Ron Greenlaw: Bio
My name is Ron Greenlaw and I am a candidate, for the first time, for RDCK Area D director.
My family has lived, worked and raised their children in the Lardeau Valley for four generations.
The skills I have gained by owning and operating two small businesses, working in the tourism industry, and growing up in this area, I feel will help me understand the diverseness we have in Area D and be able to provide assistance to our residents in a progressive manner.
I have owned and operated a snow cat skiing operation as well as a small excavating company and currently work for BC Hydro at the Duncan Dam.
This area is my home and I want to have the opportunity to help it grow and prosper for the benefit of all residents.
As director for Area D, I will be the voice at the Regional District of Central Kootenay and in the community.
Top 3 issues
My top three issues are: employment, security for our retired and senior population, and basing a relationship with all the different groups within Area D based on honesty and trust.
1. Building trusting relationships. We need to grow strong communities with solid basic services — health care, education, clean drinking water, waste management, safe roads and a respect for the environment. Once these needs are met, we need to keep further regulations and laws to a minimum.
We have to trust our neighbours to decide the direction of their communities, while helping them along with a progressive attitude.
We have to make sure that when we are talking about things like a new fire hall or moving the transfer station that we provide clear costs to our residents: the construction costs for these facilities as well as the long-term maintenance costs. Then our residents can trust that they will be able to make an informed choice of whether we can afford these changes or not.
2. Employment. The list of local residents in Area D who have had to leave their homes in order to find work is getting longer and longer, and it hurts our communities. Let’s work together to find innovative ways to create local opportunities for local residents. We need to create an environment where entrepreneurs have the support to start new businesses. By creating local jobs, more of our residents would have the opportunity to be employed locally. This would boost our tax base and ensure that our schools, hospitals, recreational facilities and local businesses thrive.
3. Seniors/Retirees. Our communities are not only made up of young families and working people, we also have an important integral population base of retired and senior residents. These friends and neighbours deserve our respect and care. We have to be able to provide them a lifestyle that they can afford on their fixed income which still gives them access to the things they need like health care and housing — whether that’s assisted living or independent. We need to think how tax increases will affect these residents and talk to them to find out what their particular needs are and how we can either implement them or improve on what we already have in place.