​Thank you for these detailed questions and for the opportunity to provide our answers and vision for Qualicum Beach. My answers are below.

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Section 1   (Motive, personal interests and potential conflicts of interest.)

Please tell us why you are running? What community clubs or organizations do you belong to/ or support? How have you been involved in the community? Do you think any of these could put you in a conflict of interest position and how will you handle it? 

 

Response: I am running because I believe experience matters at the Council table, and I believe I have more to contribute to Qualicum Beach. I was born and raised in Qualicum Beach, and my community involvement started early. I joined the local Air Cadet program at 12 and remained involved until 19. I later served as the youth representative on the Parks and Recreation Committee before being elected to Council in 2018. During my four-year term, I held the Parks and Recreation portfolio and served on numerous committees and commissions. Like many people from small communities, I spent time away building my career, but I have since returned and settled back in Qualicum Beach. If elected, I would follow the Community Charter and declare and remove myself from any matter where a genuine conflict of interest arose. I believe elected officials should be connected to their community, while maintaining clear boundaries between those relationships and their public service.

 

Section 2 (Skill set and preparedness)

What specific experience/skills do you bring to the role? How have you prepared yourself for the role so that you can be effective from day one?

How much time do you expect to devote to the role? If you are juggling family or job commitments how will you manage those obligations?

 

Response: I believe I bring three distinct forms of experience to this role. First, I have already served a full term on Qualicum Beach Council. I understand the workload, municipal process, preparation required and responsibility that comes with the role. Second, I bring local experience. I was born and raised here, know the history of the community and understand much of the context behind how Qualicum Beach arrived where it is today. Third, I bring significantly more professional experience than when I was first elected. I now work in senior aviation management, leading large unionized teams and complex operations. I participate in collective bargaining and labour relations, work with government and regulators, and hold regulatory accountability as a Transport Canada designate. Those experiences have strengthened my ability to assess risk, manage competing priorities, work through disagreement and remain accountable for decisions. If elected, Council would be a major priority for me. I understand the time commitment because I have held the role before, and I have already made the necessary changes to my professional commitments to ensure I can fully meet the responsibilities of the office. If elected, I would be prepared to contribute effectively from day one, drawing on my previous Council experience and existing understanding of Town Hall, municipal processes, and the responsibilities of a councillor.

 

Section 3   (Financial acumen )

Do you feel you currently have sufficient financial understanding to provide meaningful input and assessment in the town's approximate $40 million dollar annual budget? If elected, what steps would you take to put the town in a firmer financial footing? What specific municipal spending areas would you reduce, maintain or increase? If the town received a $1 million dollar grant (without matching funds required) to use in any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?

 

Response: I bring both municipal and professional experience in financial oversight, and I am confident in my ability to provide meaningful scrutiny of the Town’s budget. Council should not only focus on finances when the annual budget is formally presented. Council should regularly review revenues, expenditures, reserves and major projects so they maintain a clear understanding of the Town’s financial position throughout the year. When I was elected in 2018, the Town had recently spent approximately $4 million acquiring the St. Andrews Lodge property. During our term, that cost was recovered and reserves were strengthened further through the strategic sale of historic pockets of Town-owned land that provided little public benefit beyond their financial value. When my term ended, Qualicum Beach had approximately $22.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, after funding municipal operations and capital expenditures during the year, while also transferring approximately $6.9 million into reserves. We also ensured that a $1 million community amenity contribution from a development was set aside equally to support our parks and local healthcare needs. With regards to taxes, all tax increases should have a clear community benefit, and significant increases should follow meaningful public consultation. If the Town received an unrestricted $1 million grant, I would prioritize a high-value capital or asset-management need that would otherwise fall to taxpayers. One-time funding should generally address one-time needs.

