Miyashiro, Nenshi feeling optimistic about campaign
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on November 30, 2024.
Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi, alongside Lethbridge West MLA candidate Rob Miyashiro, speaks to reporters about the upcoming byelection, on Friday at Miyashiro's campaign office.LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com
As the byelection for Lethbridge West MLA quickly approaches, NDP candidate Rob Miyashiro talked to media about his campaign in the company of Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi on Friday.
 “Campaign is going great. Our signs are up all over the Lethbridge-West constituency. There is a sea of orange and we’re excited about the next few weeks of this election,” said Miyashiro.
 At just 19 days way from Election Day Miyashiro’s campaign has distributed 1,300 lawn signs and over 100 large signs for people to place on their yards to show their support for the NDP candidate.
 Miyashiro said that part of his campaign efforts has been focused on getting his supporters to vote as soon as the advanced voting stations open and to avoid waiting until the last minute to vote.
 When asked about the tabulators’ ban and how that may impact the byelection Miyashiro said the provincial government did something nobody asked for when they decided to ban them.
 “They’re feeding into conspiracy theories about voting machines. These aren’t voting machines, these are tabulators. You don’t do the voting on the machine, you do the voting on a card, you put the card into the machine and it counts them,” said Miyashiro.
 He said it is going to take a lot longer for them to finish doing the count now and the city just announced yesterday that it’s going to cost twice as much to run the municipal election.
 Miyashiro added that for the next municipal election it might take five to 10 times longer for them to get the results to the public in Lethbridge, because they have to work in teams to hand count everything.
 “It’s something that this provincial government is doing to make life more difficult for people in Lethbridge and no one asked for this,” said Miyashiro.
 To this, Nenshi said that if the NDP was to be in government next election there is very little of Bill 20 if anything at all they would keep.
 “I’m not sure any of it should be kept. It doesn’t respect local elected officials or the fact that they were elected and that they should be able to make decisions about their elections. So absolutely we will return power back to the municipalities should we form government,” said Nenshi.
 When talking about the upcoming byelection, Nenshi said that due to the Canada Post strike residents of Lethbridge-West will not be receiving their voter’s card, but he wanted to remind everyone that they will not need them to be able to vote.
 “Don’t worry, you don’t need the card, but you can go to Elections Alberta website or over to NDP website, plug in your address and figure out where you can vote,” said Nenshi.
 With the recent recommendation made by city administration to city council on Wednesday about a 2.24 per cent increase in property taxes to pay 2025’s $4.1 million Lethbridge and District Exhibition operating costs, when asked how he would advocate for Lethbridge West residents in the matter if elected, Miyashiro said there is something residents need to understand first.
 “Municipalities are not allowed to run a deficit and I think people need to understand the position that they are in right now. They need to make some hard decisions about how they’re going to continue with the operation of the Lethbridge Exhibition and balance that out with how they’re going to come up with the funds to continue to do that,” said Miyashiro.
 He said the solution is not that the Provincial government steps in and provide a bunch of money, because then they run the risk of doing that for every municipality that has any kind of financial issue.
“I think that what the municipal government here is doing is that they’re looking at several options and hopefully the best one will be an outcome that we can all live with. And if it’s an increase in property taxes, they have to pay it too,” said Miyashiro.
19-18
Yes, they pay it too, lol. They establish their own pay rates for one. Second a majority of city employees just got 11% over 4 years. That’s a smart alec attitude comment. Nenshi doesn’t have a seat and no other NDP’er is giving up their seat as it appears they may be hanging on to do the Singh thing, riding out a pension date. It is always the same with the NDP, health care, suck it up and raise taxes, education, and union jobs, zero solutions on how to raise capital to pay for it. Raise taxes or borrow it. Now he is pretending to be fiscally responsible when he knows he doesn’t have to be. Can he vote in the west Lethbridge riding?? He, like I, live in Lethbridge East. I am not eligible. If the PO wasn’t on strike and Nenshi got his “voting card in the mail” idea, would Miyashiro get a card???? Would I get a card???
The LDE is the perfect example of why municipal candidates should have to declare a party affiliation before running and elected. Would be interesting to see what Miyashiro’s affiliation at the time of the approvals of the LDE debacle currently before us. Councils voting record on this would be very instructive for voters. Was he a Liberal at the time or had he already changed shirts. Either way if will have everyone who made the decision for the “edifice” running for cover and leaving as usual, the taxpayers holding the bag.
The party you are asking us to support raised taxes and fees 97 times during their four year reign of ___________! How many more do you have in store for us? http://Www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6838515
PS. Many thanks from all the residents of Lethbridge for YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT of the defunct Safe Consumption Site. It added a wonderful experience for the residents and added an immeasurable quality to the downtown and allowed an opportunity for residents to see just what millions of dollars of investment can to do to enhance the landscape of the city. Many business in the area are thrilled that they were able to support the local securities industries, cameras, human security, glass companies and insurance companies as they looked at the carnage. Especially impressive is the safe community ranking where Lethbridge went from one of the highest rated to the bottom of the pit. Bravo. (Sarcasm)
Unhinged much?
Typical snide non content we have come to expect from you.
Can Danielle Smith vote in the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding?
Are you for real?
Who is running in the Lethbridge West constituency, Nenshi or Miyashiro? Regardless, their chances of getting close to UCP candidate, John Middleton-Hope are slim to none. It is rather odd that Nenshi is trying to be so prominate, shouldn’t he be a little more concerned of himself scoring a constituency…even though no NDP – MLA seems to anxious to give up their seat!
we’ll see. A lot of orange signs out there, in yards not beside the roads. What happens, happens.
I appreciate your posts and the content you share. driving directions