What’s your occupation? (Current and/or past)
I am currently the Director of Operations and Community Engagement at Camp Bowen (www.campbowen.ca), the division of the Canadian organization of the Blind and DeafBlind (not to be confused with CNIB) that runs the summer camp for the blind, DeafBlind, and low vision Canadians here on Bowen. I have extensive non-profit experience, having served in every seat on Boards of Directors, having been an Executive Director, having run camps, and having served as the Community Liaison Officer for Bowen Island.
How long have you lived on Bowen?
I've lived on Bowen nearly three years, though I would have been here sooner if it hadn't been for the low availability of rentals on Bowen. I've worked and volunteered for community events on Bowen Island since 2010 and I have spent time almost every summer here since 1999.
Who inspires you? (Real or fictional)
It may sound cliché but my inspiration comes from my parents, my best friends, and the Bowen Island Community. My parents have given me a love and admiration for advocacy, standing for what I believe, a strong work ethic, honesty, and integrity; my best friends' support and love for life keeps me going when times are tough; and each and every one of my fellow Bowen Islanders who I come across inspire me through your kindness and community-mindedness.
Please list any current and/or past committees or organizations you've been a part of in your career.
I've previously served on the Bowen Island Municipalities Internet Connectivity Working Group that advocated for better internet speeds and options on Bowen. I have also spent most of my career with Camp Bowen, the Bowen-based summer camp for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision Canadians. I've also worked in IT services. Lastly, I have volunteered with the BARC committee of BIRCH, Bowfest, the Handloggers Half-Marathon, Applefest, Light Up Bowen, and many other on-island and off-island non-profits.
What are your (non-housing) related priorities for the next four years?
There are a lot of issues facing Bowen right now: the park/campground, affordable housing, the environment, ferry capacity, just to name a few. With the time crunch before the park/campground sale goes through, the time is now to act on this issue. However, that does not mean the other issues I mentioned need to take a back seat. They can also be worked on simultaneously with the park/campground issues. We also need to solve these problems with a multidisciplinary lens quickly to avoid Bowen Island losing diversity and becoming a socioeconomic monoculture.
How 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. Should short-term rentals continue to be allowed in secondary suites)
We need both quick and long to implement models. Back east there is a program for connecting young families with seniors who move into suites in their homes. The families help the seniors stay in their homes in exchange for a symbiotic rental relationship. Models like this one could simultaneously prevent the loss of Bowen residents to both aging and the housing crisis. Ideas like affordable housing projects, that take longer, should absolutely form part of our housing strategy. Short-term rentals could continue to be allowed in secondary suites unless the alternative could actually help the housing crisis.
Property taxes are set for a double digit increase next year. What will your fiscal approach be re: what municipal financial obligations are passed on to property owners?
The municipality needs to research and implement additional revenue streams above and beyond the tax base. Part of this needs to come from tourism and the rest from other sources.
Assuming the land sale goes through, how will you advocate Bowen gets the best result from the proposed Cape Roger Curtis park?
We have a rezoning process to go through pre-sale to the best of my knowledge. This is a chance to influence the project before the sale goes through. Part of the rezoning process is an opportunity for public engagement, where the community can tell us what they want to see. Based on this process we can determine what parts of the project are a good fit for Bowen Island and negotiate from that position. I wont support a project that is not a good fit for Bowen or that the majority of the community opposes.
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.)
Recognizing that for accessibility purposes cars can sometimes be necessary, we need to ask ourselves "how can we minimize tourists bringing cars?" This is a multi-pronged answer requiring us to improve key infrastructure, such as bus frequency and emergency services capacity in a way that can benefit residents and tourism alike. We also need tourism accommodation near the Cove, that is not in residential neighbourhoods, that can help keep tourists spending at local businesses. Finally, I believe we need to look beyond tourism to other opportunities that can offset the Bowen economy.
Bowen’s population rose by 600 in the past 5 years, and could pass 5,000 by the next census in four years. What is your opinion on continued population growth on the island, and the best ways to manage it?
Since we have finite resources on Bowen, we need to cap growth to some extent to avoid a shortage of key resources on an island-wide basis. As one of the other candidates said recently, tourism and resident numbers need to be looked at together for this equation. In my view, the best way to manage population growth on Bowen is to manage tourism growth first and then resident growth.
Water, sewage and roads will need major amounts of work in the upcoming years. What will your approach to our infrastructure be to avoid surprise or rising costs?
To avoid surprises and/or rising costs of infrastructure, we need to put money away each year for surprises and stay on top of infrastructure maintenance in a timely and transparent way that is accountable. We also need to, as I've said before, find other ways to pay for infrastructure projects outside of the tax base.
What is your position on the Bowen election Islands Trust referendum, and how do you want to see Bowen’s relationship with Islands Trust change (or not) during the next term, keeping in mind the group has applied to the provincial government for a full review of its operations.
I believe we need to better utilize more of the resources the Islands Trust currently offers but also continue to question what the Islands Trust provides as benefits on an ongoing basis. We need to always ask ourselves every so often if being part of the Islands Trust, Metro Vancouver, or both still makes sense for Bowen. I look forward to learning more about the Islands Trust in preparation for serving Bowen on Council.
And for fun, if you could pick a new animal to add to Bowen’s mascot roster, which would it be and why?
I would pick the dog because they are such a part of Bowen Island culture. Perhaps the fact that I have a beautiful yellow lab guide dog doesn't hurt my bias, though I don't talk about her much in my campaign because her cuteness is an unfair campaign advantage. The other animal I'd pick if given another choice is specifically Keystone the island cat.
Contact:
You can call or text me at: 778-512-4721. Alternately, you can iMessage or email me at: [email protected]
You can also find out more about the work I do at: www.cobd.ca
