Harlow berm and Medicine Hat’s flood protection strategy

The Harlow berm Phase 2A/B is one of the last projects from the previous council's ambitious flood protection strategy. I voted against Phase 2A/B because $2.2 million to protect 13 homes did not meet my standard for a reasonable cost to benefit ratio. The neighbourhood is also split over it because the flood protection comes at the expense of the trees bordering private homes. Here are the issues.

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Medicine Hat politics, Economy Kris Samraj Medicine Hat politics, Economy Kris Samraj

Police Union: Collective Bargaining

There are few issues more polarizing than union wages, but my job is to have difficult conversations. Here's why I voted against the 2017-2020 police collective bargaining agreement.

There's no question police have a tough job. I want local police to feel valued, but surely there are creative ways to improve their working conditions other than paying wages on par with Canada's largest cities.

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Social disorder Kris Samraj Social disorder Kris Samraj

Modern policing and a new first responder

Every incident of police brutality is a tragedy. But the causes of police misconduct is not only due to the personal moral failings of a few officers. Cities everywhere are increasingly asking police to respond to calls they were not designed to respond to. Police today respond to significant numbers of mental health and social disorder calls. This places police in difficult situations where the cost of a mistake is high. We need a new social-service first responder who can respond to low priority social disorder and mental health calls.

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