In the final local news day before Monday’s election, CHMA brings you its last day of candidate interviews ahead of Tantramar’s municipal election on May 11.
Local journalist Clinton Davis spoke with Ward 1 Candidate Katelyn Olive ahead of Monday’s vote. Olive spoke about her background in the community, why she decided to run, and what she would want to focus on if elected.
Listen to the interview below.
This interview has been edited for clarity
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Yes. So I have been born and raised in Dorchester. I am ninth generation on my dad’s side, originating in 1772 here. I have been a homeowner and a taxpayer since 21 years this year.
I’ve raised my family here in Dorchester. I have sat on the Save Our School committee in 2015 with great success, moved on to being the PSSC chair for Dorchester, have been a Girl Guide leader, a volunteer to a lot of kids organizations over the years.
I have been asked by community members and my family to come forward and run for municipal council in our area, and after a lot of thought, I decided that it could be the best time to come forward and run.
What is it that made you decide to run in this year’s municipal election?
Well, having three kids here that are coming into being young adults, they’ve discussed they want to stay in the community. I had considered running for council when they were younger and I was a taxpayer in the village of Dorchester. I ended up moving to the local service district and was unable to run to address issues within the municipality at that time.
When amalgamation came up the first time around, it just wasn’t the right timing. This time, I am looking at a lot of the same issues that the community is facing from 20 years ago that are still on the table that I’d like to explore.
I’d really like to bridge the gap between the municipal and the local service districts, between municipal and provincial government. I’d really like to advocate for bilingualism in our school, and I’d like to bridge the gap between us and the penitentiary and advocate for more programming for our community, more equal opportunities.
And that being said, I thought that it may be the right time to come forward and sit at the table, talk about budgets, and talk about services.
And if elected on May 11th, what is it you hope to accomplish?
If elected on May 11th, I would really like to bring our community back to life, support everybody that’s looking to breathe life back into the community.
I would really like to focus on us being a shire town and look at the history for tourism, support our businesses, bring equal opportunity. I would like to see us send more than a letter asking to keep our school to the province, but to ask for bilingual services.
I would like to ask for better access to health care for our seniors. I would like to see all of our buildings being utilized better. The municipal office building should have something repurposed.
I would like to see the square be revitalized. Our sidewalks to the school should be safe. The kids could use a splash pad. There’s lots of grants and funding out there that I’d like to explore.
I’d really like to build our relationship with the penitentiary – our roads, our services, our infrastructure, and build our community back up. Support our volunteer programs and promote Dorchester as a shire town.
Thank you so much for your time. We’re wishing you the best of luck.
Thank you.
Ward 1 voters will choose their Councillor and Mayor on May 11th, 2026. To review all candidates we could schedule interviews with, visit CHMA’s Tantramar Municipal Election 2026 page.
Clinton Davis is a community journalist and audio producer covering the people, events, and ideas shaping the Tantramar region.
