YORKTON – The 2024 Municipal Election set for Nov. 13 will see the public cast their votes with two mayoral candidates and 10 councillors to choose from.
SaskToday.ca reached out to each candidate with a set of questions to help inform the public of who they're voting for.
Aaron Kienle, Candidate for Mayor
First, a brief history of your time in the city. How long have you been here, work experience, political experience, etc.
I have been a proud resident of Yorkton for 25 years, moving to the city at the age of 17. I was raised about 100km northwest of Yorkton by a preacher and a homemaker, I am the eldest of eight children. Yorkton was always the “going to the city” destination and I knew I wanted to move here someday. After moving to Yorkton it wasn’t long before I met my wife Carrie, to whom I've been married for 24 years. In the last 20 years we’ve successfully opened, acquired and operated many small businesses in Yorkton, and employed many local residents. Together, we are the proud parents of three children.
Regarding political experience, I served diligently on Yorkton’s City Council from 2016 to 2020. For a number of years I sat on many committees including, Protective Services Committee, Economic Development Committee, Environmental Committee, Gallagher Centre Management Board, Planning & Infrastructure Committee, Property Standards Appeal Board and Yorkton Housing Board.
Why do you feel you're qualified to represent the public on City Council?
During my time on Council from 2016 to 2020 I tried to quickly become well-versed in municipal governance. I attended every annual Municipalities of Saskatchewan convention, participated in SUMA Summer School, and completed several Municipal Leadership Development Programs, earning a certificate in Municipal Roles and Responsibilities. My dedication was reflected in my near-perfect attendance record, having missed only one Council meeting during the four years of service.
What issues do you feel are the most pressing for the city?
While there are several issues on the minds of voters, one of the most pressing is how we spend and prioritize our resources. In these challenging economic times, residents want to see fiscal responsibility and transparency—they need to know that their tax dollars are being allocated wisely and that we are getting the best value for the community.
At the same time, we can’t ignore the growing concerns around public safety, houselessness, addiction, and mental health. These issues come up often in conversations. Addressing them effectively will require collaboration with provincial partners, non-profits, and local organizations to make sure our community stays safe, healthy, and vibrant.
Ultimately though, the most pressing issue is finding the right balance—investing in what matters most to residents while managing our finances carefully, so we continue to grow without putting additional strain on taxpayers.
How would you plan to address these issues?
With regard to fiscal responsibility and finances there are certainly many opportunities to review budgets, projects and decisions that affect the City’s finances. I will bring my over 20 years of experience in being a small business owner where you constantly review your finances, budgets, projections, new ideas, staffing levels and any other ways to find efficiencies.
Regarding houselessness and public safety, the recent initiative spoken about in the media by Yorkton Protective Fire Services Chief Trevor Morrisey, has sparked a great conversation within the community. This will be something that will certainly be a focus and on Council's mind the upcoming term. In the next question the matter comes up again and it is mentioned correctly that this is largely a provincial government matter. And because of that there will need to be frequent communication and collaboration with our provincial partners as we work towards solutions.
In Yorkton we're experiencing concerns with homelessness, drug abuse, mental health and crime. Though separate issues they're often intertwined and something that falls on the shoulders of the provincial government. What steps would you, as a city councillor, take to ensure a closer working relationship with the provincial government so that a meaningful impact on these issues can be made? What work or education do you have that qualifies your answer?
This matter certainly hits home to myself as well as nearly all of us who know someone who has struggles with mental health and/or addiction. A lot of this does fall on the responsibility of the provincial government, but locally, as a community, we can continue to do things. As a municipal government we surely need to advocate and participate in discussions that lead to more help and solutions for this vulnerable population. A very good committee I served on in Yorkton in the past was centred around Harm Reduction. The education I garnered from that has been helpful ever since and I certainly look for more ways to better understand this growing concern.
What would you do to improve on transparency to maintain the public's trust in their municipal government?
This is certainly a concern and always will be. Obviously, in an organization as large as The City of Yorkton there are going to always be private matters that relate to private employee information and preliminary projects being discussed. But we need to be aware that the public wants and deserves to be privy to all matters in which we are allowed to have out in the open.
I think the city has really improved communication with residents through the Voyent Alert System and ShapeYourCity.Yorkton.ca, a website that is seeking resident feedback on projects. During one of my early SUMA Conferences as a Councillor I brought back information to the city from the company that created this website. I was proud to see this tool finally implemented.