 

Section 4 ( Transparency)

In the past term we have seen many significant initiatives that were never on the town's 5 year strategic plan, all proceeding to fruition behind closed door meetings. Examples include the introduction of a tree protection bylaw, the renewal of the skateboard park, the commons proposal, the acquisition strategy of Eaglecrest, and donation to the hospital foundation. All significant events/expenses that came out of the blue and did not receive an opportunity for the public to hear council openly debate in public the costs, or where the project should be placed in terms of the town's priorities. What is your opinion and what would you change with respect to the process of new projects proceeding in closed meetings without debate in public view? When do you think the town should report to the public on decisions made in closed meetings?

 

Response: My view is simple. Closed meetings should be used only for matters that are legally required or permitted to be discussed in closed session. Confidentiality should be used because it is necessary, not because discussing a difficult issue publicly is inconvenient. I believe information considered in-camera should be released as soon as legally permissible. Where portions must remain confidential, those sections can be redacted while the remainder is released. For major initiatives involving significant public spending or community impact, residents should understand what is being considered, why it is being considered, what it is expected to cost and how it fits Council’s priorities before irreversible decisions are made. One of my campaign commitments is also to hold regular weekly open office hours at Town Hall, where residents can speak directly with me without an appointment. It’s a commitment of listening, responding and delivering. Transparency to me means giving residents enough information, early enough, to meaningfully participate.

 

 

Section 5 ( Firesmart)

In your opinion, is the town providing sufficient resource allocation and direction with respect to firesmart activities on municipally owned land?

 

Response: I believe there is more the Town can and should be doing. With increasingly severe wildfire seasons across British Columbia, municipalities must be extremely diligent in managing forested areas and wildfire risk. I support proactive FireSmart work on municipally owned land, based on professional risk assessments and prioritizing homes, critical infrastructure and evacuation routes. One area that concerns me is around the Qualicum Beach Airport. Significant brush and vegetation have been cleared, but much of that material has remained on the ground. If vegetation-management work is undertaken, the resulting debris must also be properly removed or managed so it does not become additional combustible material. With climate change upon us, wildfire preparedness cannot be approached casually. I would support a clear long-term vegetation and wildfire-management strategy, proper completion and maintenance of work, and aggressive pursuit of available provincial and federal funding.

 

 

Section 6 (Public consultation and open dialogue with the public)

Would you be supportive of returning the availability of public feedback during council meetings, prior to decisions being made for items on council agendas? What are your thoughts on how letters to council from the public are currently handled and would you support posting letters received on the town's website?

 

Response: Public consultation should occur early enough that it can actually influence the outcome. Residents should have meaningful opportunities to provide input before major decisions are finalized, and I fully support public-comment opportunities at Council meetings. I also support posting correspondence to Council publicly (subject to privacy laws), so residents can see what issues and concerns are being brought to their elected representatives. My broader approach is simple: Town Hall should be easier to access, not harder. That means better communication, earlier public engagement and elected officials who make themselves directly available to residents and respond in a respectful manner. My commitment to regular weekly open office hours is one practical way I intend to do that.

 

Section 7 (Discretionary community funding)

The town currently provides support by way of operating cash, fee for service agreements,below market rents, property tax exemptions and other incentives to the nonprofit sector. These include arts and culture,sports related, economic, tourism and environmentally focused groups. Do you think the current level of support is fairly distributed? Is it sufficient? Is it transparent? How do you see the town arriving at a predetermined quantifiable overall amount and achieving greater fairness in the distribution of the discretionary support funded by taxpayers?

 

Response: Our non-profit organizations are enormously important to Qualicum Beach. Many provide cultural, recreational, social, environmental and community services that strengthen our town and, in many cases, would cost considerably more if government attempted to provide them directly. We should help strong community organizations thrive where their work produces a genuine public benefit. At the same time, taxpayer-funded support should be transparent, equitable and financially sustainable. I do not believe Council can determine whether the current distribution is fair or sufficient without first clearly accounting for the total value of all forms of assistance being provided. I would start with that full accounting, establish consistent eligibility and public-benefit criteria, and then determine an affordable overall funding envelope through the annual budget process. Longstanding arrangements should also be reviewed periodically rather than automatically continuing simply because they have always existed.

 

Section 8 (Development)

What are your views on the need for development within Qualicum Beach over the next 10 years? How can the town balance the need for growth with the desire to protect the community character? What type of development do you believe the community most needs now and why?

