Iqaluit votes 2015: Kuthula Matshazi says residents need more say

There needs to be more public engagement in Iqaluit's civic politics.That's the message from city council candidate Kuthula Matshazi. He says the city's residents should be council's number one resource, and more effort ought to be put into explaining policy and incorporating public feedback.

"The citizens are the ones who know their day-to-day issues,"Matshazi says. "So we really need to tap into them."

As an example, Matashzi points to the city's recent change in trucked water service.

"People are not happy about it," he says. "I think what we need to do is develop a nimble way of getting people's opinions and hearing people's voices."

Matshazi has lived in Iqaluit for three years. He says, if elected, he'll be relying on his experience as an intern at the City of Kitchener along with his recent work as a senior policy analyst for Nunavut's Department of Family Services.

For Matshazi, good government is the result of clearly defined roles.

"Council has got to know where they start and where they end," Matshazi says, "and the administration needs to know where they start and where they have to end."

Nine people arerunning for Iqaluit city council, as well as three for mayor, in the Oct. 19 municipal election. CBC North will profile all 12 candidates.