Ward 1 Coun. Kathryn MacDonald wants to have a hand in Saskatoon’s future

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As Saskatoon’s new city councillors are getting settled in at city hall, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix sat down with each of them to get an idea of what they hope to see in the city …
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Ward 1 Councillor Kathryn MacDonald says she learned a lot in the first few weeks at City Hall.
A great deal of information was given during budget deliberations, MacDonald said, which was one of the first hurdles the new council faced.
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“I think the challenge with budget for a lot of the new (councillors) was putting into context a lot of the numbers.”
MacDonald says it can be hard to understand the city’s expenses without knowing how much some work costs.
Her motivation to run for council stemmed from a few things for MacDonald, a local business owner, but a key point for her was to have a hand in the future she envisioned for her family in Saskatoon.
She says councillors may have hopes and dreams for what they want to accomplish while in office, but it can be a difficult process.
“I think for me, (I want to) just being able to say that I did the best I could with actively engaging with the community, being responsive and a reliable voice for Ward 1.”
MacDonald, who has sat on the board for the 33rd Street Business Improvement District, says she wants to get people more engaged in municipal politics and bring a deeper understanding of the municipal process to residents.
On the topic of homelessness, which was one of the biggest concerns brought up during election season, MacDonald says it’s important to understand why people end up homeless.
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“20 per cent of homelessness is youth, including post-secondary students, so does it come from a place of affordability? Does it come from a place of a lack of resources?”
She also says she wants to build her own understanding, which will help guide her in deciding where more resources need to go.
“Affordable housing is one big aspect that I believe we definitely need to see, and we are seeing a lot of resources put into that in the future. There’s an urgency and a need for it.”
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