Cody Magnusson, Councillor for the RM of Gimli

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to yours! May your holidays be full of good food, friends, and family. Make sure to be safe during this season. Call a friend or family member for a ride, stay over, or pick a DD. And remember that the holidays can be a very hard time for some. If you or anyone you know are having a difficult time coping, now or ever, remember that you can call either the IERHA 24-Hour Crisis Line at 1-866-427-8628, or the Manitoba Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-877-435-7170, or visit www.reasontolive.ca for more information.

It's that time again, time for another Wondering Wednesday! I've been seeing some wonderful feedback from all of you, and I want you all to know I really appreciate the discussions that these posts create. I make a lot of notes on the responses and have certainly got some good ideas of things to look at implementing in the future. We're gonna do something a little different today though. The last few editions of WW I've asked for ideas and new projects/programs that could be... implemented to improve the RM. But a recurring theme in the comments of those posts is that perhaps the RM doesn't need anything new, we just need to do more with what we already have, a notion with which I totally agree. So today I'm wondering: if you could CHANGE something in the RM that is already going on, what would it be? Maybe you want us to plow the streets in a different order, maybe you want us to notify the public of things in a different way, maybe you think there's an asset we're underutilizing, or maybe there's a specific bylaw that you think needs modification. Whatever it may be, let me know. Please be as specific as you can to help me as I look for some actionable ideas. For instance "Communicate better" is a great concept, but is also vague and doesn't really help because I don't know what that means to you, whereas "Communicate better by utilizing the RM Gimli App and posting more updates on social media" is specific and has a clear endpoint. As always I look forward to your responses!

Communication Update: Hi everyone, just wanted to make everyone aware of a couple things to make sure that you can get in contact with me if/when you need to. First, if you're trying to phone me (204-407-8883) and I don't pick-up, please either leave a message or send me a text unless you plan on calling back! The new Apple iOS update is causing issues with calls not being reliably received, and in the past week I've gotten 4 different voice-mails out of nowhere despite my ph...one not ringing! I try my best to return missed calls, but until Apple can fix this issue your missed call may go unseen unless you leave me either a voice-mail or send me a text. Second, if you're trying to contact me on Facebook, please send a detailed message! Unfortunately, the nature of the internet means that running a public page leads to a lot of spam messages from fake accounts. These spam messages tend to be very brief things that try to incite the page (ie me) to initiate contact through a different means (ex/ "I have an issue, can you email me at ____?" or "Hey, I want to discuss something with you, call me at ____"). As a result, I pretty much have to ignore and delete these types of messages, as investigating which are real vs fake is not always possible. If you want to talk to me by phone or over email, please contact me via those means. If you are unable to do that but need a call/email back, please send a detailed message and not just a line or two to make sure you don't get mistaken for spam! (That's why my listed response time has tanked in the last month or two, I'm usually able to get back to people faster than 11 hours!) Thirdly, if you see my personal FB account posting in a local community group and want to send me a council related question, please do come back to this page and send the message here. I only maintain a personal account to run this page, and to participate in groups that don't allow "pages" to join as "people", and therefor my message requests get checked rarely if ever. If you send a message to my personal account, the likelihood it gets seen and responded to in a timely fashion is slim. Thank you so much for continuing to follow and interact with me! I try my best to be easily accessible, and I hope these things help.

Okay folks, we're gonna keep it simple this Wondering Wednesday and ask a real basic question: What do you think is the biggest issue that is holding back Gimli from seeing growth? This may be social growth of our population through recruitment/retention of young people and young families, or economic growth in the business sector, I'd love to hear inputs on both. Some issues that I've identified or that have been brought to my attention include things like a lack of secondar...y education, scarcity of affordable housing, poor internet infrastructure, that the town dies in winter, that there's not much of a nightlife for young people outside of bars, lack of family-friendly activities, not enough recreation, or no high paying jobs for skilled employment. I'm sure some would disagree with a few of those, and I'm sure others have more to add! Obviously we've got a lot of work to do, but what one thing do you think should take precedence, and why?

