Council candidate Knudsen focused on housing affordability

“Sometimes seniors can’t afford. We’re on fixed income, and if price of housing keeps going up, how are you going to afford that? Same thing with young people. A starter home, that sort of thing. I think that’s something to do with the homelessness, too,” he added.

“A lot of people are homeless because they can’t afford rent.”

Affordable housing is something Knudsen said would get the ball rolling for people in the city.

“I think it’ll help a lot, and it’ll help employment. Can you go to a job and not have a place to live? No, you can’t. You can’t move to Medicine Hat, because where are you going to live,” Knudsen said.

“There’s got to be places for people to live, and I’m kind of a simple solution sort of guy.”

Currently retired, Knudsen said he is willing to take on the responsibility that comes with being on council, but also stays busy as a volunteer.

“I have a therapy dog, and most people know my dog’s name [Nola], not mine, because we go to the hospital once a week, and we go to South Country Villas once a week, and we go to the drug and alcohol rehab centre down on Kipling once a week,” Knudsen said.

“I’d like to continue that, but that’s only an hour or two a day for a couple days,” he added.

“I’m also Santa Brent. I was at the college with the Medicine Hat Health Foundation for their Christmas party. I’ve been to lots of Christmas parties around the city.”

The Santa gig started out pretty simple Knudsen said, but has expanded.

“I got three suits, and I grow the beard year-round. I found it was too hard to try to slap on a fake beard,” Knudsen said.

“Kids like it too. I get picked out of Walmart shopping right up until February.”

Knudsen said he was inspired to run by watching the last three to four years of city council.

“I think I can add something to the council. I realize there’s eight councillors and, it’s kind of a collaborative effort, but I don’t think the collaborative effort has been there,” Knudsen said.

“Every place I’ve worked, it’s always been, let’s look to Brett for ideas, and I’m kind of the glue that holds a lot of things together.”

Knudsen said his time working as a quality control manager and night supervisor at the Lilydale chicken plant in Wynyard, Sask. gave him perspective on interacting with a variety of people.

“We had almost 300 employees, and as a quality control manager, I started off having to train new employees, and a lot of them were immigrants, people from all over the world,” Knudsen said.

“I got along great, and it was a learning experience, but I think it made me a better person.”

Alongside his wife Knudsen also managed nearby McLaren Lake Regional Park for three seasons.

His working experience also extends to a gas swabbing company, giving him some knowledge of the oil and gas industry. Including time spent swabbing on City of Medicine Hat gas wells.

Knudsen is familiar with the ag industry, previously having an acreage with cattle. He will still head back to Golden Prairie to help work on the farm during seeding.

Limited doors have been knocked at this point according to Knutsen, but he has talked with a number of residents in the Tower Estates mobile park he also calls home.

“I’m not shy about it. I live in Tower Estates. I live in a mobile home, they’re affordable housing. You have to have your neighbours and that behind you,” Knudsen said.

“I’ve also got other people that I know in town here. There’s a lot of people moved from Saskatchewan to retire here in Medicine Hat. And I count a lot of them as my friends.”

Knudsen said integrity is something that needs to be brought back to city council.

“I like to lead by example. There’s talk of a raise, and I personally don’t think I’m going to take that. If I have to take it, I think I’ll donate it back to a charity, that amount of money, because I haven’t worked a day yet, but when I do, I think that’s plenty enough for me,” Knudsen said.

“I was a financial planner for a while, and I pinch a penny pretty hard. I think that’s also needed right now. We got so much money that they’re throwing around in the last few days, few months of a term that I don’t understand. You know, where’s the money coming from,” he added.

“Is it going to be coming out of the next budget?”

by Jesse Gill

Council candidate Knudsen focused on housing affordability

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