Submitted questionnaire

Doris Maria Bregolisse

REALTOR

This is the candidate’s public questionnaire. It is not a ForChange recommendation. The committee’s recommended candidates are published on the Candidates page.

  1. 01 · Why are you running for Kelowna City Council?

    I am running for Kelowna City Council because I love Kelowna. I have loved raising my family here. I have loved working here. Unfortunately, the challenges we continue to face in Kelowna are great. They are the same challenges seen around North America. I see these challenges as opportunities in work clothes and I'm ready to dig in. My plan to run for council was delayed this year when my husband died suddenly in May. On the eve of the deadline to submit nomination papers to the City Clerk, I had to choose: do I stay in grief and wait another four years to run for office or do I stay resilient and carry my grief on the path I intended to take? I have chosen to stay resilient. If elected, I will be the voice my community hears to remind them to stay resilient too.

  2. 02 · Issue #1: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

    Safety: it is a human right to feel safe. It is a privilege to live in a country that has high safety standards but it is not enough to simply reflect on how bad others may have it in comparison. We need to better protect our community by increasing law enforcement for a time. Illicit drug use, theft and trespass are crimes that can be punishable by law. Until the courts and corrections facilities are properly administered and used to their fullness, we should be organizing efforts to pressure the Provincial Government, Attorney General and Health Minister to do their jobs. Mental health and addiction counselling must be mandatory before offenders are released from their criminal sentences.
    Roadside bike path expansion must be curtailed until proper safety studies are complete. Drivers and cyclist are at risk and the money spent on so-called green initiatives is having a negative effect.

  3. 03 · Issue #2: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

    Water resources must be expanded. As we continually face drought in the face of climate change, we must explore further resources to provide confidence for our agriculture community, residents and businesses. Agriculture must be a priority for water. Water use must be better managed by the whole community.

  4. 04 · Issue #3: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

    Economic stimulation must be expanded. The community has the highest unemployment rate in the country! Further to council's plan to explore their own economic development office, the Mayor and Council should be actively soliciting business interests to move their operations to Kelowna. Expansion sites for these potential businesses must be explored and directly marketed across the world. Kelowna needs more well-paying jobs to give families more hope of being able to stay in the community they also love.

  5. 05 · What experience, skills, and community involvement do you bring to the role?

    I'm an active community member who is always looking to make Kelowna a better place. My efforts took on a larger scale when I was a journalist - with CKIQ Radio, The Kelowna Daily Kelowna and Global Okanagan (CHBC News). In recent years, after retiring from journalism, I took up real estate and volunteering. As a REALTOR, I make an impact on the community in great ways with my advice, professionalism and direction for families, seniors, individuals and business owners. As a volunteer, I have had impact in direct circles in our community: I was a selected community ambassador for the United Way and the Heart & Stroke Foundation, I sat on the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers board of directors, I organized cultural events for my heritage community, I am Liturgy Chairperson, at my church, VP of the Catholic Women's League and teacher for youth ages 8-12. I often voluntarily cook for large parish events, including making chilli for a group of 60 who will be building beds for the cold-weather shelters in Kelowna on September 19th. Food is my love language and I volunteer my talents to ensure my community feels loved.

  6. 06 · How will you approach council decisions when priorities compete for limited resources?

    I approach decisions through research, consultation and making direct choices. Foremost, we must learn to better use the hundreds of millions of dollars at our discretion. Fail to plan? Plan to fail. Kelowna City Council has tried many approaches for solving local problems - sometimes we must stay the course, and other times we must preserve resources and change directions. Kelowna has a community full of knowledgeable, educated and worldly individuals and their ideas for change need to be considered as well.

  7. 07 · How do you work with people who see an issue differently than you?

    I communicate from a place of curiosity. I inquire about people's beliefs and try and understand their points of view. I offer my views and also offer how they took shape for me. Each person has a different lived experience that has given them unique knowledge of the world around us. If it is my job to vote based on my knowledge and understanding of an issue, I will do my job. I understand that my decisions, and the decisions of council as a whole, will not make everyone happy. The community votes for council memebers to take on this job.

  8. 08 · What else should voters know about you?

    My parents were refugees from war and political persecution. They taught me from an early age that there is tremendous privilege to be able to live in a democracy. When I told my 90-year-old father I was running for City Council, he said, "This is the most important thing you have done in your life." I won't take this opportunity to run for council for granted.

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