Submitted questionnaire

Crystal Catherine Dawn Dougan

Owner of The Little Hobo Soup & Sandwich Shop

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'm running for City Council because I care deeply about Kelowna and the people who call it home. For 25 years, I've had the privilege of serving people in this community as a social worker, a small business owner, and someone who has spent a lot of time listening to what matters in our community. For the last 15 years at the Little Hobo, people have come through our doors for a meal, but they've also shared their lives with us...their successes, struggles, worries about their families, businesses, and changes in our city. Customers have become friends, and many like family. I don't just want to listen from behind the counter anymore. I want to take those voices with me to City Hall. Social work taught me compassion, and accountability. Running a small business taught me hard work, responsibility and the importance of practical solutions. I believe good decisions come through active listening and collaboration. I don't pretend to have all the answers. I will ask questions, do the work and listen to understand not simply to respond. Kelowna has given me so much. I believe it's time for me to give something more back, and I'll work hard to make Kelowna proud.

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

   Homelessness, mental health, addiction and social disorder are often interconnected. My social work experience taught me that without housing, food, safety and stability, it is difficult for people in crisis to create lasting change. We must address the underlying needs of struggling individuals while holding people accountable for disorderly behavior, while maintaining safe, welcoming public spaces and transit. As a councilor, I would strengthen relationships between the City, health providers, housing organizations, law enforcement, and community.

   hen collaboration between the city, health providers ,first nations, housing organizations, community agencies, and business associations , and not for profit & charities. I would advocate to the province for treatment centers ,mental health services, supportive housing and wrap around services.

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

   Kelowna is growing, and with that growth comes the challenge of ensuring the people who work, raise families and retire here can still afford to live here. We need a range of housing options that reflect different incomes, ages and stages of life, while ensuring infrastructure and services keep pace. As a councilor, I would support thoughtful housing development, work toward timely and predictable City approvals without compromising proper review, and listen to residents about how growth affects their neighborhoods. Council can influence housing through zoning, land use decisions, development approvals and infrastructure planning. I would make sure decisions about new housing also consider the roads, transit, utilities and services that growing neighborhoods need. Growth should make Kelowna a better place to live, not just a bigger one.

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

   Small businesses are an important part of Kelowna's economy and the character of our community. After 15 years running a downtown business, I understand firsthand the pressures local businesses face, from rising costs and staffing challenges to construction, accessibility, and concerns about safety. As a Councilor, I would push for early communication with businesses when City projects may affect them, look for practical ways to simplify City processes and consider the impact on businesses when making transportation and public space decisions. Council can influence economic vitality through taxation, fees, permitting, infrastructure and how public spaces are managed. I would work with businesses and community partners to keep commercial areas safe, welcoming and accessible, and make Kelowna a place where businesses can invest, create jobs, and succeed.

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

   My experience has put me across the table from people facing very different challenges, and taught me that listening is often where good solutions begin. As a social worker with Arc Programs, I worked with high risk youth and families across the Okanagan, including homeless youth. I helped young people find housing, connect with supports, navigate systems and advocated on their behalf. That work taught me to look beyond the immediate problem, understand different perspectives and work toward practical solutions. For fifteen years, I have operated Little Hobo Soup & Sandwich Shop in downtown Kelowna. Small business has taught me resilience, financial responsibility, problem solving and how to make difficult decisions. As an Executive Board member of the Downtown Kelowna Association, I work with business and community leaders toward shared solutions. Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It is about asking good questions, listening to understand, considering different viewpoints and being willing to make a decision. I would bring that approach, a strong work ethic and a commitment to follow through to City Council.

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

   Council will always have more needs than available resources, and I think we have to be honest about that. I would start by asking what is essential, what will have the greatest benefit to residents, and what the long term cost will be if we act or if we don't. Public safety, core services and infrastructure must be protected, while other priorities need to be carefully weighed against their cost and impact. I would listen to residents, ask questions and rely on the knowledge of City staff and community partners before making a decision. I would also look for opportunities to work with other levels of government or community organizations to find solutions and share costs where possible. Not every good idea can happen at once. Sometimes that means saying not yet, finding a more affordable way to do something, or saying no. I would make those decisions based on what is needed, what taxpayers can reasonably afford and what is best for Kelowna in the long run. And I believe residents deserve to understand how and why those decisions were made.

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

   My years as a social worker taught me the importance of really listening to people. Empathic listening meant trying to understand what someone was saying, where they where coming from and sometimes what was behind the words they were saying. That experience has stayed with me. When someone sees an issue differently than I do, my first reaction isn't to convince them I'm right. I want to understand why they see it differently. I will ask questions, listen to their concerns and look for where we may have common ground. I am also open to changing my mind. If someone gives me information i didn't have or helps me see something from a different point of view, I have a responsibility to consider it. To me, that isn't backing down; it's being willing to learn. Sometimes we will listen to one another and still disagree, and that's okay. I can respect someone without agreeing with them. I can explain why I made a decision and still sit down with that same person the next day and work together. Disagreement doesn't have to become personal. At the Council table, I would listen to understand, treat people with respect and keep the focus on what is best for Kelowna.

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

   I think what I would most like voters to know is that the person they see during this campaign is the same person I will be if I am elected. I am a mom of three daughters a grandma of two, and I was a single mom for part of my life. I am fortunate to share my life and business with my partner, Stephen, who has been beside me through much of this journey. I have worked in social services, built a small business and spent many years talking with people from all walks of life across the counter. Life has taught me to work hard, laugh when I can, admit when I am wrong, and keep going when things don't go according to plan. I am not running because I think I have all the answers. I am running because I care about Kelowna and believe I have something worthwhile to contribute. I am approachable, I ask questions and I don't need to be the loudest person in the room, but I will speak up when it matters. If I earn the opportunity to serve, I won't become a different person when I walk into City Hall. I will bring the same values I have tried to live by: listening, caring, working hard, treating people with respect and following through on what I say I will do.

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