RESPONSES

Environmental

Question 1 - When development is guided by an Official Community Plan that features smart growth principles, it results in lower taxes for residents, less gridlock, cleaner air and lower GHG emissions, more green space, more housing options and preserved farmlands. Following smart growth principles results in new, high-density housing being built in the downtown and specified neighbourhood cores, enabling more sustainable and cost-effective transportation options. How will you advocate for smart growth principles in the upcoming OCP planning process?

Brian Guy

• I fully support smart-growth principles. Smart growth principles have been embedded in the City of Vernon Official Community Plan (OCP) since 2008, and these principles were maintained in the 2013 OCP update. The updated (May 2020) RDNO Regional Growth Strategy is also founded on smart growth principles. These principles deliver all the benefits noted in your question. The 2013 OCP will soon be updated, and it will be very important to ensure that these principles remain foundational to the new OCP. After extensive public engagement on a proposed new OCP, Council will be presented with a renewed OCP for approval. I will examine the proposed new OCP carefully to ensure that smart growth principles remain at its core, and will advocate for improvement if I don’t think they are sufficiently well embedded. I will also advocate on Council for consistency of the new OCP with the updated RDNO Regional Growth Strategy.

Question 2 - Vernon has created an ambitious new Climate Action Plan addressing both the reduction of GHG emissions and preparing the community for climate impacts, but unless Council backs it up with immediate, effective action, the goals of the plan won't be achieved. If elected, what aspects of this plan do you feel are most important and urgent, and how can you help to ensure that they are implemented as soon as possible?

BRIAN GUY

• As co-chair of the City of Vernon Climate Action Advisory Committee, I championed the creation of the Climate Action Plan.  The plan is a good one, equivalent in vision, scope, and goals to the best plans developed by cities around the world, and won an award from the Planning Institute of B.C.  

• Every element of the plan is important, and every action must be implemented to achieve the goals of the plan.  The approximate impact of each action on both improving resilience to the climate and on reducing GHG emissions is indicated in the plan (in Appendix 2).  In addition, the plan includes an approximate implementation schedule, with each action assigned either to short, medium, or long-term action, reflecting both its likely benefit and the three time-based targets in the Plan (50% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, 75% reduction by 2040, and 100% reduction by 2050, relative to 2017 levels).  The actual implementation order will depend not only on this initial implementation schedule, but on other factors, such as the availability of funding for particular aspects of the plan.  

• We should prioritize those actions that give us the most significant cuts in emissions first.  The City has already implemented a curbside organics collection program which will  result in a 7% cut in emissions from the City.  Transportation emissions make up 63% of the community emissions, but achieving significant cuts depends heavily on both market forces and on the policies and programs of higher levels of government.  The City must do its part in the near term, but must also influence other governments to help us achieve our transportation-related goals. Retrofitting existing buildings is another challenge that should be addressed very early.  This will require contractor education and training, and widespread citizen appreciation of the benefits of electrified building heating systems.

• Governance and leadership are two critically important aspects of the plan. Council must provide top-down leadership to City staff to effectively implement the plan, as well as sufficient resources for this purpose. Staff and council must also embed climate awareness into every decision, and see all decisions through a climate lens. This will require a sustained effort to educate City staff throughout the organization.

• It is also important that all City plans and policies are aligned, and accordingly the Climate Action Plan recommends embedding the plan into the Official Community Plan (OCP) as well as updating emergency preparedness and response plans and other City plans to ensure consistency with the Climate Action Plan.

• Another activity that should be addressed very soon is developing an engagement strategy to involve the entire community in reaching the goals of the plan, and on providing the community with the necessary information, resources, and tools to contribute to achieving the goals of the plan.

• Finally, Council and the Mayor must continually influence federal and provincial governments to strengthen their focus on policies that support our Climate Action Plan - recognizing that achieving the goals of the plan requires policy support at the federal and provincial levels.

• To conclude, I’d like to point out that there are two key gaps in the plan:

• 1. The roadmap for reducing GHG emissions within the plan will get us only 2/3 of the way to the 2050 goal of zero net emissions; and

• 2. The plan does not explicitly address consumption-based emissions (emissions due to everything we buy, such as food, clothing, and household goods).

