Jason Wilneff wants to be one of Whitehorse’s next city councillors.
Wilneff is running as part of the Together Whitehorse slate, which also features Dan Bushnell, Jenny Hamilton and Daniel Schneider. The slate’s declared platform focuses on collaboration between levels of government, fiscal responsibility and improving community safety — the latter emphasized by Wilneff during an interview with the News.
Wilneff, who came to Whitehorse from Halifax over 22 years ago, said it is difficult to see “the general condition the downtown is in.”
“This town has been really good to me, and I just do not like seeing it like this,” Wilneff said, pointing to small business owners being the subject of harassment and crime.
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If elected, Wilneff said he will push for changes with the goal of making Whitehorse safer.
In a follow-up email after the interview, Wilneff said he believes the slate will "need to take some time and have a good look at what was tried, what worked and what hasn’t from the previous administration." He said he'd work with the previous council, constituents and affected businesses and the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce.
Wilneff also listed infrastructure as a priority, especially when it comes to rush-hour traffic. He would look at traffic techniques used in bigger cities like his hometown, such as a reversible centre lane.
“When it's busy in one direction, in the morning they'd have the third lane going that way, and then in the evening, when everybody's coming home, they would open the third lane the other way. And it kind of helped with the synergy of the traffic,” Wilneff said.
Wilneff is currently the manager of business development at Mueller Electric, an electrical and mechanical welding fabricating company. He said he’s started four companies since coming to Whitehorse, dealing with everything from heavy duty parts to diesel fuel to propane to equipment dealership.
Chris Hall said Wilneff acted as a “steward” when Hall first moved to Whitehorse with his wife. Hall had begun working at the company where Wilneff was working in sales.
“He makes you feel comfortable. He makes everybody around him, sort of amalgamate seamlessly,” Hall told the News.
Hall called Wilneff’s leadership skills “unrivalled.”
“Jason is sort of a poster child of dedication,” Hall said. “He's kind of shown a remarkable commitment to community services.”
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
