By TERRY PUGH

With 14 candidates vying for six Martensville City Council seats on November 13, the challenge for organizers of a civic election forum October 23 at the North Ridge Centennial Community Centre was finding a way to fit everyone on the stage and give voters an opportunity to see how the candidates stack up on key issues.

The Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce (PSCC) found a way. Moderator Jaycee Turtle kept the candidates on track with pointed questions prepared ahead of time. For their part, the candidates kept their answers concise and within their allotted time.

Two candidates, Shaun Sampson and Darren Reddekopp, were not able to attend the event. That left an even dozen electoral hopefuls on the bill. Two groups of six candidates each were given a minute to provide background on themselves and their reasons for seeking election. Three candidates in each group were asked to respond to a single question, and then the other three on stage at the time were given an opportunity to answer a different question. The format allowed all 12 candidates to provide their views on pressing issues.


Martensville City Council candidates (left to right) Bren Hannay, Stephen Ioannou and Mark Knox

Full background biographies of the candidates are available online at the City of Martensville website (www.martensville.ca) by clicking on ‘City Hall’ and then clicking on ‘Election 20-224.

The candidates running for city council include:

* Brad Blixt, a retired chartered accountant who has lived in Martensville for 38 years and has been active in many community organizations including the Martensville Community Access Centre, Martensville Minor Baseball and Martensville and District Kinsmen Club;

* Katharine Carter, a registered social worker and a co-founder of the Martensville Youth Connection who has lived in the community for 11 years; she served on the Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce as a director and on the Martensville Housing Authority Board.


Martensville City Council candidates (left to right) Darren MacDonald, Krista McCann and Logan McCorriston

* Tracy Cocks is a business owner in Martensville and a former board member of the Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce.

* Bren Hannay is an educator with the Prairie Spirit School Division who has lived in Martensville since 2008.

* Stephen Ioannou is an engineering and construction industry project manager who has lived in Martensville since 2022.

* Mark Knox is a former councillor and Reeve in the RM of Nipawin. He was a commercial honey producer in the Nipawin area for 34 years prior to moving to Martensville four years ago.

* Darren MacDonald is a lifelong resident of Martensville who was first elected to Martensville council in 2012. He holds a Canadian Investment Manager designation and works as an Associate Portfolio Manager and financial planner.

* Krista McCann is a chartered Insurance Professional and currently owns a boutique independent Insurance Adjusting Firm. She has served on the Martensville slow pitch association executive and is currently on the Venture Heights School community council.

* Logan McCorriston is 25 years old, and grew up in the Richmond Heights neighbourhood of Saskatoon. He has lived in Martensville since 2019. His top priority is ensuring safety in the community

* Spencer Nikkel was first elected to council in 2020. He works as a program manager and post-secondary instructor with a background din technology and finance. He said over the next four years priorities include planning for the growth of the city on both sides of the highway, finalizing the water and wastewater projects and determining what the future of policing in Martensville will look like.

* Douglas O’Hara is a journeyman plumber and foreman with an area firm, and has lived in Martensville for the last seven years. He was among the tradespeople working on the recently-opened Martensville Recreation Centre. He is active in community organizations and a volunteer with the Martensville Community Recreation project.

* Derek Reddekopp is a business owner who has lived in Martensville for 13 years. He also holds an agricultural business certificate and has completed an associate degree in divinity.

* Shawn Sampson is an accountant who has a background in agriculture, and has lived in Martensville since 2019. He is involved in community organizations.

* Matthew Stavenow is an electrician and electrical engineer technologist  who has worked on many large construction projects.

  In response to a question on ways to improve quality of life in Martensville, Tracy Cocks said she’d like to see increased emphasis on police services and enforcement, noting vandalism and theft are areas of concern.  She also suggested improved street lighting is needed. Brad Blixt said with limited revenue streams available to the city and costs going up, there is a need to expand the commercial tax base to ease the burden on residential properties. He added that a pedestrian overpass is needed over Highway 12. Katharine Carter suggested a better system of snow removal; and said there is a need for more seniors housing in the community.

Bren Hannay said improved communication and engagement between the police service and the community is needed. Stephen Ioannou said there is a need to ensure funding is provided to the police as the city’s population expands to the 15,000 threshold. Mark Knox said the community needs to be involved in assisting the police do their job, which necessitates improved communication and engagement.

Logan McCorriston said Martensville’s proximity to Saskatoon is an advantage, and suggested targeting certain types[of businesses to invest in Martensville.

Darren MacDonald said the city already has a generous tax incentive program for businesses, and suggested showcasing businesses that have invested in Martensville is one way to attract additional investment.

Krista McCann said additional safety measures such as four-way stop signs at key intersections are needed. She added that many events in Martensville that are not put on by the city need to be better advertised.

Spencer Nikkel said the current tax abatement system in Martensville is on a par with neighbouring municipalities, and noted the new recreation centre has the potential to attract additional businesses and become a true destination for major events, particularly since it is only the second fulll-size indoor soccer turf facility in Saskatchewan.

Matthew Stavenow said the city’s resources should be employed in the most efficient manner when it comes to repairing infrastructure like roads.