My Priorities
Results-oriented city government:
- Strengthen an innovative results-oriented culture at city hall.
- Increase accountability for progress on key strategic initiatives
- Use council strategic plan objectives to drive policy priorities, budgeting, capital plan and advocacy at the provincial level.
More affordable housing:
- Allow more secondary suites.
- Pre-zone appropriate land parcels for affordable housing.
- Align zoning bylaws with city plan density targets.
- Decrease building permit times by increasing professional reliance.
- Encourage the development of family-oriented units.
- Expand partnerships with non-profit housing providers.
- Investigate a municipal housing corporation and public housing model.
A combined health, housing and community safety response to homelessness and social disorder:
- Increase civic leadership in co-ordinating an improved response to reducing homelessness.
- Advocate strongly for provincial investment into complex care housing, addiction treatment, criminal justice reform and supportive housing to help people off the streets and into the right type of care.
- Develop appropriate locations for shelters, harm reduction and outreach services, and ensure proper resourcing to maintain community safety.
- Support development of co-ordinated access for increasing efficiency of community response.
- Continue to support the Nanaimo community safety officer program, RCMP staffing levels and clean teams.
Climate action and environmental protection:
- Fully implement City and RDN climate action plans.
- Complete the RDN waste plan implementation to reach 90% diversion of waste from landfill.
- Increase retrofit programs for low carbon energy systems in buildings, and support these in all new builds.
- Protect environmentally sensitive areas, and create more parkland including on the Nanaimo River.
- Continue to invest in public transit and active transportation infrastructure.
A strong local economy that meets the needs of our community:
- Reduce development and building permit times through increasing professional reliance
- Advocate and secure funding for expanded Nanaimo hospital services.
- Improve local food security through incentivizing production and markets.
- Continue investing in accessible recreational and community facilities.
- Continue investing in Arts and Culture.
- Conserve industrial lands and support use for emerging sectors
- Continue to support the Nanaimo Prosperity Agency
- Attract and develop businesses that convert waste to resources and contribute to a circular local economy.
- Continue expanding public transit and active transportation infrastructure.
- Continue with plans to develop the downtown core.