On today's edition of Wondering Wednesdays (and a long one to make up for missing a couple weeks), I'm looking for some input on increasing the RM's revenue (and by extension our operating budget), without having to increase property tax mills. Keeping property taxes low makes for better recruitment and retention of both citizens and businesses, and is something we should strive for. The RM generates revenue by and large via 2 different mechanisms: taxes and fees (utilities a...Continue reading

On today's edition of "Wondering Wednesday", I'm wondering how you feel about single use plastics? Sobeys recently announced plans to ditch plastic grocery bags nationwide by the end of January 2020, which will include our local supermarket. Bans on plastic straws are becoming more commonplace across the nation as well, just to name a couple of starting points. Plastic wraps on baking, meats, produce, and other fresh products, plastic lined coffee cups, plastic utensils at t...akeout restaurants, and plastic water/pop bottles are all on the line too, as the federal government has begun discussing a Canadian ban on all these products as early as 2021. Knowing that these types of changes are likely inevitable at this point, the RM of Gimli has 2 options. We can sit back and wait for the changes to be put on us by senior government at the provincial or federal level, and alleviate ourselves of the stressors of decision making. Or, we can decide to be trailblazers and forge forward with our own plans for reductions/withdrawals of single use plastics. There's a short poll at the link below, but more than answers on that I would love to see some discussion on how you think the RM of Gimli can start to reduce the overwhelming amount of single use plastics that end up in our landfills, and perhaps more importantly our lake! https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSf_XAbxP385Gadv4/viewform

So I haven’t been using this page nearly enough, and in an effort to get back to engaging with the electorate I’ve decided today will be the first of a semi-recurring new feature: Wondering Wednesdays! This will be an avenue for some back and forth questioning, where I wonder about a question and ask for your input, or I wonder about a problem and ask for some suggestions. Or perhaps I’ll be sharing a wonder from our community that I’ve experienced lately. This will run anywh...ere from monthly to weekly, depending on what’s going on and what types of issues we are dealing with. In today’s inaugural Wonder Wednesday, I am wondering: What type of internet services people are using in the RM of Gimli? We all know the current ISPs all leave something to be desired, be it over speed, data caps, price, or reliability. Identifying these problems and gathering some data is an important first step to finding a solution, and with recent federal funding initiatives to rural high speed internet, the time to act is now. The following link will take you to a very short 5 question survey, that will only take a few moments to complete. It will ask who your current ISP is, what type of connection you have, what your speed is, what your data cap is, and what you pay. It is completely anonymous, but if you want to talk about this more please feel free to reach out! I appreciate your help in working towards solving internet connectivity issues within the RM of Gimli. https://forms.gle/SCWQAUAeAt7MtxSb7

With great excitement, I returned to Council Chambers last night for the first time in nearly 4 months, after the completion of a compassionate family medical leave that was granted by my fellow council members. This time away has given a much needed opportunity to my family for recovery, planning, and healing. While mental illness is often a lifelong struggle, we have made great strides over the past 4 months to a point where I am able to confidently return to my duties as ...your elected representative. On behalf of Hannah and Daniel, I want to express our heartfelt thanks to so many people. Firstly, to my fellow Councillors and to Mayor Greenberg for their granting of this time away. Second, to CAO Joanne Murphy and the rest of our fantastic administrative team at the RM of Gimli for their efforts in supporting and coordinating this leave such that no interruptions in service were seen in my areas of responsibility. Thirdly, to our amazing support team of family, friends, and medical staff for all their vital contributions to our recovery. And lastly, to the entire RM of Gimli community for the countless expressions of support and understanding we received during this time. We were absolutely floored by the overwhelming and positive response, and were so touched by those who shared their own stories of battles with mental illness, whether it was their own or one of a loved one. It really hits home how pervasive and widespread these conditions unfortunately are. Hannah's original hope with being open and honest about this process was to help remove the stigma around mental illness, and encourage others to be more open, and I believe that has indeed been accomplished. Once again, thank you, and I look forward to continuing to serve our community on your behalf.

