1.Sustainability seems to be a common word these days, but its use is often ambiguous. How do you define the word “sustainability”, and how does it relate to the job of a City Councillor or Mayor?
Environmental sustainability means the maintenance of the factors and practices that contribute to the quality of environment on a long-term basis. I believe that governments should not only set criteria for sustainability but they should also lead by example.
2.Still on the subject of sustainability, what do you see as the major successes in New Westminster during the last council term, and what were the missed opportunities?
The enhanced home pick-up recycling program; the anti-idling bylaw, using tap water where possible in City Hall Parks & Rec purchasing small, more economical vehicles are successes. The recycling depot is always well used and the electrical appliance return it centre is another way of keeping things out of the landfills.
As a missed opportunity, I would like to have seen solar panels installed onto the civic centre and possibly installed on to City Hall. I would also like to see water meters and smart meters installed.
3.What do you see as the major opportunities and challenges for the upcoming Council term in regards to sustainability?
Working to get to zero waste.
Consideration or creation of a task force whose goal would be to create a policy for sustainable procurement i.e. where reasonably possible choose to use local suppliers thereby reducing carbon emissions, etc.
Parking variances that reduce the number of parking stalls in highrises is a problem, particularly in the downtown. It is difficult to find street parking and people are driving around wasting gas looking for parking.
4.The City will be developing a Master Transportation Plan within the next term, what would you like to see included in that plan?
Through traffic still needs to be directed to the perimeter of the City. I would support a cut and cover on McBride Blvd. from the Pattullo Bridge through to the Stormont Connector.
5.Translink continues to mull a replacement for the Pattullo Bridge. Would you rather see the bridge repaired, replaced with a 4-lane structure, or replaced with a larger structure? Would you support tolling the bridge to pay for its replacement? If you don’t support replacement, would you support tolling the existing bridge?
If the bridge is not structurally sound, it should be replaced. If it is safe, it should be changed to a 3 lane bridge operating like the Lions Gate Bridge alternating two lanes direction during rush hours. Tolls are a fair way of paying for infrastructure. Tolls are used throughout the Maritimes and are accepted. Once the Gateway project is completed and a toll in place on the Port Mann Bridge, the Pattullo Bridge will have to be tolled in order to protect the liveability of our neighbourhoods from the increase in traffic.
6.Do you support a Tree Bylaw to regulate the removal of nuisance trees on private property?
I would need more information to consider this such as the definition of a nuisance tree, who defines it and what the process would be to determine the removal.For example, is a tree that blocks someone’s view considered a “nuisance” tree under this bylaw and protection of the landowner’s rights need to be considered.
7.Now that Metro Vancouver’s Solid Waste Management Plan is approved, would you support the location of a Waste-to-Energy plant in New Westminster?
This is not an easy question. Zero waste is the best answer, but I do not believe residents are currently able to get that level. Burnaby is operating an incinerator that, to my knowledge, has not caused any health issues. Until New Westminster was being considered for an incinerator, no one seemed to know of the existence of the one in Burnaby. I was recently in New Brunswick. At Reversing Falls there is a pulp & paper mill that is directly beside a natural lake and wood setting that is a tourist attraction. Seals swim in the lake and kayakers are paddling. There is no smell from the mill because the scrubbers are that good.
I would need more information and would want to see other working models that the company being considered to build the incinerator currently have in operation but I believe the technology is there to make this a safe venture. There would be good environmental savings such as being able to put electricity generated onto the grid or using it to heat/cool city facilities, less trucks travelling to the dump sites and there would be no contaminated run-off into the ground waters from the dumps.
However, I would not want to have it directly beside a residential area. I live in Massey Heights. My current vision for the Braid Industrial grounds does not include an incineratornot because I fear the technology but because of the volume of traffic that it would bring to the area and there is no support from the neighbourhoods.