• Both these gaps present opportunities.  The first gap is an opportunity to improve uptake on existing programs offered by higher levels of government to reduce transportation and building-related emissions, and to influence these other governments to create new and more effective programs.  We can also work with other governments to encourage new technological innovation to help us succeed.  The second gap presents an opportunity for the City of Vernon to engage the entire community in contributing to the goals of the Climate Action Plan.  Many residents don’t own homes and many do not drive cars (including virtually everyone younger than about 16, and many seniors).  However, everyone eats and nearly everyone benefits from purchases made at local stores - which presents a great opportunity to engage the entire community in achieving the goals of the Climate Action Plan.

Question 3 - What do you believe are the main risks to Vernon - its citizens, its infrastructure, its economy - from climate change impacts? What specific actions do you think the municipality should take to adapt to these risks and build a resilient community?

BRIAN GUY

• The most significant climate-related threats to Vernon are heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and flooding caused by high lake levels, high creek flows and intense rainstorms.  Risk is a function of both threat and consequence, and a sample of the key risks associated with these threats includes loss of property, loss of life, loss of livelihood, damage and loss of City infrastructure (e.g. roads, culverts, and bridges), poor air quality, health impacts (including death), environmental damage, land cover loss during fires, reduced tourism benefits, higher food prices, increased taxes, reduced municipal ability to provide services during extreme events, reduced economic competitiveness, and reduced attractiveness as a destination.  In addition the distribution of risks throughout the community is not equal – some areas of the city and some residents are more vulnerable than others.

• To address these risks, the City should lead implementation of the Climate Action Plan.  This plan is based on a thorough assessment of threats, vulnerabilities, consequences, and risks related to climate change throughout the entre community.  It recommends specific actions to address those risks and provides an approximate implementation schedule.  Following these actions will make the community safer and more resilient to the changing climate, and will keep costs and taxes down.  Some specific actions include “fire-smarting” interface areas, addressing the impacts of wildfire smoke, upgrading creek crossings, making sure all future infrastructure upgrades have considered the impacts of a changing climate over the service life of the asset, and protecting natural spaces that contribute significantly to climate resilience.

Question 4 - The largest proportion of Okanagan municipal greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation (in particular, driving fossil-fuel powered vehicles), and the 2nd largest proportion comes from buildings. What do you see as the most effective ways of reducing the emissions in these two sectors?

BRIAN GUY

• The Climate Action Plan (which I spearheaded) thoroughly addresses this question.  It includes several goals and many actions intended to make a significant difference in reducing GHG emissions from these two sectors.  As noted in my responses to question 2 above, the plan also recommends an implementation order, with the highest impact actions occurring in the earlier years. The City should lead implementation of this plan, guided by the recommendations and timeline contained therein.  Since I was a primary contributor to the Climate Action Plan, my response to this question does not list my favourite actions, but rather provides general advice that implementation should be guided by the Climate Action Plan.  My response to question 2 above provides further thoughts on the more challenging aspects of reducing transportation and building-related emissions and on the most urgent and important actions to complete in these sectors; and lists the governance, leadership, and community engagement actions that are critically important to the success of the plan. 

RESPONSES

culturAL

Question 1 - What opportunities do you believe the municipality has to grow our art, culture and heritage sector?

BRIAN GUY

• A strong, vibrant, and diverse cultural environment is a critical foundation of a sustainable community. The 2016 Greater Vernon Cultural Plan outlines many ways the municipality can grow our art, culture, and heritage sector.  I support implementation of this plan, including construction of the proposed Cultural Centre in downtown Vernon, which was approved by Greater Vernon voters in a 2018 referendum.

Question 2 - What do you think of the 2016 Greater Vernon Cultural Plan? What aspects would you prioritise and how would you implement them?

BRIAN GUY

• The plan provides a good description of the existing cultural environment, including specific facilities and programs.  It also addresses the significant economic benefit to the region provided by arts and culture and of the potential to provide additional jobs and contribute further to tourism and the economic prosperity of the region. The plan provides strategies and actions for achieving 16 objectives under three major cultural development areas: headings: cultural leadership, cultural capacity, and cultural places and spaces.

• However, the plan makes only a weak reference to future collaboration with Okanagan First Nations in delivering the plan.  There appears to have been no involvement of the Okanagan Indian Band in preparing the plan.   I believe that a modern Cultural Plan should reflect the influence of the Indigenous people on whose land we reside, providing these people wish to have their voices heard.  I believe those voices would broaden, deepen, and richly improve the current plan.  Considering that this plan was developed using information from 2014 and 2015, and the Indigenous perspective does not appear to be included, I wonder if it is now time for a refresh.