It is with mixed emotions that I announce I will be taking a leave of absence from my position as Councillor for the RM of Gimli, effective immediately. As many of you know, my wife Hannah and I welcomed our firstborn son Daniel to the world this past June. Unfortunately, in the weeks following the election Hannah was hospitalized, and diagnosed with a severe case of post-partum depression. The past few months have been extremely difficult, as mental illness is unpredictable,... intangible, and frightening. For the health of our family, we have decided that taking this leave to rest and recover is best. I am indebted to our CAO Joann Murphy for her support and help in making this decision, and to my fellow members of Council for their understanding in granting me this leave. I look forward to returning to chambers and resuming the work the electorate has chosen me to do as soon as our family is ready. This past Wednesday was Bell Let's Talk Day, and we actually planned to release this statement then before extenuating circumstances got in the way. Given the option of making a vague statement about leaving for a personal matter, Hannah actually wanted to be as clear and forthright as possible with our explanation in an effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness in our society. It is her incredible strength and bravery through all of this that inspires me day in and day out. We would like to thank the community for their respect and compassion during this difficult time.

Holy smokes! I half expected this to take a couple tries to be successful, I couldn't be more thrilled and excited! Thank you so much to the electorate of the RM of Gimli for showing your faith in me to help steer the community for the next 4 years. I am so excited for our future and all we can achieve with a strong vision and strong voices leading the charge. Congratulations to my fellow elected officials, I look forward to working with you. Also a thank you to the other can...didates as well for your role in a close and exciting election. You have all shown passion for your community and I hope you stay involved as private citizens. The hard work starts tomorrow, but for now it's time for some shut eye before our baby wakes up again...

Less than 12 hours until the polls open! I want to take this opportunity before the end of the campaigning cycle to thank some people. First off my wife, Hannah, and my parents, Debbie and Vic, who made up most of my campaign team and without whom I could not have possibly gotten the word out about my candidacy as well as I did. You were invaluable, and I love you all very much. Also to the rest of my family and friends that helped with pamphlet folding, door knocking, and e...verything else, thank you! I truly appreciate all you did for me, and the faith you had that I could make a positive change on our RM. Lastly I want to thank all of you, the citizens of the RM. Whether or not you are voting for me, you have showed a true passion for your community during this election cycle and have continued to raise issues and put forward progressive discourse. I have taken great pleasure in all the conversations and debates I've had with members of the electorate, and have enjoyed being challenged by your thoughtful questions. Before you cast your vote tomorrow I hope that you all consider the big issues you think our community faces, and think about the candidate(s) that have shown a plan to remedy them in the future. Not just talk about problems in the past, but ideas for the future. I've shared plans for tourism, town revitalization, employment, telecommunications, and recreation amongst other things. While some of those ideas might seem a little grandiose, I believe we really can become a much stronger and prosperous community with the proper planning and leadership. I hope to be a part of it starting Thursday at noon. I would like to finish by wishing my fellow candidates good luck. I hope that I have the chance to work with you on the betterment of our community over the next 4 years!

Today is the day for advanced polling! Until 8pm you can go cast your vote and make your voice heard at the Waterfront Centre in Gimli. Please make sure to vote today if you will not be able to on election day, October 24th. Last election our voter turnout was below 50%, which means the majority of the RM did not have their voices heard! Showing up to vote is one of the most important things a citizen can do, and in a democratic society it is not only your right but also your... responsibility to cast a ballot and make sure the community is headed by the right people for a strong future. To my fellow young people especially: GO VOTE NOW. We have the worst turnout percentage of nearly any subgroup, when in reality we have the most vested interest in the future as ours is the longest to come. I honestly dont even care if you vote for me (though I would obviously really prefer you did), I just desperately want you to vote so that our future is ensured to be as bright as possible. We have to be involved if we want positive change to occur. Now to go knock on some more doors in the snow. Starting to reconsider the idea of switching to a summer election just to avoid this weather...

