Some of the people running for the Estevan city council this year are hoping that if elected they'd be able to bring some change to the city.
That's the case for Kevin Andrews, who's looking to bring some changes to the council if elected.
He says his want for political change started a few years ago.
"Well, since the plandemic started, I've been watching council going to meetings and watching it online and I'm a little disturbed in the direction we're headed, so I would like to try if I can to make a change of the direction we're headed. I have grandchildren too, and I don't want them to have to live the life that they're going to live if we keep on heading in this direction."
Andrews says that in order to unite the people of Estevan he wants them to have more information.
"First of all, I think informing them about what's going on because I feel that they haven't been using critical thinking or being informed by the news media such as Discover Estevan, the Mercury, CBC, CTV, Global, that they're not really doing the news and then informing people what's really going on. If I get elected with the help of the other city councilors, hope to make a format so that we can inform people what's really going on out there."
Andrews says that during his time with community groups in Estevan, he's seen a need to lower the tax burden for businesses.
"My big one is what I've learned by the groups, the concerned citizens that I've been a part of for the last four years. Because there's lots of business people in there and farmers, we have the third highest business tax rate in Saskatchewan. That's ridiculous. That's the reason why our population hasn't grown in 40 years since I've been here and I have been here for 43 years."
Andrews states that reducing the debt so the city has more room to maneuver would set Estevan up for success.
Additionally, Andrews would look to remove fluoride from the water system in Estevan, calling the chemical a neurotoxin.
He cited a lawsuit against the EPA in the United States, which based its findings on a study that looked at fluoride levels that were more than double Canada's recommended fluoride concentration.
Andrews says that though he won't have much experience at the beginning he does have experience with other work.
"I have done overhauls at the Boundary Dam, Shand for 38 years. I did lots of overhauls, coordinated and all that so I have a little bit of skills that way, but like I said, going into city council is going to be a huge learning curve for me, so I'll just try my hardest to grasp as much as I can as soon as I can."
Getting into office Andrews says his first act would be to make sure the whole community is working with the right info.
"I can't see why the community doesn't thrive. I want to make the community thrive. Like I said, we have the third highest tax rate in Saskatchewan for business. That's ludicrous. Nobody's coming here. Actually, businesses are leaving the city because the taxes are too high."
"So I would like to address that and I think doing that is first you've reduced the debt and then you can move. You have a little bit of room to move. So I'd like to see our community grow. That's what I'd like to see."
Andrews says he'd also resist partnerships with outside groups, such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, that he feels are undermining the provincial government.
The views and opinions expressed by Kevin Andrews are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Estevan.