Allison Knodel is running for Medicine Hat City Council . The municipal election takes place Oct. 18 ( Derek Brade/ CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Allison Knodel running for city council

Jul 27, 2021 | 6:48 PM

MEDICINE HAT,AB- A high school digital arts and psychology teacher is stepping into the spotlight and running for Medicine Hat City Council.

Allison Knodel has lived in Medicine Hat her entire life. She said she loves her community and wants to encourage more community engagement with a wide variety of residents.

She would also like to see a clear mission and vision for the city that is developed from the ground up with input from community members.

“I want people who aren’t typically seen. To feel seen,” she said.

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Her platform focuses on building healthy, sustainable communities, with neighbourhoods built for connection, creativity, and environmental sustainability.

Knodel said parks and recreation is a huge piece of that, and with talks of possible facility closures she said she hopes the city strikes an appropriate balance.

“Recreation is a keystone for community wellness, and if we polarize our rec centres to either end of the city. We’ve got our family leisure centre, and the Southridge YMCA, we leave out a lot of people in the middle, a lot of people that can’t walk to the recreation centres or young children who don’t have rides. So it would be really nice to find a happy medium between being financially responsible and keeping some resources available.

Part of having a healthy community is employment, and Knodel said more needs to be done to attract different businesses to the city.

“ It would be really nice to see some diversity in the businesses that we welcome into the community, and I think there is controversy around Invest Medicine Hat at the moment, but I do think we need an economic driver, whatever that looks like, to get industry to Medicine Hat.

Knodel said if elected, she would like to be a more socially informed councillor. When asked about the conflict surrounding the daytime shelter earlier this year, she said, education and informed action is key.

“ I think that as we move forward, the problem is only growing, and I think we need to approach those people with the mindset that there is a background of trauma there. They are not just a nuisance, they are people that have a history of trauma, and it would be really, really nice to see permanent supports in place,” she said.

Knodel said she has the skills to be a good council candidate because of her passion for inclusiveness and ability to listen.

When asked about what her definition of success would be after a four-year term, Knodel said:

“ Slow stable growth, and if you were to ask the community members: Do you feel heard by Allison Knodel? And if they were to say yes. I think that would be a success,” she said.

The Municipal Election takes place on Oct. 18. 2021.