Paul Chapman Candidate profile approved

"Despite provincial and national trends, the cost to rent in Nanaimo has increased. Many people have been priced out of housing and home ownership and are finding it increasingly hard to find affordable housing to fit their needs. Housing costs are outpacing income. We need to balance Nanaimo’s contribution of waived and reduced fees with effective tenant protection in the case of rental displacement and effective rental supports to ensure access of truly affordable housing, with oversight by City staff. The costs of development should not be borne by vulnerable individuals and families displaced and unhoused by development. Effective tenancy protection and rental support keeps people housed. Our infrastructure is aging and needs upgrades and replacement. Community service hubs and walkable, rideable commutes to services support sustainable built infrastructure. Natural areas, parks and protected areas, provide opportunities for recreation, reflection and general wellbeing as well as critical services such as storm water management, community cooling, and carbon sequestration. A city rich in natural amenities is an attractive location for both businesses and a workforce. We also need to attract and support businesses. Where our businesses experience challenges due to disruption in transportation networks and other public works, we can lower and waive fees to offset disruption related losses. Young people and families in Nanaimo deserve the opportunity to live, work, and play in their home community. We can make effective tenancy protection bylaws. We can make sure that affordable housing is truly affordable at less than 30% of income of fixed, lower, and middle income individuals and families."

"We face challenges to our aging infrastructure (such as water and sewer), Climate Change effects (drought, deluge and sea level rise), and pressure to increase sprawl of housing and industry. By limiting sprawl we can concentrate our service delivery over a smaller footprint, eliminating the need for expansion of our below ground services and transportation to save costs. We have an expansive run of water and sewer lines that are nearing the end of their functional time and will need increasing repair and replacement, we will need to increase our commitment to asset management to at least 2% of the budget to keep up and avoid emergency spending. Climate Change is creating challenges to our storm drain infrastructure with more intense flows during more intense deluges while conversely stressing our community amenities during times of drought, and sea level rise will need to be addressed to ensure we maintain our critical infrastructure such as our connections to the mainland, our low lying infrastructure, and our homes. All of these challenges will be unaffordable if we delay action but affordable if we begin acting now, in incremental ways to face these known challenges. A stitch in time saves nine is the old adage and it holds true to responsible governance and decision making on our local issues."

"The City and RDN have done an admirable job of setting the pathway for getting the healthcare we need and deserve in the Nanaimo region and beyond. They have secured the funding locally to build a cardiac catheterization lab and a new hospital tower to begin to address the inequity of healthcare delivery north of the Malahat as compared to the availability of beds and services in the Victoria area. We need to continue to press the provincial government (and those currently running in the provincial election) to commit to the necessary approvals, actions, and funding to begin immediately to get the catheterization lab done within 3-5 years and the process to build the tower started. The City also has the opportunity to bring proven innovative models such as the building space and administrative support to attract new doctors to provide more availability to people in Nanaimo who don't have access to a family doctor."

"We can support the initiative to remove certain activities from Industrial zoning to allow oversight and community a say in which industrial activities belong where in our city. This will give us the opportunity to decide whether or not data centres or garbage incinerators belong in Nanaimo."

"I would like to reduce the speed limit on our neighbourhood streets to 30km/h supported by traffic calming infrastructure where needed. There is a significantly lower likelihood of seriously injury or fatality at 30km/h vs 50km/h in collisions between cars and pedestrians . This policy makes it safer for people to walk or ride in their neighbourhoods. This allows our kids to have safer active transportation to school and safer walking and riding options for all of us. From these safer neighbourhoods people can then join separated active transportation routes along main roads with higher speed limits. I also support expanding free transit passes for youth beyond the two-year period currently committed to by the RDN."

"We need to balance Nanaimo’s contribution of waived and reduced fees with effective tenant protection in the case of rental displacement and effective rental supports to ensure access of truly affordable housing, with oversight by City staff. The costs of development should not be borne by vulnerable individuals and families displaced and unhoused by development. Effective tenancy protection and rental support keeps people housed. We can also have pre-approved design for single family and multi family housing on sites meeting criteria set out by council (not on environmentally sensitive areas that require more oversight) to speed up approvals, get building started, and reduce costs associated with delay in the approval process. I know the City is exploring taking a more active role in affordable housing supply and I look forward to supporting innovative ways to provide affordable housing options in our community."

"In addition to effective tenancy protections to keep people housed mentioned above under the heading of Affordability and Liveability, our most vulnerable citizens deserve the right to safe, secure, and, when needed, supportive housing. I support removing politics from addiction treatment and following pathways that are proven to work. Many models of supportive housing are needed as well as the services to help navigate housing, healthcare, and employment opportunities. We can work with senior government to provide the full array of supportive housing on a scale that fits our neighbourhoods and fills our community needs."

