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speakup

LETTER — This is addressed to the 37 candidates out their hoping to be elected to serve our city on Monday.

Election day is coming fast. We have heard many general comments from you about what you will do in terms of job creation, respect at the council table, etc., if you are elected, but we haven't heard many specifics.

Between now and Monday, I for one would like to hear specific information about concrete ideas and suggestions you would bring to council.

How about, for example, making the city's website more useful? Which of you will undertake, if elected, to see that links to information for potential investors considering a move are available? ("Interested in investing in our city as part of your immigration plan? Here's the contact information for our economic development department to discuss this further.") We need immigration information set up on the city homepage with appropriate metatags to make it easy for those from away thinking about a change to Google our municipality.

In other words, serve up the information that potential immigrant investors need to find. Don't make them search for it.

Sure that's technically the federal and provincial governments' job, but what's wrong with providing information ourselves? The key would be to word it in such a way that our economic development department gets legitimate inquiries from potential investors, not general immigration questions. You never know, a few of these investors might remember who attracted their attention.

Monday is looming. It's time to convince us with constructive ideas like the example I have suggested why you should have our vote. If you get in, you can go follow through. If you don't get in, you may still have influenced the direction of council with your idea.

Sincerely,

Dr. Greg MacDiarmid