An elementary school principal has put his hat in the ring in the upcoming municipal elections. Quinn Haider has announced his intention to run for a seat on city council.
He describes it as an opportunity to give back to a city which Haider says has given him a multitude of opportunities over the years, whether in his career or his personal life.
Haider believes he is well equipped to represent the families of the city, drawing from his years within the education system.
“I want to represent Yorkton’s family on city councils. I’ve been an educator for 24 years, and a school principal or vice-principal for 15 years, which has given me multiple opportunities to meet thousands of students and hundreds of families. I want to act on their behalf and make sure that any decisions we make in Yorkton involve them. I want to speak on their behalf.”
While Haider is reluctant to criticize any current members of council, he wants to make sure that the families of the city are well represented on council, and feels that he is well equipped to do that.
“Council I know has a very important job, and they represent a wide range of people. Business owners, for example. But I want to make sure the average, every day person is represented.”
Haider also recognizes that whoever gets a council seat, if he is among them they will have to work together, something that he is looking forward to.
“I’m all about collaboration, and some of the other candidates, including current council members, have encouraged me to run. It was in discussions where I have been walking my dog down the street, with a city councillor, where they have said to me hey, you should do this, you know people... You would be an asset to our community.”
The city is facing some infrastructure challenges in the near future, and one of Haider’s main concerns is the impending Broadway reconstruction that is becoming increasingly necessary.
“I don’t think it’s any big surprise that Broadway is going to need significant work pretty soon, and the money for that is going to come from us. Government grants aren’t necessarily going to be there. We have to work together to find some creative solutions to solve that problem. I want to be a part of that.”
The council run has been in the works for a while, and Haider says that while he has wanted to run for a long time, now that his kids are older he is now able to have the time to dedicate to a council position. He credits the support of his family, his school and his parish priest for making it possible to make a council run.