 

Response: Qualicum Beach will continue to change. The question is whether that growth is thoughtful, appropriate and supported by the infrastructure and services required to accommodate it. I do not support growth simply for the sake of growth. Development should respond to a demonstrated community need, respect the surrounding neighbourhood and contribute positively to the community. During my previous term, I was proud to support projects that created 106 rental homes between Qualicum Station and East Village. Approximately 61 were affordable or attainable units, including subsidized, below-income and below-market housing, while another 45 were market rentals. That helped create options for seniors wanting to downsize, people working locally, younger residents and families, and people who grew up here and wanted to return. Going forward, we need housing options across income levels and stages of life while preserving the character that makes Qualicum Beach distinctive.

 

Section 9 (Eaglecrest development going forward)

If the revenue from the planned sale of Eaglecrest lands does not meet the  current budget expectations of $21,199,800, What would your plan B look like? What options would you request staff to explore such as using long term debt, or upzoning further other Eaglecrest lands?  Before executing a long term lease at the  Eaglecrest Golf Course, would you pursue an analysis of the expected financial impact the now revamped Eaglecrest Golf Course  will have on the cash flow of the existing town owned Memorial Golf Course and its ability to repay its current loans to the town? 

 

Response: In my view, the Eaglecrest project has lost its focus. Costs have grown considerably, and I am concerned that the financial demands of the project have come at the expense of other Town priorities. Taxpayers deserve a clear understanding of what was purchased, what has been spent, what liabilities remain and what the realistic financial outcome will be. I would fully support an independent forensic audit of the acquisition, expenditures and financial management of the Eaglecrest project. If anticipated land-sale revenues fall short, I would not automatically turn to additional debt or further upzoning. I would require staff to present Council and the public with options including project scope, sequencing, remaining commitments, reserve impacts, financing alternatives and opportunities to reduce further taxpayer exposure before any decision is made. Moving forward, I would require a complete business plan before further major commitments are made. I would also review the subdivision configuration and parcels intended for sale to ensure they are practical and suitable for development, and ensure future zoning respects the established character of the neighbourhood while providing genuine community benefit. Before any long-term arrangement for the golf course, I would want a credible financial analysis, including potential impacts on Memorial Golf Course. The airport is another example of a valuable Town asset that needs stronger business planning. I strongly support protecting the Qualicum Beach Airport, but assets such as the airport and golf operations should become increasingly financially and operationally independent. The general taxpayer should not automatically be the permanent backstop.

 

Section 10  ( Governance) 

The town currently has 8 committees, commissions and boards set up to advise council.These committees not only use council time and staff resources, but presumably reflect councils priorities. If elected  would you continue with these same entities or are there other more critical issues that you would encourage council to pursue via new committees? 

 

Response: Qualicum Beach has an extraordinary amount of knowledge and professional expertise within its population, and Council should absolutely make use of it. My own committee experience began before I was elected, when I served as the youth representative on the Parks and Recreation Committee. We met regularly, developed recommendations and moved initiatives forward to Council, many of which were ultimately adopted. That is what a productive committee should look like. During my Council term, I later chaired Parks and Recreation, Environment and Sustainability, and the Airport Users Committee. I would review existing committees, their mandates and their effectiveness. Some may need updated purposes, restructuring or a different model. Most importantly, we should actively recruit residents with expertise in areas such as finance, planning, engineering, environment, business and health care. Our community has tremendous knowledge. Council should tap into it rather than pretend it has all the answers. 

 

Section 11 ( Specific to Mayoral candidates only)

Historically the role of Mayor includes acting as a director in the RDN. What specific actions will you undertake to ensure Qualicum Beach residents are made aware of the RDN issues that affect them? How will you engage with Qualicum Beach residents to ensure your vote is in line with their preferences? RDN taxation will soon exceed the municipal portion of our overall property taxes. What RDN services and costs should be reviewed on a  value for money basis, as it applies to Qualicum Beach residents?

 

Response:

  

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