Skip links
Daniel Hlady

Getting to Know Derek Hlady – Candidate for ward 7 Sipiwiyiniwak

Spread the love

Derek Hlady is a candidate for ward Sipiwiyiniwak. He attended the candidate forum organised by LCCMedia recently. LCCMedia is grateful to Derek for sending answers to these questions.

 

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a regular guy, and truthfully I never had any ambition to get involved in politics. I moved to Edmonton when I was 15, went to work in the oil patch after high school then moved to Calgary and went to school to study business, technology and finance. I then worked downtown Calgary and managed an small oilfield service company before getting into a business of my own with an  Oil and Gas service company. I moved back to Edmonton in 2007 and got involved in the residential and commercial construction industry and started my current Earthworks / Landscape construction company in 2010. I currently live on the west end with my wife, two kids and two dogs.

Why politics?

Two reasons. First was a bit of frustration with some of the direction the city was headed in and spending priorities that didn’t seem inline with many Edmontonians. Second was I felt that the opportunity to make the City a better place would be fulfilling and worthwhile. I don’t have any future plans for a long career as a politician and absolutely no interest in joining a political party or getting involved in Provincial or Federal politics.

Why are you running for council? What are your top priorities?

 

I’m running to try and bring a fresh perspective. One that isn’t about pushing an agenda, but rather about finding new ways to collaborate and work together to solve issues. I would love to see us move past some of the issues we face today while still retaining some of the best parts of what we have. I know that sounds cliché, but I truly believe our answers lie in less fighting and more collaboration. As to priorities, that is such a huge question for here so I’ll shamelessly plug my website www.derekhlady.ca/goals for more details.

As a quick overview, I want to see more efficiency at city hall and better value for dollar, because if we get that right we have money for so many more things like better services, better roads, better transit, better parks, better support for the people that need it and so forth.

Why are you the best candidate for the ward?

It’s not really up to me to decide if I am the best candidate for my ward. I can say that I am intelligent and  creative especially when it comes to problem solving. I am natural collaborator and have any easy time understanding people with other perspectives. I am compassionate and have always been a defender of people who have less. As well, I’m honest, open and responsible. So if those things come through and resonate with the residents of the ward then They will decide if I am the best candidate.

What happens if you do/dont win?

If I win, I have promised to follow and expand on the example set by a few of our councillors on public out reach and engagement. I have further promised to work with all other elected officials to find solutions that best suit Edmonton and especially the ward.

If I don’t win I will chalk this year up to a great learning experience and continue on with business ownership whether its my current company or perhaps starting a new one.

Can you describe your plan to tackle drug addiction and homelessness?

 

We are in a mental health crisis in this part of the world and we need to collectively recognise the seriousness of it and start addressing its causes. Once again I realize that is a big statement without any concrete solutions, but I wanted to make sure people know that it is something I take very seriously. For the direct questions regarding homelessness and addiction. Lets be fair and say both of these things are primarily provincial jurisdiction, so any promises a city councillor can make are really tough to actually accomplish much like the ten year plan to end homelessness. So while we are currently constructing a few hundred residences we need allot more. My understanding is that currently the federal government has offered to build us 600 plus units but we cannot get the province to commit to the annual cost of running them so the project is on hold. This type of bureaucracy is atrocious, and cost lives and money. I would be very focused on getting projects like that moving.

 

How important is climate change and what will you do to make sure climate justice is at the forefront?

 

Climate change is basically a foregone conclusion at this point, but that doesn’t mean we need to shy away from our responsibilities. We certainly need to reduce our carbon footprint, but not with platitudes and grand announcements that are more about enhancing a political career than they are about actual measurable results. We need to make decisions that we can show have an actual net benefit rather wasting time and money on projects that don’t get us anywhere. For instance If we are spending billions building lrt but we haven’t increased ridership then it hasn’t actually gotten us anywhere despite the good intentions. However if we would of replaced our fleet of 1000 diesel busses with electric and added solar charging to the new terminals we could of not only showed a measurable decrease in carbon production we would of also lowered our operating costs and been able to reduce or eliminate bus fares. As well if we changed the regulatory environment that better incentives personal solar we would have far more solar capacity without desecrating the river valley for a tiny solar farm that does next to nothing to help our overall picture.  It’s about looking at our options and weighing in on what will give us the best net outcomes.

What books inform your knowledge?  What do you do for your mental health?

 

To be honest my favorite book I have read in the last few years is “Sapiens – A brief history of humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari because it examines our history and the way in which we differ from other living creatures, our belief systems and our history of civilization. I enjoyed it because it helps take a big picture look at where we are how we got here and a bit about where we are going. He has a few other great books as well if you wanted to check them out. As well I like learning so I read a fair bit on everything from self help to evolution, astronomy and some tech stuff as well particularly around industry and transportation.

Share a quote or a poem that means something to you.

 

This is where I’m supposed to write some profound wisdom that reflects my deep personal understand of life, but instead I’ll just go back to my childhood and hopefully make you chuckle. “Never tell me the odds!” Han Solo

 Where can we learn more about you?

You can go to my website www.derekhlady.ca or https://www.facebook.com/DerekHlady4YEG

Don’t Miss Our News Updates!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

This website uses cookies to improve your web experience.
Explore
Drag