Barb Higgins moved to Calgary in 1989 as a CTV broadcaster for the 6 p.m. news. Higgins maintained this role for 21 years until July of this year when she opted to run for mayor.
Higgins’ resume displays her work with various volunteer and charity organizations. In her Gauntlet interview, she discussed the nature of her campaign and student issues.
“I felt that [the other candidates] weren’t quite capturing the essence and the spirit and the energy of what this city is about. So that’s why I jumped in,” Higgins explained.
Higgins indicated she has seven main priorities for Calgary. She discussed the first three as fiscal responsibility, “non-negotiable” public safety and an effective and efficient city hall. Higgins said the seven priorities bring a unique balance to her platform.
“It’s important that we talk about fiscal intelligence but it’s also important that we talk about Calgary as a place to live,” said Higgins. “For me, it’s about balance.”
Under the topic of integrating student voices within her campaign, Higgins emphasized the necessity to “maximize the relationship” between the city and the University of Calgary. “It’s really important for the mayor to make it very clear that [secondary suites] are a priority,” Higgins said on the topic of affordable housing. “This is an issue of safety, and it’s about humanity because we’re saying that it’s okay for people to struggle or not have a home by not opening up secondary suites.”
Higgins also outlined a transportation feeder system to transport Calgarians to the LRT from outlying communities and eliminating the $3 park and ride fee as other targets.
For more information, visit barbhiggins.ca.