Candidate Interview: Alnoor Kassam

By Katy Anderson

<1. What do you think the big issues in this election are?
2. How are you planning to address the city’s crime problem?
3. What can the city do to ease the crunch on affordable housing?
4. What transportation infrastructure need would you address first?
5. What separates you from the other candidates?

1. Crime, affordable housing, and transparency and accountability. I think affordable housing is one of the biggest issues. I want to make sure that when I’m mayor, I approve secondary suites. Legalize secondary suites. We have a housing crisis in Calgary, and we need to do that. There is just too much traffic in Calgary, and I suggest we invest more in public transportation, the C-Train and buses. Add one more car to the trains to make them four car trains to increase capacity.

As far as crime is concerned. We need to ensure that our police officers are motivated. They have revenue targets, informal and formal; make sure police officers can just deal with crime.

2. Well we need more police officers on the street and to motivate police officers to stay on the force and to recruit. The government has been there for 6 years, and we’re still 150 police officers short. So whatever he’s doing, it isn’t working.

3. Secondary suites is the first issue we need to deal with. We approve secondary suites, that will increase the supply, and reduce the problem. The other thing we need to do, for students in particular, is make sure that the university doesn’t have to pay property taxes on residences. That will leave about $300,000 more for the university to use for student housing, for cutting fees, etc.

4. Transit is the most critical. The current mayor has been investing in roads, roads, roads. We’d still invest in roads, but the majority of money we will receive from the province will go to the C-Train, bus, and rapid bus transit.

5. I’m a businessman, and I’m signing a contract with Calgarians saying what I’m going to do. I’m not a politician who makes promises and then changes them. I’m not a career politician, and that’s the difference with me.

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