Question 3 - How do you personally engage with arts, culture and heritage in Greater Vernon?

BRIAN GUY

• I engage both in a volunteer role, and as a member of the public in supporting arts, culture, and heritage.  I served on the Board of the Okanagan Science Centre, including a period as Board Chair.  I visit local art galleries and support local artists.  I attend events at the Performing Arts Centre and plays at the Powerhouse Theatre. I attend music events at the Vernon Jazz Club and the Mackie Lake House, and many years ago my children received music instruction at the Vernon community music school. I attend showings sponsored by the Vernon Film Society and occasionally make use of the Vernon public library.

RESPONSES

health

Question 1 -What would you do to protect the health of members of our community who have been made vulnerable to the effects of climate change?

BRIAN GUY

• Consideration of the impact of climate change on the health of the community was a major driver of the Climate Action Plan, which I championed as co-chair of the City’s Climate Action Advisory Committee.  The health-related vision statement in the Climate Action Plan is “Vernon is a healthy, equitable and resilient community”.  The Goal in support of that vision is “all members of the community, especially the most at risk and vulnerable, have equitable access to information, support and resources related to preparing for climate readiness”.  There are two actions in support of that goal:

• (1) identify populations vulnerable to climate change and develop strategies to build their adaptive capacity, and

• (2) develop a program to facilitate social connection, information sharing, climate awareness, and climate response activities amongst City residents at the neighbourhood scale.

• Examples of work the City has done recently include providing City facilities for use as shelters during extreme heat and poor air quality due to wildfires.

• If elected to Council I will advocate for City leadership in addressing these actions, and working with community partners to complete them.

Question 2 - What do you believe is the municipality's role in enabling and assisting ministries and non-profits as they address mental and physical health treatment issues and access, in populations affected by houselessness and the toxic drug supply? How might the municipality address the stigma that prevents people facing these challenges from seeking health services?

BRIAN GUY

• In Canada, health is a provincial responsibility.  However, the City can work with Interior Health on projects they propose for the community, such as harm reduction programs (for example safe injection sites).  The City can also work with the province and with local community groups such as the Turning Points Collaborative Society to build and operate supportive housing for people affected by homelessness, a proportion of whom suffer from mental illnesses and addictions, and is already doing that.  

• More generally, the City should continue to support the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan and the Partners in Action (a broad coalition of community organizations including the Turning Points Collaborative Society, churches, and the Salvation Army) to enable these groups to fully deliver their mandates within the community.  The City can leverage its support to obtain additional financial support from higher levels of government for the programs operated by these groups to help people get off the streets and into a more supportive living environment.
  

• Finally, Vernon, like many communities in B.C., is facing a shortage of family physicians.  The City can contribute to a solution to this problem by doing its part of make the community attractive to both doctors and their spouses.
  

• On the issue of the stigma associated with additions and homelessness – I believe that speaking openly about mental health and drug addiction, and supporting health-based initiatives are essential for removing the stigma.  The City should do its part to emphasize to the community that drug addiction and homelessness are public health issues that affect us all, and are not criminal or moral issues.  I support the health agencies in our community that are working to address the stigma related to mental health and addictions.

Question 3 - How will you ensure that our Parks & Recreation facilities and programs meet the diverse needs of our population?

BRIAN GUY

• Vernon needs sufficient parks and modern, high quality recreation facilities to meet the needs of the entire community, including those with lower incomes or physical or other barriers to access.  The Parks program is informed and guided by a 2015 Parks Master Plan and the Recreation program is informed by a 2018 Recreation Master Plan.  In addition, on Wednesday September 21, 2022, a new Natural Areas and Trails Plan was presented to the RDNO Board.

• On Council I will advocate for a robust park and recreation budget and staffing to fully deliver the facilities and programs needed to meet the needs of all residents.  In addition, steps should be taken to ensure that Vernon’s public facilities and welcoming and inclusive spaces for our whole community, as Vernon becomes more diverse.  

• Several key projects are currently underway (including redevelopment of Polson Park, completion of the Grey Canal Trail, and upgrading the Lakeview Pool), and I will fully support the completion of these projects.  The proposed new Active Living Centre will be presented to voters for approval in a referendum on October 15, and if that project is supported by the public, I will actively support it through to completion.