As a run up to the civic elections we asked candidates some basic questions:
Describe yourself and your experience.
Why did you decide to run for a seat at the council table?
What do you think are the most important issues in Gibsons?
Do you live in Gibsons?
Do you have a website or Facebook page where people can get more information about you and what is it?
We have posted the responses, verbatim, in the order they are received.
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Verna Chan
Describe yourself and your experience.
As a resident of the Sunshine Coast for over 20 years, I have been a commuter, an entrepreneur/small business owner, personal trainer, graphic designer, musician, and fibre artist. As well as having my own fitness studio (The Garage Personal Training), I have initiated buy-local projects for the Sunshine Coast, produced musical and other events (I have produced the Music in the Landing series for the past 2 years), and written for local papers.
Why did you decide to run for a seat at the council table?
I had a business in Gibsons for a couple of years, lived in lower Gibsons for a few of my over 20 years here, was a representative for the Gibsons Visitor Centre for two years, have been a committee member of the Chamber of Commerce and have served on the Board of the Coast Cultural Alliance and Sunshine Coast Art Crawl for several years. In these capacities I have talked with tourists, people looking to move to and/or invest on the coast and residents; listened to the concerns of other business owners and self-employed people and had the opportunity to help artists share their work.
Gibsons is a unique community and we have a duty to protect and guide it responsibly as it grows–I have heard so much frustration over the way the current council has failed to do this and was encouraged to run for council.
What do you think are the most important issues in Gibsons?
Issues of affordable housing and unchecked development. Proper stewardship of our natural resources–especially our aquifer.
Do you live in Gibsons?
I live in Area E, a few blocks outside the town boundary.
Do you have a website or Facebook page where people can get more information about you and what is it?’
FB: Verna Chan – Candidate for Gibsons Council
I will be at One Flower One Leaf Saturdays (Oct 6 & 12) from 10 am – Noon to talk to people
I will also be attending the all-candidates meetings in the next couple of weeks.
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Annemarie De Andrade
Describe yourself and your experience.
I am a Canadian-Brazilian with over 20 years’ experience managing environmental and community interests, working in federal agencies, and developing collaborative partnerships and programs with local, regional and provincial governments as well as with the corporate and non-profit sectors. I am creative, proactive and results-oriented and have a passion for sustainability and community building. I believe in democracy and that only through good governance can a community fulfill its vision and achieve common ground. I have a M.Sc. in Natural Resources Management from UBC and most recently I have completed a certificate in Human Resources Management from SFU. For more info about me please check my website www.electannemarie.com
Why did you decide to run for a seat at the council table?
I am running for Council because I believe my experience will help the new Council lead a pathway towards a more sustainable future.
Climate change can impact our lives directly and indirectly, by affecting the amount of water captured for our aquifer, risk of forest fires, extreme weather, etc. We need to take these factors into consideration, and be prepared.
Our Town has seen a wave of housing development, and yet, many of our residents can’t find a suitable place to live and thrive. The affordability crisis is real. The new Council must be skilled and flexible to ensure a robust supply of affordable housing is built in the next 4 years.
Additionally, many residents including myself are concerned with the lack of commitment to our award-winning Official Community Plan – the Town’s guiding policy document, and the lack of community input into planning and decision-making.
I believe the role of Council is ultimately to manage the resources of the community sustainably and for the well-being of community members. So I decided to run for Council. I am equipped to tackle those issues given my background in sustainability and experience in participatory decision-making and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
What do you think are the most important issues in Gibsons?
I believe the most important issues are:
Aquifer protection – We must keep our aquifer’s recharging sites primarily on Mount Elphinstone, Gibsons Creek and Chaster Creek healthy and protected. To date, the Town has not ensured legal protection of these areas. We must also adopt the precautionary approach to safeguard the aquifer from potential catastrophic puncturing resulting from development, such as construction or toxic waste clean-up. Safety First-unnegotiable!
Tackling the Affordable Housing Crisis – The Canadian Rental Housing Index currently rates Gibsons’ rental market as severely unaffordable. Families, working couples and singles, seniors, single parents, marginally employed workers, vulnerable youth, and homeless people are all victims of this skewed housing market. The affordability crisis is hurting families, impacting the lives of people and our economy. The federal and provincial governments have recently announced substantial funding over the next 10 years to tackle the affordable housing crisis in BC. Nevertheless, in order to access these funds, the new Council will have to work diligently and collaboratively with other government levels, non-profits, private developers, property owners, and other groups, to secure land and construction for affordable housing. The new council will also need to be bold and bring about municipal bylaws and policies to ensure we meet our goals, and also ensure that new developments actually provide 10% of affordable housing units, a policy already in place, but that has been negotiated in lieu for monetary contributions that do not correspond to the building costs.
Commitment to the OCP & Participation in Decision-Making – Our OCP is undergoing spot zoning amendments to suit developers’ aspirations while our seaside village character is being compromised. I am committed to the OCP vision and will ensure that any necessary amendment considers the community input, and is done so to fulfill a common purpose such as affordable housing. I will also propose that Council provides more opportunities for inquiries at Council meetings and loosens restrictions on delegations to Council.
Addressing Seniors Needs – Seniors play a vital role in our society and economy. Addressing their housing & transportation needs, and accessibility to places and services makes sense to all of us. There is much to do and I look forward to it!
Fostering an Inclusive, Diverse, and Resilient Economy – We need to continue to invest in our diverse local economy, such as the arts, eco/tourism, hospitality, home-based, info-tech, professional services, senior care services, small retail, and others that support our local economy. These businesses not only fit our seaside village profile, they define who we are.
Moving forward, we are well positioned to keep working towards greening our local economy. I will work to attract businesses related to energy efficiency and renewable energy as well as social enterprises and co-ops. Council can explore existing funding sources to support these enterprises through government grants, credit unions, community-banking initiatives, green/sustainable investors, and foundations such as Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the Social Enterprise Fund.
Addressing the housing crisis, the commitment to our OCP, protecting our aquifer and encouraging residents participation in decision-making will be also key for fostering an inclusive, diverse and resilient economy.
Do you live in Gibsons?
Yes. I live in Gibsons and I love the small town atmosphere, the incredible intellectual and cultural capital existing here, and being close to nature and family.
Do you have a website or Facebook page where people can get more information about you and what is it?’
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In facebook: elect annemarie de andrade for gibsons council
In Browser:
Elect Annemarie De Andrade for Gibsons Council – About | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/electannemarie/info
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Angie D August – declined to participate due to illness
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Carol Doyle
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The following candidates have not responded to our request for information:
Council candidates
David A Croal
Aleria A Ladwig
Stafford D Lumley – Incumbent
Suzanne L Senger
