Nesty Paron works two jobs, but he’s added running for council to his busy schedule.
Paron’s platform is ambitious: he’s identified issues with housing, accessibility and transit in the city. He said he wants to make Whitehorse a more inclusive city. He told the News he has the knowledge, thanks to political work done in the Philippines, and community work he’s done here since arriving 14 years ago.
Paron arrived in Whitehorse via the nominee program. He worked at his florist position for ten years before moving onto his current work for the territorial government and for a contractor at the Canada Games Centre.
In the time he’s spent in Whitehorse, Paron said he has identified issues with how the city operates.
He said he thinks it can be difficult for migrants to deal with culture shock. He said some immigrants can struggle with how to share their perspectives with their elected officials.
“Are there enough services coming from our city to help these people transition from a newcomer and transition and feel that they're being taken care of, because they have nobody to reach out?” Paron said.
Paron would look to improve the bus schedule and routes, and he said he would consider winter conditions when setting it up.
He said he would also look to boost the community’s vibrancy, especially during winter. In a conversation with the News, he said he would establish a festival of lights during the winter, and a cultural festival showcasing Whitehorse’s diversity.
Paron would also look into ways to help make downtown more accessible in the winter. He said he’s fallen on the city’s slippery sidewalks before. There needs to be more clarity about whose responsibility the sidewalks are, and if those who don’t fulfill their responsibility can be penalized, Paron said.
He said he’d also want to represent the city’s queer community on council.
Paron said he’s worked as an assistant to a vice mayor and mayor in the Philippines, and worked as a teacher in that country as well. He was also a congressional staffer in the Philippines.
Outgoing city Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu knows Paron through his work at the Canadian Filipino Association of the Yukon. She said Paron is always involved in coordinating events.
If he’s not taking the lead, Curteanu said, then he’s helping the person who is. “He's the first to volunteer and he's the last to leave, you know, as long as the job gets done.”
Paron comes to the table with solutions, Curteanu said. “He does have a very strong sense of what's fair and what's right, and he's willing to go to bat about that.”
Paron is creative and detail-oriented, Curteanu said. He coached her daughter when she competed in Klondike Karaoke.
“He was trying to help coordinate, sort of, the dance moves as she's singing, like, he's really good at stuff like that,” Curteanu said. “He's so willing to share that.”
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com