Cam Kos wants to be a voice for those he feels aren’t being heard by Whitehorse city council.
Kos is one of 17 candidates seeking six city councillor positions in the Oct. 21 municipal election.
“I see so many missed opportunities by the city,” he said in an Oct. 8 interview, noting that as a delegate he’s brought forward a number of ideas for the city that he feels haven’t been considered.
Kos is no stranger to getting his ideas out either as a delegate before council or during an election, having run in the 2011 byelection, 2012 and 2015 municipal votes for councillor positions. He’s also previously served on the school council for Holy Family Elementary School.
He noted housing has been an issue that comes up in vote after vote and argued there’s measures the city could have taken to better address the issue.
As an example, he pointed to the recent rezoning of a property in Marwell to allow for up to three additional caretaker suites.
He argued that rather than spot zoning one property as the council did, the city should have considered allowing for more caretaker suites in Marwell, or even in all commercial/industrial zones.
City staff explained during the rezoning that the possibility would be looked at during the lengthier Official Community Plan review, now underway, and pointed out individual businesses could bring forward their own similar zoning applications in the meantime. Kos argued doing so is a lot of work for a business when the city could have made the broader change that could have increased the number of potential housing units in the city.
“That’s just one example,” he said, going on to describe other situations where he believes the city could have made broader changes, such as the lowering of the downtown speed limit from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr earlier this year.
“That kind of thing should’ve been looked at city-wide,” he commented.
With a large extended family in the city, including his own grown children and grand-children, Kos said he wants to work toward a city that’s sustainable for future generations.
Kos brings with him a career of more than 30 years in the north, including the last 12 in Whitehorse. His career has included owning a small business and working in the private sector, though much of it has been in government with stints ranging from a corrections officer to managing the territory’s fleet vehicle agency.
“I think I have a really well-rounded perspective,” he said, noting his commitment to listen to all voices.
Now semi-retired, Kos said he has the time needed to dedicate to the role of councillor.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com