Issues That Matter Most
Transit & Housing
Buses first, then density. And homes that work for the people who actually live here.
Transit
Families up on Tabletop Road and around Dowad can't get down to the bus routes we already have. Those are the kind of gaps that need to get fixed first.
What I Will Do
- Aim the District's existing OnDemand bus at the upper Highlands — Tabletop Road and the Dowad area — at school and commute times, planned around what families and students say they need.
- Build safe walking routes and sidewalks from those neighbourhoods down to existing stops.
- Keep the six-homes-no-parking zoning dormant until frequent buses are actually running.
- Require residential permit parking and real enforcement before parking rules are reduced, with a community Parking Committee working it out street by street.
- Make growth pay its share — developer-built roads that fit buses, plus stops, shelters and walking links.
- Publish where developer charges and the $30,000-per-stall parking cash-in-lieu money go.
- Fund it from savings in the existing budget and developer contributions. No new tax burden.
What Council Cannot Do
These are provincial laws. Council can't opt out of them, and I won't pretend otherwise. Bill 44 requires 3 to 4 homes on former single-family lots — already in effect, no transit needed — and up to 6 near frequent transit. Bill 46 changes what we can charge developers. Bill 47 adds density and drops parking minimums near major transit stations. Bylaw 3170 allows six homes with no parking within 400 metres of a frequent route, but only once one exists. We don't have one today. Refusing to comply would mean Victoria writing our zoning for us, legal bills on local taxpayers, and federal Housing Accelerator funding at risk.
Where the Province Stands
Victoria still funds today's buses but has frozen expansion. Squamish kept its side — the zoning, the local money, a signed plan with BC Transit. The density tied to transit shouldn't come until the buses do.
Housing
The existing inventory does not serve those in the service sector, seniors, individuals just starting out. They are being advertised as affordable but they are nowhere near affordable to those who we should be most concerned about.
The Affordability Gap
We need all those working in the service sector, who cannot even with 2 wages afford these "affordable" homes. Existing development, even if it was affordable, does not meet the needs of seniors and those with mobility challenges. This demographic wants a space where they do not have to rely on elevators — stairs are not an option. We need both privately owned homes and rental accommodation.
What We Don't Need
What we don't need is more "affordable" condos. We need to stop issuing building permits for multi-storied housing until we have the infrastructure in place to service them.
Land Use and Zoning
Open up the bench lands. Stop building on the floodplain. Respect our neighbourhoods! Land use/zoning is a municipal right. Our neighbourhoods were established by Squamish Councils that listened to the people! We must tell the Province: No, we are not going to support your mandate to put multi-family or several residences on a single-family zoned lot without the approval of the neighbourhood. We will find a way to restore public hearings to our approval process! With a building permit, homeowners will still be able to add a suite or carriage house.
Infrastructure First, Then Growth
Our population has exploded in recent years. Squamish and our region, which serves a population of approximately 50,000, has outgrown our hospital, our long-term care — Hilltop House — and one assisted living opportunity — Shannon Falls — and schools. Those facilities are the sole responsibility of the Province. I will urge our Mayor and Council to be relentless in lobbying Victoria to fund and restore promised funding and build those facilities. Victoria must stop pushing more density on us until the infrastructure is in place to support the people who already live here.
Protect What We Have
Finally, protect the rental condos we already have or are under construction.
A Wider Range of Housing
We need a wider range of housing that will meet the needs of those already living here whose budgets are stretched to the limit. I will push for a wider range of housing that fits most Squamish budgets. Some ideas worth investigating and encouraging:
- Housing co-ops where residents share ownership and costs stay stable over time.
- A manufactured home park, one of the most affordable ways for seniors, young families and working people to own their own home.
- Rent-to-own homes so renters can build equity and get a foot in the door.
- A serviced area for van lifers, with water, washrooms, electricity, and sani-stations.