The majority of residents I have spoken with agree that the pace of development in Coquitlam has been too fast for the past 4 years.  This means our next Mayor and City Councillors need to re-evaluate the current rapid pace of development in our city.

 

 The majority of developments our Mayor and Councillors have approved are expensive 1 and 2 bedroom condos.  This does not address housing affordability at all.  Further, it does not address housing needs for families, renters, or those who need BC Affordable Housing.

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I believe we need to CHANGE to a balanced Development Plan that builds less condos and instead builds more townhouses, dedicated rental units, and BC Affordable Housing units.

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As part of our new plan we need to PROTECT our existing single family neighbourhoods.  Fourplexes, narrow subdivided lots, garden cottages, and laneway houses will change the nature of our neighbourhoods and cause a lot of congestion.

 

Coquitlam is home to some of the best neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland and it would be a mistake to change the nature of these neighbourhoods forever.  Because once we change them, there is no going back.

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On City Council I will work to change our Development Plan to the balanced plan I outlined above.  I will work hard to meet the housing needs of all Coquitlam Residents and protect our existing neighbourhoods as well.

It is great news that as of this 2018 campaign, developers can no longer make donations to Mayors or City Councillors in BC.  I believe we need to go even further though, to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest whatsoever.

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I pledge to not accept any donations from individuals in the development community.  I also pledge to not accept donations from any friends or family of those in the development community.  I believe all candidates for Mayor and City Council should make the same pledge.

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Next, it is inappropriate for Mayor and Councillors to be voting on their own pay increases.  This system needs to be change immediately and the salary of Mayors and Councillors must be determined by a different process.

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Also, I have spoken with many residents who said they did not even know there was a potential rezoning in their neighbourhood until it was too late and the rezoning was already approved.  This is unacceptable.

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The solution is to notify by mail all residents in the immediate AND surrounding areas to ensure they are aware and fully informed of any application for rezoning.  A few signs and some advertising in the local paper is not enough.

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Most importantly, we need to start putting the interests of Coquitlam Residents first.  This means taking input from the bottom up, not changing our city from the top down.

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My committment is to always put the interests of Coquitlam Residents first.  On City Council I will take the input of  Coquitlam Residents and work to improve our city from the bottom up.

One of the best things about Coquitlam is our beautiful natural environment and our world-class parks and recreation facilities.  Past Mayors, Councillors, and many City Staff, have done a lot of amazing work in this area over many years.  I believe there is more to be done and I will work to continue to strengthen our Parks & Recreation in Coquitlam.

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The largest project in this area is the construction of a new sports complex in northeast Coquitlam,  planned to begin construction in 2023.  Currently, our main complex is the Poirier Sport & Lesiure Complex in southwest Coquitlam.  This is a fantastic facility but it isn't able to provide everything our growing city needs.

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A new sports complex in northeast Coquitlam will provide access and convenience for the tens of thousands of residents in that part of our city.  It will also alleviate the pressure on our Poirier complex and allow us to serve everyone better at both facilities.

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The cost and design of this new facility are two very important considerations.  I believe we need to have the mindset that we must ensure the facility will meet the needs of our community for decades to come.  We must also ensure the facility is built on a reasonable budget and that it comes in on budget.  The key to this is prudent planning, both financially and in terms of the design of the facility.

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My hope is that on City Council I can contribute to the prudent planning and successful completion of a great new sports complex in northeast Coquitlam.

City Spending over the past 4 years has been too high.  If we keep spending at this rate our city budget will not be sustainable in the long run.

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In 2015, the first year our Current Mayor and Council were responsible for, spending increased by 3.8%.  In 2016, spending increased by 6.2%.  In 2017 spending increased by another 4.7%.  As 2018 is not over yet, numbers are not available.

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This means spending increased by an average of 4.9% per year.  If that average holds for 2018, our current Mayor and Councillors will have increased city spending by 20% in just 4 years.  This type of spending is not sustainable.

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In 2014, when the current Mayor and Councillors came in, our City Spending totalled $210.3 million dollars.  By the end of 2017 they had increased it to $242.7 million dollars.  That is an increase of over $32 million dollars in just 3 years.

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A key focus for our new Mayor and Councillors must be to slow down our rate of spending.  If we don't slow down, we will have serious financial challenges in the future and higher and higher property taxes.

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I have extensive experience working with large budgets and keeping costs down for my clients as a Business Consultant.  I hope to bring my skills and experience to City Hall and work hard to keep our city working well, strengthen our Parks & Recreation, but also ensure our City Spending is sustainable.