Morinville Council candidate profile: Bonnie Moerike

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Local small business owner Bonnie Moerike is seeking a seat on Morinville Town Council, her first run at municipal politics but not her first involvement with the community.

Moerike, 72, said she was prompted to run by her interest in Morinville, where she has lived for many years.

“I’m very interested in the community and hopefully I can be some use on Council,” she said. “There’s a few things that interest me more than others: children, the elderly and what we can offer them. I’d like to see a little bit more green space for the children in the subdivisions.”

The candidate said during the lead up to the last municipal election she was urged by a few people in the community to run for office but decided not to. Those requests were repeated when a seat became available on Council. “They asked me again this election and I decided to put my name forward,” Moerike said.

The candidate has a few issues and concerns for the community. She said she recently learned about the Capital Region Board and feels it is another issue confronting the municipalities. “I was just shocked when I learned what it meant,” she said of the provincially-sanctioned long-term planning body. “I would like to know more about that and the only way I can know more about it, truly, is by being on council.”

Moerike sees her age, life experience, and local involvement as assets in her bid for office.

“I’ve been involved on a few boards and I’ve been employed in Morinville for quite some time,” she said, adding she has served both on the Morinville Library Board and worked for the library as well. “I think my age and the fact I have an interest in children and the elderly can give some input.”

If elected to office the candidate said she would like to see more programs and opportunities for the elderly, items as simple as more benches and garbage cans on streets and as complex as bussing and other senior programming. “The elderly seem to be forgotten, the ones in homes,” she said, adding she does not feel there is a lot for them to do. “Maybe we have to look at that.”

The candidate is the owner of Koloa’s Pet and House Sitting, a recent edition to Morinville’s business offerings. She is married and has three sons.

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