WRN’s George Nakogee recently interviewed Kraymr Grenke, the Conservative Party candidate for the Timmins-James Bay riding in the upcoming federal election.
Nakogee: How are things so far?
Grenke: It’s been really good — it started a couple of months ago getting ready for the election coming up on Oct. 21. The preparation part has been really positive for my group getting ready to get on the ground running for the election coming up. The chill is in the air now, which means election season is around the corner. At this point we’ve made it past Labour Day so the brisk air this morning was kind of a reminder of where we’re headed. Summer is finally coming to a close unfortunately but I look forward to the next five-and-a-half, six weeks of campaigning as we get set to head into the federal election.
Nakogee: Provides translation.
Well sir, this is a moment we provide — please go ahead and do so. I will be right here for translations with each point you make.
Grenke: To start, my name is Kraymr Grenke. I was born and raised here in Timmins. I left for about six years to go out and study commerce administration down south at Laurentian University in Sudbury. I returned home and became an accountant here in Timmins and after serving some time in a public accounting firm I found myself as the economic development officer for the Wabun Tribal Council for the past year-and-a-half, an incredible experience that taught me great things that the First Nation communities are doing here in the north, providing high level support to those communities as they venture out on their endeavours through mining, self employment, small business opportunities. Working with the communities here and around Timmins was an amazing experience and brought me some insight on the First Nation communities near here as I head out on the campaign trail.
Nakogee: Provides translation.
Grenke: That’s the brief summary of kind of where I’ve been and what I’ve done here in the community. When I returned to Timmins I got involved pretty heavily in different ventures outside of my professional career at Wabun. I sit on the hospital board for the Timmins and District Hospital as the vice chair, I sit on the Timmins Police Services Board, the Timmins Economic Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce. These boards provided me with insight for a little bit of our region on some of the struggles and strengths that we see here in the north and the things that we can do with the help of the federal government with a representative of the majority power of government. The possibilities are out there to move our communities forward together. No community in the north of Timmins-James Bay can do it on their own. We have to work together to have all our communities succeed. That being said, with the First Nation communities in the Timmins-James Bay region, whether it be the lower ones or the ones on the James Bay coast, I look forward to the opportunity to talking with [citizens] of those communities, leaders and [citizens] of the communities and the youth, being a younger person and seeing the things that they see as a younger generation and how we move forward together as a group.
Nakogee: Provides translation.
Grenke: So to talk back about building a plan together, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks touring in and around the Timmins area and understanding the things that we need to look forward to as a community. I look forward to that opportunity at the end of September as I make my way to the James Bay coast. I want to invite anybody to come see me while I am in their respective community as I make my way up north at the end of the month. Pose questions, help them understand what my plan is and my party’s plan for the region, but mostly I want to understand what the community [citizens] see as the vision for their communities. I want to go up there and not tell anybody what I want to do — I want to hear from the community [citizens] themselves and the leaders of those communities and build a plan together and let me support you as we move forward into a new government in the fall. That’s where I look to have those conversations and be able to listen to the [citizens] of those communities.
Nakogee: Provides translation.
Grenke: When I visit the communities up north, I want to help learn and understand the issues and the positive notes that are moving our communities forward and how I can be a helping hand. I want to take the lead when asked to take the lead but I want to move forward together as we fight to solve the problems that are facing the communities in the northern James Bay coast, whether it is the moving of the community of Kashechewan or the water crisis in Attawapiskat. How do we move those issues forward with a solution and a plan and they’re not just continuing to be back burner issues. We want them to be at the forefront of the vision of Timmins-James Bay and solve those issues and problems and have a solution moving forward with leadership and [citizens] of the communities.
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