Huntsville — Mayor

1.     What actions have you personally taken to support a greener, more sustainable climate?

I hold a degree in Environmental Studies from Trent University which focusses on sustainable policies to protect our most vital asset. The protection of our environment has always been in the forefront of my mind.

2.     What opportunities for climate leadership at the municipal level (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)) would you champion in one or more of these areas: Buildings | Housing | Land use (sprawl) | Transportation | Other

Buildings: We currently have solar panels on the roof of Town Hall. I will look to expand this to add more to municipal buildings. We will have regular energy audits done on all municipal buildings to determine their levels of energy efficiency and make the necessary changes to make sure they are energy efficient.

Housing: We need to streamline our permitting processes to bring more supply of all levels of affordable and attainable housing options to market. We need to relax permitting to allow for rental units to be added to existing homes. We will work with all levels of government on real strategies to make more options available.

Land use (sprawl): We are a rapidly growing community. We only have one chance to make sure we do this right. Increase density in our town’s core to combat sprawl and make sure new development take place where there are town services available. The more buildings on town services means the prices of those services will be more affordable. Relax the height limit of buildings in our town core making sure we protect our views and vistas.

Transportation: I commit to increasing our transit system to include areas such as Port Sydney and Novar. Many people can’t afford to work because it isn’t economical to do so. We will encourage electric transit buses to fulfil this need.

Other: I commit to forming a Climate Change Action Committee as part of our everyday government. Scrap the current General Committee model that doesn’t allow lay people to become members. We will incorporate electric vehicles in our town fleet wherever practical. We will install electric vehicle charging stations on town property, such as behind Town Hall, for example.

3. A long-term problem requires a long-term solution. What is your 100-year plan? If elected, what would be your first action?

as noted above, I strongly believe it’s time for a dedicated committee including interested lay people as members. This will (hopefully) become a permanent part of our overall system long after I’m gone. We need to protect our assets from the increase in catastrophic weather events for the security of our citizens. As an insurance broker I see firsthand the life changing effects on people and infrastructure from these events. We will look to new technologies to make sure our infrastructure to better withstand the coming catastrophic weather events.