My Platform
Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with people from all walks of life who call Victoria their home and want to see our City be better than it is right now. I have those people, as well as so many subject matter experts and mentors that I have had throughout the years, to thank for the development of my policy intentions for City Council. This is a living document that I will continue to finalize as I talk to thousands of more people throughout our city before the writ drops in September.
The goal of any elected official should be to leave their post knowing that they accomplished what they set out to do, and that what they did changed the lives of their constituents for the better. That is what I am setting out to do today, and if elected, everyday.
Life in our City is too expensive. People should not have to move to Langford to afford living in Victoria. My partner and I plan to raise a family in Victoria, but every time we do the math, our dreams feel out of reach given how expensive this city is. I want this to be a city my kids and yours can grow up in, find a job in, and not be priced out by inflating costs.
Expand free transit for youth to include seniors
Lower recreation fees especially while Crystal Pool is under construction
Support local farmers and expand good food boxes
Build affordable housing
Cost of Living
Housing
I’ve met so many people in Victoria who want to build community and joy in our City, only to find themselves either priced out of our community, or too stressed about making their next rent or mortgage payment to feel like they’re a part of their neighbourhood. High rents are making people move back in with their parents and cutting flexibility out of household budgets. I’m tired of 300 square feet condos. Homes should be built for families to live and grow in. Let’s build more affordable housing, and protect renters.
Homes for families and not investors. Encourage the building of 3 & 4 bedroom units, so families have space to live.
Crack down on corporate landlords: Use empty lots, or buildings being left to rot until they can only be demolished, and turn them into affordable housing.
Implement a land value capture tax to discourage further housing speculation.
More purpose built co-ops and below market housing. Including making it easier to form a housing co-op.
Support Renters. Create renter friendly policies in our city. If a landlord refuses to make a repair, the City will do it and send them the bill with a 25% service tax.
Allow pets in rentals in Victoria.
Healthcare
Healthcare should not be a municipal issue, but when people in our community go without family doctors for decades, someone needs to step in. The Colwood Clinic is a success story that should serve as a model for municipalities in delivering healthcare to those left behind. Colwood is recruiting physicians, and we need to strive for bold solutions here in Victoria too. Healthcare is a right, and every elected leader should act like it. More of the same is no longer acceptable.
Build purpose-built housing for doctors and nurse practitioners in return for a practice in Victoria.
Create a city owned walk in clinic.
No one should feel unsafe in our City. We need to reimagine our regional public safety plan so that Victoria is not shouldering all the costs of policing in the CRD. We need to make our community safer while prioritizing our most vulnerable populations. Police officers are not mental health workers.
Demand a Regional Police Force
Establish a Special Unit to respond to theft from local businesses
Advocate and when possible adopt sensible bail reform policies
Public Safety
Homelessness
Homelessness in Victoria is a systemic failure that affects everyone. It has touched all of our lives, whether it be through a friend, neighbour or family. People deserve dignity and safety, and it is our responsibility as a community to see that people are getting the care that they need. Public parks and green spaces should not be the only answer for someone’s shelter, and the enforcement of 7 a.m. tent removal bylaws costs taxpayers a small fortune just to impound and destroy people’s belongings or watch over them as they pack up their things for an hour. This doesn’t get better if we try to pretend homelessness is an individual’s problem. It’s our problem, and we need to start at the source. We can’t afford half-measures anymore, and we can and we should do better for unhoused residents in our City.
Work with the Province to create more treatment beds
Create a housing liaison to help folks get out of transitional housing
Support harm reduction, and safe supply
Arts & Recreation
Victoria is the best place in the world to live, and that’s due in part to the public spaces we’ve curated and our blossoming arts community. Cultural grant funding from the city has supported theatre, ballet, and film directly, but has also supported artists and makers through the Victoria Tool Library, where you can borrow anything from an airbrush kit to a table saw. The revitalization of Rifflandia and breakout success of Phillips Backyard shows that Victorians want to go out and have fun with their friends, and the City needs to support that. As for everyday recreation, there is so much room we can do! I fought for the revival of Crystal Pool because I know how much it means for families of all income levels to have an opportunity to recreate, and that’s why I want to introduce a CRD-wide recreation pass.
Continue to invest in the arts in our city
Build on the Rock Bay revitalization plan
Make hosting a festival easier
Work with our CRD partners for an outdoor regional pool
Create a CRD Rec pass, so you can access any recreation center in Greater Victoria
Better beaches with Bella: Allow for beer on beaches. Build infrastructure in our parks like BBQ’s and pavilions for when it rains
Climate Change & Transportation
Climate change is an existential threat that is too big to look away from, and there is a role for council to try to protect our city from its effects and reduce how much we are contributing to it. This means trying to find ways to incentivize people to actually use low-emission transportation by connecting bike lanes between municipalities and improving bus service and frequency. We want to make sure we are building sustainable buildings, and investing in projects that protect our environment.
Expand Fare Free transit to seniors
Build more bus shelters
Advocate for lower bus fees
Bike lane improvements and connecting bike lanes to other municipalities
Ensure Crystal Pool is built to energy standards to lower the city’s carbon emission
High penalties for companies who do not effectively dispose of building materials and other waste properly
Thriving Communities
I want to help foster a city that works for its residents. That means caring about the little things like garbage and recycling being picked up on time, to bigger things like building out our cycling network to connect with other municipalities’. The city should invest in shared spaces to make it easier for someone to start a small eatery and keep the money local! We also need to ensure community associations have the tools they need to make their neighbourhoods stand out and grow in their own ways and help keep our city a great place to live as a result.
Create a business registry of business that are open partial hours, and encourage the space to be rented out to new businesses during their off hours
Invest in community centres for Jubilee, and James Bay
A new library in Quadra village
Ensuring road construction makes sense
Allow local business in select parks (coffee, hot dog stands, ice cream)
Continue to fund the Downtown Victoria Business Association to support local businesses with graffiti removal and facade repairs.