ROB MURRAY: I’m speaking with Brian Standish, who’s running for the job of Mayor of Banff in the upcoming municipal election. Tell us a little bit about your background and your related experience for the job.

BRIAN STANDISH: I have 11 years on council. Before that I was volunteering for a number of boards and committees, so I’ve been really involved in town politics since incorporation.

RM: You’ve run in a number of elections for council. Why did you want to go for mayor this time?

BS: I’m motivated to run for mayor because I see it as a combination of those years of experience that I’ve put in. This is really the next stepping stone for me to fulfill my political career.

RM: What’s one of the top issues that you’re really passionate about, and maybe some ideas that you have around it?

BS: There’s three areas that we need to focus on in the next four years. That would be economic recovery, community wellness, and environmental awareness. Let’s start with economic recovery. We know that Banff is solely dependent on tourism. It’s our major economic driver. Over the last 18 months, the tourism industry has taken a huge hit. There are some businesses in Banff that have been closed more than they’ve been open. It’s really important for the town to not only help businesses, but to really watch our spending in the next four years.

Environmental awareness – because we live in a National Park, it’s our duty to be stewards of the environment. Everyone has to have environmental awareness, and that starts with every single citizen. It goes from the micro level to the macro level. We have grassroots foundations like Banff Isn’t Disposable right up to electric buses. There’s a wide variety of initiatives that we need to keep going forward.

The third one is community wellbeing. The residents in Banff have taken a back seat to our visitors over the last four or five years, and I want to focus on putting back efforts into our residents. We should be able to have a healthy and vital community where residents enjoy high quality of life. That will be my top priority.

RM: Looking back on Council over the last four years, what’s one initiative or issue that you’re really proud of?

BS: The one I’m most proud of would be Roam Transit. Despite the pandemic over the last 18 months, Roam has continued to strive to meet all our goals. We’re the envy of a lot of small communities across Canada with a service that stretches from the ID9 right to Canmore. Being the chair of the commission, I’m especially proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.

RM: What about an issue that, in hindsight, you wished that there was a different outcome or Council could have tackled more effectively?

BS: Congestion. We’ve made some big strides with the intercept parking lot, but I believe we can do more. Mass transportation, I believe, is the way to go, and we need to keep pushing forward on that.

RM: If elected, how would you stay engaged with the people in the community?

BS: As mayor, you have a duty to be available. I pride myself on being able to listen. My door would always be open. People can reach me by phone and by email. I would certainly be available to all the citizens of Banff.

RM: What’s another plank in your platform that you might like to discuss that we haven’t really touched on already?

BS: I’ve touched on it a little bit – sustainable transportation. Again, I think mass transit is the way of the future. We don’t have a people problem. We have a vehicle problem. What we need to do is get people to the Bow Valley in a sustainable way. I believe that’s through mass transit, either train or bus, but we definitely need to focus on mass transportation.

RM: Where can people find out more information about you?

BS: Visit my website, and there you’ll see links to my email address as well as my phone number.

RM: Why should people vote for you to be the next mayor?

BS: I have a vision. I envision Banff as a model environmental community where we continue to create a sense of place with our partners through a balance of sustainable development and tourism. That sums up my platform in one sentence.

Filed under: Banff, Municipal Election