"Grow the Tax base - we know we need more industrial activity to provide good paying jobs and taxes for City services and infrastructure. We can optimize use of existing Industrial lands by reducing barriers to multi level industrial development, incentivizing development of existing underutilized industrial lots, and encourage the relocation of non-industrial activities on existing industrial lands to lands zoned for those non-industrial uses. Just like we encourage our housing build up not out we can do the same for industrial use and reduce industrial sprawl while growing out tax base. I support the removal of heavy polluting industry from the automatically permitted uses allowed under the current zoning bylaw so that the community has a say in what industrial activities are appropriate for our community. Natural areas, parks and protected areas, provide opportunities for recreation, reflection and general wellbeing as well as critical services such as storm water management, community cooling, and carbon sequestration. A city rich in natural amenities is an attractive location for both businesses and a workforce. We also need to attract and support businesses. Where our businesses experience challenges due to disruption in transportation networks and other public works, we can lower and waive fees to offset disruption related losses. Young people and families in Nanaimo deserve the opportunity to live, work, and play in their home community."

"Safety concerns in our neighbourhoods cover the gamut. From concerns around traffic safety to property damage and vulnerability. Working in our Neighbourhoods we need to mesh data with lived experience to make sure that the safety needs of the community are met. That may mean extending lower speed zones around schools, play grounds, and neighbourhoods where active transportation infrastructure, like sidewalks, doesn’t yet exist. In terms of safety with regards to substance use, public safety requires a coordinated response health care, intervention, and enforcement. A criminal element is using our unhoused population as shield, while preying on this most vulnerable segment of our community and others. Safe secure housing is a community safety priority. We can extend 30km/h speed zones around schools and where active transportation infrastructure, like sidewalks, does not yet exist. 30km/h saves lives."

"The City is on the right path by increasing housing density in the downtown core. A higher population will support local businesses and cultural events. An active downtown core, with food, entertainment, and other services open after 5 pm is key to improving how people experience downtown."

"Our environmental responsibilities are various and require action on several fronts. One of those areas for action is expanding our parks and natural spaces. Our sense of a home place, many of our recreation activities, our core city services, and those places we seek out healing and calm rely on natural areas. Healthy forested areas, and watersheds support values as diverse as health and wellness, biodiversity, and storm water retention and attenuation. Even as we grow as a city, we need to ensure that we live in visibly green neighbourhoods in close proximity to natural settings. We can't continue to operate in an ecosystem deficit. Biodiversity is good for sustainable service delivery, community and the bottom line. We can ensure that all development proposals that include environmental Development Permit Areas are not considered through the delegated approval process, thereby allowing council oversight and a conduit for including community concerns in decision making. We need to protect places like the Rock City Wetland."

"I think that City council should review Freedom of Information request dispersals of information to make sure that information isn't being unnecessarily redacted. I also believe we should make sure the community voice is heard when decisions about certain industrial activities, like waste to energy incinerators are contemplated for our community. The City could also involve neighbourhood knowledge when contemplating development proposals especially those in proximity to natural areas and schools. Audited financial statements are available."

"I think we need to hear the lived experience of our community members facing barriers to buildings, services, and opportunities to better identify where and what the barriers are and effectively remove them throughout our city. These include physical barriers and barriers of prejudice and attitude."

"The City needs to work with all levels of government and collectively with other local governments to deliver programs and services to our community. In areas like healthcare and housing this requires active advocacy and lobbying through bodies like the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities and the Union of BC Municipalities."

"This may seem obvious but I think it needs to be restated when we see misinformation spread about modern treaties and territorial rights, I will uphold the Protocol Agreement between the Snuneymuxw First Nation and the City of Nanaimo. It strengthens our decision making and our effectiveness when major developments are decided on in conjunction with the Snuneymuxw Nation and other First Nations when appropriate."

"The City should continue to advocate with the provincial and federal government for equitable healthcare in our region specifically the prioritization of building a cardiac catheterization lab (immediately) and new hospital patient tower. We also need to ensure we receive the safe and supportive housing options we need to give shelter ond housing to the unhoused. "

"I'm not running for the School Board but I support increasing funding for public schools to provide the in class supports that teachers and students need for inclusive education."

"I support universal affordable childcare. I support exploring models of healthcare delivery such as the Colwood effort to attract doctors to their community by providing offices and administrative support, and the prospect of work/life balance for healthcare professionals."