Cartoon By Wendy Brown
Here is an overview of highlights from my Council track record so far
The first two terms on City Council have been super busy and jampacked with efforts to make change! I have tried to put together some of the highlights of things I have brought forward myself and/or through the Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Committee. This is not an exhaustive list as there are not enough hours in the day to go back and look through eight years of agendas but it is a start.
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Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Committee work; including the hiring of the full-time Sustainability Planner which has helped the City (once all the funded projects are completed) reduce corporate GHG emissions by 577.54 tCO2e per year; save on utility costs $135,300 per year; and have generated $5,450,316 in grant funding and in-kind contributions for climate action/carbon emission reduction products.[1]
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Improvements to transit like the Zunga Bus Pilot - the first On-Demand transit service in BC.[2][3][4]
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Forming a City Youth Council and supporting/mentoring numerous young people to become more interested and engaged in civic governance and to learn how to advocate for change. The Youth Council was successful in making recommendations to Council on a number of issues of importance to them, they gave incredible direct feedback to the creation of the City’s Bicycle Network Strategy with Copenhagenize Design Company, and they crafted several resolutions that went to the UBCM Conventions and were considered and passed by the delegates.[5][6] They even received recognition by a Provincial Minister for one of their bold resolutions. Several of the Youth Council members have gone on to participate in BC Youth Parliament and have become further engaged in civic politics as young adults.
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Collaborating on the creation of a Declaration of the Right to a Healthy Environment for the City of Powell River[7]
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The development and implementation of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan[8]
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My role in supporting the name change for the Regional District to qathet – Working Together.
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Support for Arts, Culture & Heritage and the development of contribution agreements for some of our most valued arts organizations to have predictable funding and in-kind use of facilities.
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Helped facilitate the creation of the Art Centre.
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Municipal Heat Pump Rebates.[9]
[4] https://smalltownsbigstepsbc.myportfolio.com/powellriver
[5] B199 Environmental Education Curriculum – pg 223 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-07/2019%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
[6] B208 Free Post-Secondary Education in British Columbia – pg 227 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-07/2019%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
[7] https://powellriver.ca/pages/sustainabilitydeclaration
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Initiating the Bicycle Network Strategy by Copenhagenize Design Company.[1]
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Development of the Business Façade Improvement Program in collaboration with Community Futures.[2]
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Sidewalk Patios & Parklets Program during COVID.[3][4]
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Support for increased heritage protection and planning.[5]
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Funding through electoral area taxation for the Recreation Complex operations by way of the creation of a Regional Recreation Service.
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Support for Parkland Acquisition funding at the qathet Regional District.
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Zero Waste initiatives regionally including supporting the development of the Resource Recovery Centre at old incinerator site.[6]
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Encouragement of the organics curbside collection pilot.
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Supporting the development of a regional Housing Needs Assessment.[7]
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Regulating short-term rentals.
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Developing amendments permitting secondary dwelling units like carriage houses.
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Encouraging increased density and more energy efficient home construction.
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Early adoption of the BC Energy Step Code with a low carbon heating provision.[8][9]
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Advocacy to BC Housing for Supportive housing facility for under-housed, homeless and at-risk people.
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Advocacy to the Province for a safe injection site and funding for the opioid crisis.
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Support for developing a regional Social Action Planning & Advisory Committee and hiring a Social Planner to work on issues like Housing, Poverty Reduction[10], Childcare & Early Years Strategy[11], Social Cohesion and Seniors Outreach.[12]
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Resolutions advocating to the Province of BC through AVICC & UBCM.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
[1] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/document/109996/
[2] https://powellriver.ca/pages/business-facade-improvement-program
[3] https://powellriver.ca/pages/sidewalk-patios-parklets
[5] https://powellriver.ca/pages/heritage-planning
[6] https://www.qathet.ca/current_project/resource-recovery-centre/
[7] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/document/101436/
[8] Pg 20 https://powellriver.civicweb.net/filepro/document/604/Building%20Bylaw%202141%20-%20Consolidated.pdf
[10] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/document/87572/
[11] https://powellriver.ca/pages/earlyyears
[12] https://powellriver.ca/pages/socialplanning
[13]NR31 Contaminants Released from Wastewater Treatment Plants – pg 103 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-08/2021%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book_0.pdf
[14] NR27 Reform of the BC Utilities Commission – pg 101 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-08/2021%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book_0.pdf
[15] EB37 Developing a Vision to End Energy Poverty – pg 48 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-08/2021%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book_0.pdf
[16] NR35 Odometer Readings for Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tracking – pg 129 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-07/2020%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
[17] B150 Standards for Microplastic Filtration, Liquid Waste Management – pg 192 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-07/2019%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
[18] B151 Canada Post Delivering Community Power – pg 193 https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2021-07/2019%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
[19] Single-Use Disposable Products – https://powellriver.civicweb.net/FileStorage/425D9441D8094EFD94DE5938685B8C65-AVICC%20Resolution%20Single%20Use%20Products.docx
[20] Climate Emergency - https://powellriver.civicweb.net/FileStorage/E3383E1E45D144ED9905697DE6E315EA-AVICC%20Resolution%20Climate%20State%20of%20Emergency.docx
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Creation of a sub-committee to learn about the effects of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC’s) in the effluent of wastewater treatment facilities and advocating to the higher levels of government to start regulating levels from Wastewater Treatment Facilities.
