Steve Streatch Shoots from the Hip
The seasoned politician is in full reelection mode
After rappelling the side of the Westin Hotel in Downtown Halifax; Steve Streatch, Councillor for Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley, says he had about five minutes of training prior to the stunt. For this month’s election, however, the incumbent has over twenty years of training and you could even say he has a whole life of experience.
That’s because the Streatch family has a long political history.
Steve’s father Ken was the MLA for Bedford-Musquodoboit Valley. Steve’s younger sister Judy Streatch was the MLA for Chester- St. Margarets and her husband Gerald Keddy was a Member of Parliament for South Shore-St. Margaret’s.
Sitting in the Westin’s empty hotel restaurant after the stunt, Streatch says he was raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation charity and, without saying how much, Streatch made sure to mention he raised well over $1500 minimum.
Streatch is less open to discussing his family’s life outside of politics.
“My father Ken Streatch was a minister under John Buchanan between 1978 and ’92, so public service and the calling to serve the community and politics has always been in my blood and in my family,” says Streatch
When asked what advice he’s been given by his father, Streatch wouldn’t get into specifics but says he listens to input and advice from everyone willing to share.
“So yes of course I take advice, I take input from everybody, whether it be family, whether it be friends, members of the community. I gauge that input and make the decisions as I see fit,” says Streatch.
Prior to entering politics, Streatch was a restaurateur, had a cable television business, and a consulting business. His large family has many business interests: Musquodoboit Sod, Blomidon Nurseries, Turf Masters Landscaping, and Sunberry Cranberry farm in New Brunswick.
Streatch’s family is very active in his campaign, including his father, five sons, and wife Marilyn. She acts as his campaign manager and, unlike her husband, does not come from a political family.
“She’s always been my campaign manager; my life manager, family manager. She’s a very private person and for her, this is pushing her comfort level; stepping into the public realm. She does it for the right reasons. Not just to support me. But to make things better in the community we live in,” says Streatch.
He says community involvement and volunteerism were very important to his family; which led to residents in his community encouraging him to pursue the vacant council seat in 1999.
“In the community I live in, the Musquodoboit Valley, there was concerns about how county issues and priorities were being treated. One thing led to another and someone in the community said ‘Steve, you’ve got a lot to say about this, why don’t you run?’ So the opportunity came up…I ran in that by-election and have served the people ever since,” says Streatch.
Since becoming a councillor, Streatch has addressed many of the concerns and issues within HRM and his district. Three achievements he highlights are a tax structure review in the early 2000s; bringing central water service to Fall River; and one close to his heart from his pre-councillor career: cable and internet.
“Another one was the success of the recent awarding of the high speed internet contract to Bell Aliant that will bring fibre optic to every home in rural HRM and that was an initiative that I’ve championed for two or three years and worked behind the scenes to bring about,” says Streatch.
The main aspect of Streatch’s reelection platform is what he calls his “legacy knowledge”. Streatch says a worldwide pandemic is not the time for a new councillor to learn on the job.
“It is time for experience…it is not time for beginners…I offer stability. I offer leadership; and I offer the continuity that the legacy knowledge I have will allow me to deliver to the district,” says Streatch.
His fellow councillors attest to Streatch’s strong commitment to his district and HRM as a whole. Steve Adams, a member of council since 1994, describes Streatch as a hard worker.
“Straight forward guy. Down to Earth. Hard working, not only in council, but in professional life as well. He’s an impressive fella,” says Adams.
Adams also says Streatch has grown a lot as a councillor and, without getting specific, says he’s found a little more restraint over the past twenty years.
“Steve, when he first started, he would say what he thinks and sometimes got in a little trouble. He’s taken a step back sometimes. I’ve jokingly said a number of years ago, it wasn’t a real council meeting unless Steve had to apologize for something. But Steve would never say anything with the intent of hurting someone or being malicious. Ever,” says Adams.
Streatch still continues to say what he thinks.
Last year during the Extinction Rebellion bridge shutdown protest concerning climate action, Streatch was confronted by protestors and local media while trying to cross the bridge for an interview with Rick Howe of News 95.7.
The protestors pushed at Streatch and he pushed back. In videos available online, he told them he’s “…going to get back in that diesel 400 horsepower 350 and I’m going to drive over that bridge…” and then bid them farewell by saying, “Well folks, I’d like to stay all day but, unlike a lot of you folks, I have a job to get to.”
Streatch says he has no regrets about how he handled the situation and says the protestors have a right to express their opinions and educate, but that they went about it the wrong way.
“I’m never caught off guard, I maybe shoot from the hip sometimes. At the end of the day did they goad me? Did I need to say, ‘Yes I’m going to get in that big diesel truck’? Not likely. Was it a little rhetorical? Not likely. Well, I was getting goaded at the same time so sometimes you give what you receive. Would I go back and change it? No, I don’t think so,” says Streatch.
Streatch continues to speak bluntly when saying he doesn’t have much time for an interview, or that he doesn’t want media contacting his family.
“No, no, no. You just leave that to me. I won’t involve them to that level, I’m sorry…This doesn’t help me politically, this helps you as a student and as a father that’s what I’ll do,” he said, chuckling as he walked out of the empty restaurant.
Halifax’s municipal election takes place October 17th.