Catching Up With Council - Councillor Belinda Crowson

Putting your hand up to become an elected public official is not for the faint of heart. After the election campaigning is over, the real work begins. There is much more to a City Councillor role than attending weekly committee and Council meetings. The volume of information, context and legislative requirements can be daunting. 

Preparations are already underway for the next municipal election, scheduled for October 20, 2025. We invited all current Council members to share their thoughts on the first three years of this term. In the coming weeks, we’ll share their insights and priorities as we look toward the next election. 

Next is Councillor Belinda Crowson, who was first elected to Council in 2017 and won a second term in 2021. 

What are you most proud of in the first three years of this Council term? 

Councillor Crowson highlights what she sees as an overall improved advocacy effort by Council to focus on the greatest needs for the community, including housing and water and wastewater.

“Council did an amazing job working on the water issues. This summer turned out different than we were expecting but this Council was prepared. It was one the best things I have seen from a regional perspective,” says Crowson. “I think there is also a growing awareness of what our role in housing is. We moved the Municipal Housing Strategy forward. We’re very aware that we need more housing units. I am impressed with some of the housing projects the city supported financially and with appropriate zoning changes. There’s much more to do, but I’m thankful we are at least talking housing.”

Crowson says she is also pleased with the Oldman River Valley trail work in development.

“That was probably one of the best consultations the City did this term,” she says. “The partnerships with biking groups and the trail groups was very effectively done. It started out as an issue and became a success because of the work done behind the scenes to make sure everybody was at the table.”

Crowson is also pleased with the Standing Policy Committee model, where members can hear full presentations and public feedback then have some time to ponder before Council makes a decision. She also appreciates the updates done to the Capital and Operating budget cycles. In the next Council term, the same council will make decisions around both the Operating and Capital budgets.

“It will be one Council making those decisions during their term,” she says. “That will be more effective. Plus, with the annual reviews now, we are working toward a better balance between the long-term planning of a four-year budget and responding to a fast-changing economy and world.”

What do you want to see accomplished in the last year of this Council term? 

Crowson says some of the challenges ahead include steering the basics of municipal government, with items such as infrastructure and asset management, along with continued economic development, housing, Land Use Bylaw updates, processes and “what are we doing to solve underlying issues?” Across North America, communities are dealing with housing shortages which are contributing to public disorder as much as the drug crisis is, she says.

“They are all linked,” Crowson says. “For example, we keep talking about how to keep post-secondary students – well if the jobs and the housing aren’t here, you’re not going to keep them.”

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of running in next year’s election? 

Crowson says she would love to see more diverse and younger interest, but that all prospective candidates need to know that the job is changing, that it is a major time commitment and that they need to understand jurisdictions between the three orders of government.

“If you are planning to run for Council, it is helpful to have sat on governance boards before. Both for your own sake and for the community’s. Concerns and issues can arise when people who are in governance do not understand their governance role and meddle in operations. If you do not enjoy reading and homework, if you don’t enjoy the minutiae of policy, there are going to parts of being on a governance board like City Council that you are going to find frustrating. But it’s important to set up the entire corporation for success through that type of work,” she says.

“Part of the role of council is being a board of directors just like any other board of directors. Then you also have the political side,” Crowson says. "The political side will get you elected – but after that it’s four years as a board of directors doing the community’s work. This is a wonderful job and a job where you get to serve the community and its residents. But you really need to understand the job before you apply for it.”

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