermere as part of Shields’ commitment to this goal. In order to ensure they hear the concerns of constituents, Shields and his team use a variety of mechanisms by which to reach out to people, such as an active presence on social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, and attending various community events such as barbecues and parades.
“It gives different people a chance to talk to different people … and find out what’s important to them,” said Shields.
While attendance numbers were low at last Tuesday’s meet and greet, those present said it was an optimal way to meet with political leaders, by spending time discussing issues without the obstacles and wait times of emails and letters or even crowds and lineups at busier events.
When discussing the nature of the event and various qualms presented during the evening, Fule and Shields expressed their agreement in respect to the symbiotic relationship that has been maintained between Strathmore’s town council and Shields and his teams.
“It’s great to work with the Town of Strathmore and have an open house here with them,” Shields said.