So last night was the All Candidates Forum at SSES, hosted by the Gimli Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Gimli, and CJ107 Radio. It was a great event that was attended by an estimated 250 people, and I truly appreciated the chance to address such a large swath of the electorate at once. The opening statements for the Councillors were requested to be answers to 4 questions. This was difficult to do in only 3 minutes, so I plan to post expanded answers to some of the que...Continue reading

I am looking forward to the All Candidates Forum to be held tomorrow night (Oct. 4th) at SSES! Many thanks to the Gimli Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Gimli and CJ107 Radio for hosting such an important event. I encourage everyone to attend and ask some hard hitting questions of myself and my fellow candidates.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it - George Santayana There has been so much discussion this election cycle about the outgoing council and their actions over the past four years. Some people have told me they thought the current fivesome did a fine job considering the amount they accomplished in the face of adversity. Some have opined they bit off more than they could chew, and as a result many things came out in less than ideal ways. Others are f...Continue reading

So apparently I have a campaign problem. There are the people who see my name and know who I am, and people who see my face and know who I am, but the problem I'm told is that some people in those groups are mutually exclusive. This is because a lot of people know me as Cody Hotel. Around 2 years ago while we were planning our wedding, my wife Hannah and I were making our way through the multiple pages of spreadsheets I had created to keep us on track (I'm kind of a spreadshe...et nerd). Most of the big things were done: venue, DJ, food, invites, accommodations, and the location of our honeymoon: a small town in Panama called Coronado. Before booking the flights, we checked all the travel requirements to make sure we wouldn't forget a document or a vaccine. There was only 1 task that needed to be done: Hannah had to get a new passport, as hers was set to expire 4 months after our trip, and the Panamanian government required 6-months of post-trip validity. So we had to make a decision on what her last name was going to be. Might as well knock that out early so she didn't have to waste money getting another new passport after the wedding. I've never been a fan of name-changing upon marriage (my mother kept her maiden name), but I understood and agreed with Hannah's point that we wanted a cohesive family name. 4 options arose: she could take Hotel (I thought Hannah Hotel sounded silly), I could take Tamblyn (her maiden name, which she though unfair for me to change), we could hyphenate (too many letters), or we could just take a whole new name. Despite my Dad's mixed Western-European ancestry, I have always identified strongly as being an Icelander. My mother Debbie kept Magnusson upon marriage, but was one of 4 daughters in her family, so that line was set to end with her and her siblings. So Hannah and I decided that we would take Magnusson on as our own. My brother and his wife could continue the Hotel line, and we would carry on Magnusson for another generation (and now 2 more with the birth of our son). So, long story short, if you're talking about my campaign and someone asks "Who the heck is this Cody Magnusson guy anyway?", try dropping my old last name and see if that triggers a memory.

Let's imagine a young family with an annual household salary of $60,000. Two adults, one child. One works full time to the tune of $24/hr, an excellent starting wage for someone their age. The second runs a web-design business from home doing freelance work while providing childcare. This family has taken some summer trips up to Gimli and decides they love the town. They want to move here for the beautiful nature and quiet atmosphere our RM provides. Luckily for them, the sp...ouse working full-time is able to telecommute for work, so they decide to take the plunge and phone up a local realtor. Now this is a money-smart couple. They don't want to rent as they want to start building equity for a secure retirement. They know that the conservative thing to do in this market is to target a mortgage payment that is between 21-25% of their net (after-tax) income. For them, this is a biweekly mortgage payment of no more than $420, which equates to a maximum mortgage of $155K, or a sale price of $163K less 5% downpayment (all they have been able to save up in their <5 years working). Let's look at their options in Gimli. Since money is tight, they want to live right in town and walk as much as possible to save money on car payments, gas, and related maintenance. 3 condos in Shorepoint. That's it. (A few other condos in Shorepoint and Aspen Park fit, but once condo fees are added in they become unaffordable.) And, thanks to a recent Bylaw passed this last summer, they cannot look into an innovative solution like a Tiny Home either unless they want to live within an RV Park or be subject to Council Approval on where they may "park" it. So they change their mind and decide to rent a 2 bedroom place for a little while until they've saved enough to increase their budget, not wanting to live in a condo. With the savings on property taxes and shared utilities, they increase their monthly housing allowance to $1000. 2 hits on Kijiji. How will they ever decide. This isn't just an issue for young families. The lack of affordable housing affects people of all ages, but hits our extremes most of all. The youthful with no savings or credit history, and the elderly on fixed incomes both struggle to find accommodations with our RM. If we want to grow our tax base with younger residents, and maintain our elderly tax-payers as residents rather than lose them to other areas, solving this problem is a major issue for the incoming Council. Both traditional options, like recruiting a developer, and non-traditional options, like amending that bylaw and allowing a Tiny Home community to start for example, must be explored.