A First Nations nurse is vying for a spot on Williams Lake city council.
Marnie Brenner said she believes with her 26 years of nursing in several different areas and her First Nations background she can bring a bit of a different and unique perspective to the council table with the community and building relationships with neighbouring communities.
Presently Brenner is a special projects nurse at Three Corners Health Services Society and owns a medical foot care business.
“I think there are a lot of good things going on in Williams Lake and the city is growing,” Brenner said.
“Some of the issues that will be coming up will be the importance of building relationships with First Nations communities for economic development.”
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Cannabis legalization is also an issue as Canada is only the second country in the world to do so, she added.
“We need to plan for it, and be aware of the social issues. There was a new study done in January of this year that we need to look at it and other studies and take what we can so we can make sure the city is as safe as possible.”
There is a place for cannabis, Brenner said.
“There is a place for its derivatives medically, I’m not sure about recreationally.”
Another issue is the air shed and pollutants, she said.
“A big thing with that will be the burning of rail ties and whether we will be doing that.”
She said there are many people in town that cannot make ends meet, especially the elderly and some of the First Nations people, many with children.
“We have to make sure we are looking after the health of our town because that is our future and the seniors have given so much to us and paved the way so we need to give back.”
Brenner and her husband moved to Williams Lake in 2002.
They have a daughter in Grade 11 at home, a son who is graduated and working in security at the airport, and a son who has been a wild firefighter with the Ravens the last five seasons.
She ran for city council in 2014.
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