Mayoral Candidate - JASON RENYEN

If the Pet-Friendly Penticton project has made one thing clear, it's that this community is passionate about their pets – Pets are family!

Do you share that passion? Tell us about the pets in your life!
If you don't have pets at home, let us know how animals have been important in your life.

  Yes I currently have a Olde English Bulldog named Chaos, just after my daughter was born 2 years ago, we lost our dog Freedom. Freedom was my best friend, and just a beautiful soul. Life wasn’t the same without her that’s when we decided our children needed another member of the family and we decided to get Chaos, pets fill a part in your life, they give unconditional love and support when you need it most. Even in the most chaotic of times.

Penticton's pet-amenities are a regular point of contention due to issues around
maintenance, safety, and design/materials. Many Penticton residents regularly travel to surrounding communities across the Okanagan Valley for their dog parks and beaches rather than going to our local places due to these issues.

If elected, what solutions might you propose to address the concerns of residents local pet-amenities?

  We should sit down with key stakeholders discuss what other cities have accomplished in this area. There are many cities all over BC that have created amazing spaces for our furry counterparts. I would love to see more trees, benches, pools, and more amenities for our pets. Regular cleaning of debris and needles needs to be done. the Pet-Friendly Penticton project has made one thing clear, it's that this community is passionate about their pets – Pets are family!

What are your thoughts on the economic impact of non-use on our local pet-amenities and residents regularly commuting for preferable options?

  In terms of economic impacts, I’m unsure of what they would be as I haven’t read any data on this subject. That being said I would be interested in learning more as to the ways we could attract more people to Penticton. I could personal say I would think of it as an attraction if the parks were modelled after other successful projects.

Ontario's Residential Tenancy Act, Section 14, states that a Landlord cannot prevent a tenant from owning pets. Meanwhile, pets are being surrendered daily, all over BC, because their owners cannot find pet-friendly housing. Penticton faces additional pressure for housing as we have some of the highest rent rates in Canada, and a severe shortage on long-term and year-round rentals of any variety.
While a change to the Residential Tenancy Act is a provincial government matter, municipal government can still move to include/promote similar clauses on a local scale, and has the ability to push in support of such a change if a Bill were proposed.

What are your thoughts on revising the Residential Tenancy Act in BC, to be like that of Ontario, in regards to pets and rentals?

  I would definitely have to spend sometime looking into what is possible through our municipality addressing these issues through bylaws. One of the most important issues we are facing is housing and listening to the publics concerns is #1. Looking to other successful communities could provide vital information on how to approach similar issues.

Penticton doesn't have an emergency veterinary clinic!

If something happens and an animal needs to see a vet in the evenings, on weekends or on holidays, residents need to drive an hour out of Penticton in order to reach help.  Many pets do not make it, and many more don't because their human doesn't have access to transportation.

Were you aware of this situation?

  I was unaware, now knowing this, I would definitely look to finding a solution. Again sitting down with other key stakeholders like local vets, groups like pet friendly Penticton to see what is necessary to accomplish this would be beneficial.

When vital and time sensitive services are missing from a community, what do you feel are a City Council's responsibilities in regards to communication and/or action?

  As a council, we have the highest responsibility to the people to listen and take action. As issues arise our job is to listen to key stakeholders in the area of concern, consult with the public in a timely manner and then vote and execute. With my passion, transparency an authenticity I will accomplish this if elected

Pet-Friendly Penticton is a non-partisan organization and will not provide any incentive, preference, or endorsement for any candidate(s) to members of the public toward deciding where to cast their votes. We simply hope to encourage as many potential voters as possible to take an active role in our community and the election process.

Each candidate will be given opportunity to respond to the Questionnaire, however, the choice to provide a response and how to respond is up to the candidate. Responses posted are original and unedited with the exception of formatting.