Peter Truijen

What are the three most important outcomes you want West St. Paul to achieve during the next four years? What measurable result would tell residents you succeeded?

West St.Paul has implemented an Asset Management Plan. This will guide how the RM is to maintain, monitor and determine when to improve physical assets. When the results of the Recreational Survey, which was conducted during summer 2026, and expected to be completed in 2027, has been brought to Council, I would work to start implementation of the recommendations which has the largest support of Council. I will also continue to advocate the Provincial Government to have reliable timeliness of when it comes to starting construction on improving their roads and intersections within the RM. These road improvements should also meet the demands of our future growth.

How should West St. Paul balance keeping municipal taxes competitive with maintaining and expanding services? Identify one area of municipal spending you would protect and one you would examine most closely for savings or efficiencies.

For me all areas of municipal spending are important and should be protected from becoming too expensive to continue. To accomplish this Council should continue with their yearly review of all the services delivered by the RM, to determine if there are any gaps, or improvements needed, and to look for savings and effectiveness. Included in these reviews should be Key Performance Indicators (KPI), making sure the time needed, staffing required, and equipment needed match the work required. This would ensure residents are receiving the best value for the services received. In regards to spending, Council should have a monthly review of the financial statement instead of the current practice of quarterly reviews.

When the RM has an operating surplus or significant reserve funds, how should Council balance saving for future infrastructure, paying down debt, funding current projects and limiting future tax increases?

An Asset Management program would help in determining that there are adequate reserves and help to determine when, in the life cycle of an asset it should be replaced.

West St. Paul continues to experience rapid residential development. What costs should new development be expected to carry, and what costs should reasonably be shared by the municipality as a whole?

Currently developers are paying for sewer line, water line, roads, sidewalk, ponds, greenspaces, playgrounds, lighting, path/trails, and fencing. During this term of Council, speed control, signage, pedestrian crosswalks, and traffic calming devices were added to the Developers list to pay for. As Council continues to learn more of what the needs are, we will continue to add to the Developers list where appropriate.

What types of businesses and commercial development should West St. Paul actively encourage? How should Council balance expanding the commercial tax base with traffic, infrastructure, nearby neighbourhoods and community character?

As I have done in the past, I will advocate that commercial developments are in areas that are in keeping with the character of the community.

What are your highest infrastructure priorities for the next term? How should West St. Paul respond to increasing traffic and demands on roads, drainage, wastewater and other infrastructure as the municipality grows?

Currently, the highest priority for me is advocating the Manitoba Government to address the poor conditions of the provincial roadways within the boundary of West St.Paul, and address the safety concerns at the intersection of Pipeline Road and the Perimeter. These are areas the residents have raised with me these past few months.

As West St. Paul grows, which municipal services need the most attention or investment — such as fire protection, community safety, public works, snow clearing, parks, recreation or bylaw enforcement — and why?

Approximately 300 new houses are being built per year which attributes to an increase of 40 calls per year for our Fire Department. This also holds true for the Community Service Officers. As the number of houses increase so will vehicle traffic which would impact road safety. Both of these areas will need more attention and investment.

What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing West St. Paul as a whole, and what specific result should residents expect from you by the end of the next term?

For me, all issues facing West St.Paul are important in either one or more areas of the RM, but should be addressed in a way that will mutually benefit all areas. However, what has been encouraging to me over these past 4 years is how the community engages themselves at Public Hearings, Open house events, and participating in surveys. As your Mayor, I look forward to seeing more of this! Thank you for the past 4 years!