For Campbell River
My priorities.
Houses people can afford
I know young adults who are working, living with family and wondering when a place of their own will be possible. Rents are too high and buying is not possible. Some are thinking about leaving. I don’t want the next generation to feel that building a life here is out of reach.
The housing gap and the cost of getting homes built ↗What I want to work on
I want more homes and a clearer path for good development. I live the special connection to our woods, streams and wildlife every day. We live in a special place and I want to keep it special. I look at the supply of housing, the studies guiding our needs for house, the progress we have made and what still needs to be accomplished for the City to create the conditions to accelerate housing. I care about development changing our city into something we don't want. I don't expect perfection and I want to avoid becoming another island community where the people who work in the city can't afford decent housing. I want City fees, the approval and permitting process and culture to be welcoming and solutions oriented. All of this is to minimize the impact the City has on the cost of housing.
What that looks like in practice
I value beauty as a planning concept. I took the proposed vision for our City in the OCP at 2nd reading and made the motion to amend it with Council Support. This amendment changed it from a generic coastal city to one that was optimistic and included our First Nations contributions while noting Campbell River is one of the most satisfying places to live. (Statistics Canada in 2025 stated our City had the highest "top life-satisfaction" rating in BC) I really do agree with this vision and I hope you do too.
Property taxes
Property taxes are part of the same budget that pays for groceries, rent or a mortgage. I feel that pressure too. I want to keep taxes as low as responsibly possible while caring for the water, roads and other services we rely on.
What I want to work on
I want the City to plan repairs before they become emergencies, keep taxes as low as responsibly possible and connect new spending to a clear public benefit. For a new facility, I want to see the cost of running and maintaining it, not just the construction price.
What that looks like in practice
Giving staff clear direction helps. When Council keeps changing the assignment, people spend time redoing work. I want us to settle on what matters, listen to the people doing the job and give them room to find sensible ways to save.
Accessibility and transportation
A long walk without a bench. Snow piled at a curb. Information that only works for someone who is comfortable online. These can turn an ordinary outing or a simple City task into something difficult.
What I want to work on
My own ankle, knee and hip troubles, and my work with people affected by injuries, have changed how I see an ordinary street. A slope or a missing place to rest can decide whether someone goes out at all. Many disabilities are not visible, and I want our planning to take that seriously.
What that looks like in practice
I want a trip to the shops to feel manageable, with cleared sidewalks, comfortable crossings, lighting, shade and somewhere to sit. The City should meet the snow-clearing standard it asks of businesses. Campbellton and neighbourhoods north of the river need useful connections too, shaped by where people actually go.
Connected neighbourhoods
I want a walk along the Seawalk to lead naturally into downtown. I walked every proposed bike lane, sidewalk, and path proposed in the Master Transportation Plan. I also met people on that walk, and learned and observed the things the consultants might miss such as foot paths worn into the hills and shoulders. I heard from users I met about their tales of alternate paths cyclists use, and learned about the old horse trails that still exist. I recorded short videos showing potential new paths on my social media. I also want us to focus on more than the core and the south end of the City. My Campbell River includes connecting our largest downtown population, being the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, taking advantage of the level ground in Campbellton and the river that flanks it, the connectivity with Quinsam Heights to the plateau and the Wei Wai Kai First Nation and future expanded Wei Wai Kum First Nation, those places across the river like Painter Barclay or up General Hill, to our neglected parkland jewel, McIvor Lake.
What I want to work on
I want to work toward a welcoming, accessible waterfront connection while taking the effects on nearby residents seriously. I want recreation and public spaces that fit how people actually move around our city, our weather and our geography. I want to ensure the sidewalks and paths around Ironwood and 16th Avenue are built with special consideration for our seniors. I want to see McIvor Lake be a beautiful park with amenities and seasonal bus service. I want to improve accessibility for those with disabilities, visible and non-visible. I want to harness technology to connect you to your city, with an app or better information flows in the ways that best connect to you. I think our current waste collection app is great and I want to see this expand for all services and communications, including input to the City for trouble reporting, feedback surveys and completely accessible reports and agendas.
What that looks like in practice
Clearer and faster communication. When you need to know how high your fence can be built, it’s easy to find. When you need to know your lawn watering times, an alert can be set up. When you need to report a pothole, there is a place to send the request. When it comes to recreation projects or other infrastructure like path and non-vehicle bike routes, these projects can get your input and then bring real benefits that I want to see happen in the City. To foster these, I work with service groups, not-for-profit organizations, staff and other council members to set the priorities and budget. I learn from other places that are building it right and work regionally and with higher levels of government.
City spending and follow-through
If everything is the top priority, staff cannot know where to start. Repeated studies, changing instructions and restarting work use money and time that could go toward getting something done. It is one of the most important factors I have learned in keeping our tax increase among the lowest of comparable BC communities.
What I want to work on
I want Council to agree on a manageable set of priorities, put them in the budget and give staff clear direction. I want to check progress, learn when something is not working and explain changes instead of quietly moving the goalposts.
What that looks like in practice
When a new request comes forward, I ask what problem it solves, who is responsible, what it costs and what would move down the list to make room for it. Staff capacity and roles are respected.
Community safety
I work downtown and have had to go in at night after a break-in at my business. Waiting while police check the premises makes the issue very personal. I want people to feel safe opening their shop, going for a walk or coming home.
What I want to work on
Policing and prevention both matter. I support the work to make downtown safer, and I want us to keep looking at what helps and what it costs. The people who work and spend time there should be part of that conversation.
What that looks like in practice
The City has a role in public safety, but local taxpayers cannot carry every responsibility. Where people need treatment, health care or supported housing, I want the Province and health authorities to do their part alongside our local services.
What residents said in the latest City survey
Policing
Bylaws and enforcement
These are survey responses about services, not crime rates. The improvement is encouraging; it does not mean everyone feels safe.
City survey results, December 2025 ↗