Who Is Dave Loewen - My Bio

I was born and raised in Abbotsford; attended South Poplar Elementary, MEI, and Abbotsford Secondary schools. I am a retired educator, having taught two years in Australia, three in Manitoba, and 32 at MEI, including three years as Principal of the secondary school and two years as principal at MEI Chilliwack.

I hold a B.A. (Sociology) from Simon Fraser University, and a M.Ed. (Administration) from the University of Victoria.

   

Following high school, I volunteered two years with MCC in the Democratic Republic of Congo; here I managed of a Guest House for one year (at age 19), and did community development work for one year in a remote part of the Kivu Province, near Bukavu.

I have served on numerous boards and committees over the years:

• ·         MCC BC Board member for 10 years, including vice-chair and chair positions,
• ·         National and local church boards,
• ·         Chair of the Canadian Mennonite University Council, Winnipeg;
• ·         Director on the B.C. Federation of Independent Schools Associations Board;
• ·         Director on the Heart2Heart (Haiti) Board; and
• ·         Director on the Mennonite Historical Society of B.C. Board.

I am a member of Level Ground Mennonite Church, and am proud to serve our community as a member of the Rotary Club of Abbotsford; I am a recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow.

First elected to City Council in 2005, I am now serving in my fourth term. My responsibilities on Council have included most committees including:

• ·         Mission-Abbotsford Transit Committee;
• ·         Abbotsford Social Development Advisory Committee;
• ·         City Industrial Development Advisory Committee;
• ·         City Economic Development Advisory Committee;
• ·         Environmental Advisory Committee;
• ·         Abbotsford Youth Commission;
• ·         Matsqui Dyking, Drainage and Irrigation Committee;
• ·         Audit Committee;
• ·         Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development;
• ·         Business, Innovation, Growth & Attraction Advisory Committee
• ·         Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce (Council Liaison)
• ·         Abbotsford Local Immigration Partnership Council
• ·         Abbotsford Arts Council
• ·         Homelessness Action Advisory Committee, Chair (2014-16)
• ·         Parks, Recreation, and Culture Committee, Chair (2016-18)
• ·         Fraser Valley Regional District Board. 
• ·         Abbotsford’s Canada 150 Community Leader

I am married to Grace, a registered nurse, and we have two married sons and seven grandchildren, all living in Abbotsford. We enjoy traveling, which has taken them to five continents (some with student groups on service assignments), and to many parts of North America.

I have a keen interest in family history and genealogy, both of which occupy some of my leisure time. I enjoy the outdoors (hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing), as well as fitness-related activities (I have competed in Seniors’ Swimming; Sprint-Triathlons, GranFondos, Half-Marathon, numerous 5k & 10k runs, including all Run For Water events.).

United We Voted

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   In the space of four years, this council has tabled 2400 motions and in 96% of them voted unanimously in favour. That record might raise questions in the minds of some. Do individual councillors think and act independently, or are they simply conformists? Are they simply filling a seat and collecting a pay-cheque? One could be excused for believing that vigorous examination and debate of the issues is absent around the council table.

   The truth of the matter is that this council has benefitted from a carefully-laid foundation at the start of our mandate. Within weeks of this council’s election it met, along with senior staff, for a two-day retreat at which a strategic plan was laid out, along with a clear vision built around “Four Cornerstones” that would direct both staff and council during the next four years. Those Four Cornerstones, along with the Official Community Plan, 2016, would be foundational to every report presented to council; if they were not accounted for in the report, the report never made it to our table.

   In my previous terms on Council, it was my experience that Council was often divided over applications that came before it, or over reports submitted by staff. Too frequently, the applicants left disenchanted with the process and staff were left puzzled and frustrated by the response they received from Council. Clarity and predictability have become the new norm; all parties - applicants, staff, and Council members have felt more confident about the process and more satisfied with the outcome. In the end, it is the City and its residents who have been the beneficiary.

   A second piece that contributed to an effective council was the advent of alternating weeks of council meetings and more informal Council of the Whole (COW) meetings. These COW meetings provided an opportunity for council to preview staff reports and to provide invaluable feedback, which staff then considered in shaping their final reports, which were then vetted by the city manager. By the time these reports appeared on council agendas, we were confident that the likelihood of seeing a report we could accept would be high. In previous years, council often sent reports back to staff for reconsideration, or they resulted in split votes and created divisiveness among council members.

   Speaking for myself, if I know that a given proposal matches council’s priorities and meets all the requirements set out in policies and bylaws that we as council have already accepted, it becomes a more straight-forward process of approval and eliminates frivolous debate. In short, this council has been the most effective council I’ve served on.

A recent Abbotsford News story quoted Councillor Barkman saying that Council had become complacent.

Abbotsford councillor says slate’s control of votes has encouraged complacency

   I don't share Councillor Barkman's assessment of the situation. Debate simply for the sake of debate is not necessarily profitable use of time. If discussion/debate has already occurred and feedback from Council has assisted staff in shaping reports and proposals, then one should expect there to be less disagreement at decision time. Furthermore, the slate has not controlled the vote; they constitute 4 of 9 votes, and on most of the votes in which Cllr Barkman dissented, he was the lone dissenter.

"YOUR WORSHIP"

A Feudal Practice

Worship, (noun) (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (preceded by: Your, His, or Her) Brit a title used to address or refer to a mayor, magistrate, or a person of similar high rank

   Should the practice of referring to elected officials (i.e. mayors) as “Your Worship” be continued? Some argue that the practice be discontinued on religious grounds, as expressed recently by G. Peachey; that the term is reserved for addressing our Creator God. I have never heard anyone use it that way, nor have I ever referred to God as “Your Worship”, but when used as a verb, it has for me always denoted an action directed towards God.

   Used as a noun, however, it does not convey the same meaning for me. I will, however, suggest that it should be discontinued on other grounds, which speak more directly to its origin, dating back to the feudal era. At that time, there was a wide social and economic disparity between the peasants and their landlords, who were obliged to provide safety and justice in return for the peasants’ labour. These landlords not only provided security, but also ruled the feudal lives of the lower-class serfs.

   It was in this relation of landlord-peasant, where subordination and obedience was demanded and accepted, that the landlord was addressed as “Your Worship”, signifying a higher-ranking status. Following the industrial revolution, society moved from a feudal to a capitalist order, and in this environment, landlords were gradually replaced by appointed, and later, elected mayors in the English political context. Notwithstanding a total social revolution and structural change, mayors continued to be addressed as “Your Worship”, particularly in the English world.

   Canada has inherited its parliamentary system of government and judicial system from Great Britain. Many of the practices, titles, and terminology associated with both continue to be found in our country. With respect to the title, “Your Worship”, it specifically has its origin in a society and political structure that reflects inequality and subordination. Using that term in a democratic society in the 21^st century is questionable, and if we are to discontinue using it for that reason, I would certainly agree. In fact, I would support the position that it’s unacceptable. Our mayors are elected representatives and “servants” of the public, as are all elected officials. Let’s resolve to discontinue its use, but for the right reason.