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Repeated advocacy to the Provincial Government (in 2016, 2017 & 2018 at UBCM) for changes to legislation to allow Local Improvement Charge Financing for Home Energy Retrofits which has now become (PACE) Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing Program (soon to be launched by the Province of BC)
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Coordinator for City Council for the Community Celebration Honouring Dr. Elsie Paul – March 4, 2016
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February 21, 2019 brought forward a motion to declare a Climate Emergency and were the 6th local government in Canada to make the declaration at that time.[1][2]
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Brought forward through the Climate Change Committee a Green Vehicle Policy[3] and Green Buildings Policy[4]
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Brought forward direction to implement EV Charging Infrastructure throughout the community.[5]
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Implementation of the changing out of all incandescent lighting in civic facilities to LED including the stage lighting and arena lighting at the Rec Complex and supported installation of low-emissivity ceilings in both arenas saving the City money on utility costs.
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Helped the City achieve carbon neutrality in Corporate Operations starting in 2018.[6][7]
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Electric Vehicle-Ready guidelines into the Building Bylaw.
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PV Solar-Ready provision in new developments.
[1] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/filepro/document/73851/Regular%20Council%20Meeting%20-%2021%20Feb%202019.docx?handle=3AEA153BDFDD4D96B0BB5786B312CB05
[2] https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/climate-emergency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/
[3] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/filepro/document/83009/Green%20Vehicle%20Policy%20264.pdf
[4] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/filepro/document/83004/Green%20Buildings%20Policy%20263.pdf
[5] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/FileStorage/FDA8C94D7A4348838CD6C6F93ED38088-REPORT%20-%20Request%20for%20Funding%20EV%20Charging%20Stations.docx
[6] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/FileStorage/023FF579C1E24A4CA71BBC37B4615362-Appendix%20A%20-%202018%20CARIP%20Survey%20.pdf
[7] https://powellriver.civicweb.net/FileStorage/01884716EDCF456E991B33DF66DEC741-REPORT%20-%20Reduction%20Targets%20Update.docx
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Helped to overturn Council’s decision about allowing the commercial bottling of groundwater and surface water within the municipality. Bylaw amendments became the prohibition of the bottling of all groundwater and surface water for the protection of our aquifers and in other regions and help prevent the commodification of water.[1]
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In my day job I have designed new energy efficient, higher density housing at Edgehill Crescent that is meeting the higher steps in the Energy Step Code and has EV Charging, is PV Solar-Ready, has heat pumps and heat recovery ventilation in all units on smaller footprint lots. (I declared a conflict at Council obviously and could not vote on any variances or approvals to this project.)[2]
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Active Transportation improvements that have received grant funding being built out soon. Marine Avenue[3] and Manson & Duncan intersection[4][5]
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Development of Transit System Visions & Goals[6]
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Changing bylaws to allow low-speed vehicles on municipal streets.
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Supporting and encouraging many progressive and beneficial development permits, variances, and bylaw amendments; too many to list.
Here are some of my reports from conferences I have attended and learned a lot at:
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Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) – Sustainable Communities Conference, London Ontario Feb 2015[7]
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FCM-Sustainable Communities Conference, Ottawa, Ontario Feb 2016[8]
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Solid Waste Facilities Tour, Feb 2017[9]
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Passive House Conference – Vancouver 2018[10]
