Why bring a vehicle when alternative means of getting around are more enticing? I love the island-wide network of trails vision, that visitors can disappear into. Businesses can shoulder more of the costs of increased strain on island services. Bowen is a finite island with limited resources and space. What will your approach to tourism on Bowen be, and how would you strike a balance between the tourism economy and issues that arise from it (ferry capacity, increased strain on island services such as emergency, etc.)Īcknowledge limits and invite the visitors we want to come. I’m looking forward to a Bowen that’s an even better place to live. Could electric foot passenger ferries be an option? How about a luggage shuttle like the ferry between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo, or walking and cycling trips in Europe? Crippen park trails are busy with appreciative locals and I expect the new park will be too, with careful design. Already we have heard about extending buses and the multi-use pathway. This is an opportunity I have worked towards for many years. Robust public consultation will clarify issues that will need to be tackled through park planning. Assuming the land sale goes through, how will you advocate Bowen gets the best result from the proposed Cape Roger Curtis park? Is the strain on island services the same? Is this fair? What do other municipalities do? I look forward to hearing options. Currently businesses are taxed at the same rate as residential. It’s also time to ask businesses to shoulder more of the costs, in my view. Same for provincial funding to Islands Trust, which has decreased over the years leaving residents to make up the difference. I will work to strengthen the flow of grant revenue coming in to Bowen, as I have over the past two terms. What will your fiscal approach be re: what municipal financial obligations are passed on to property owners? Property taxes are set for a double digit increase next year. It’s clear that the ever-expanding online bookings industry has reduced long-term rentals and also drives housing prices higher. I look forward to the review of our short-term rental policies. Let’s explore removing parking spaces required for lots near transit routes and multi-use pathway, to leave more space for homes. Advocate for a provincial regulatory framework for short-term rentals too, similar to that in place for ride-hailing, for example. Should short-term rentals continue to be allowed in secondary suites)Īdvocate for more housing grants to be available for smaller communities, and continue to work with others on Bowen, including charities. #Owl diarie sign fullHow would you tackle the issue of affordable/rental housing on Bowen? And, Bowen will be doing a full review of short-term rental policies next year, do you have any early thoughts on this specifically (ie. More climate action faster including the multi-use pathway, transit and other ways to reduce expensive car-dependency more hiking trails and access to beaches and generally a child-friendly island rich in experiences beyond car seats. Protecting coastlines, wildlife, and healthy forests and wetlands, especially for drinking water supply, to drawdown carbon and to slow down deluges from atmospheric rivers so they don’t wash out too many culverts. What are your (non-housing) related priorities for the next four years? Chaired the most recent steering committee for our Official Community Plan (OCP), worked in nature centres, parks, and television, and am a partner in ecoleaders.ca consulting. Also am part of the BC Municipal Climate Leadership Council and others. Committee-wise, the closest to my heart is Parks, Trails and Greenways which I have usually been part of since the mid-1990s. Ooh a long list currently vice-chair of Islands Trust Conservancy with 113 nature reserves and conservation covenants including 5 on Bowen, and executive and financial planning committees of Trust Council, alongside my Bowen Council duties. Please list any current and/or past committees or organizations you've been a part of in your career. Douglas Adams inspires me to keep a sense of perspective - he travels with me to Hornby, Denman, Gambier and Victoria in a paperback copy of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The remarkable diaries of Tony Benn inspired me to run for council the first time the radical politician who championed democracy in the UK House of Commons for decades. Naturalist authors from Gerald Durrell to Rachel Carson fill many bookshelves in our home. What’s your occupation? (Current and/or past)Ĭonsultant How long have you lived on Bowen?Ģ9 years.
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