Rod Moreno Candidate profile approved

"A 2 pronged strategy. 1. Nanaimo needs to attract commercial investment as well bringing in the knowledge and research industries that create high paying jobs that benefit our city and expand our tax base. This can alleviate the current tax burden and fund projects aimed at creating affordable housing. 2. The island currently has the highest grocery prices in BC while we live in the warmest climate in Canada where we have the longest growing season and plenty of rainfall. There is no good reason why we have to buy so much food and be at the mercy of the supply chains from the US or the mainland. We need a right to grow program in order to have high yields of cheap local and organic food which can create a market for island agricultural products not just here but abroad and in other parts of Canada."

"We need to end fiscal bloat and endless reserve funds. I don't see how city hall thinks that construction materials will come down in price while all currencies worldwide devalue vs inflation rates. Todays dollars are worth much more now than in the future. The problems are urgent and in some cases we have already paid for the solutions. We need to deploy those tax dollars while we can afford those costs such as the 150 Million for the new Cath Lab and Cardiac centre at the Hospital or the 1M dollars for homelessness that is just sitting waiting for allocation in 3 different pots according to the city's numbers."

"We already paid 150 Million in a special requisition in 3 years to the RDN Hospital Board. The province promised to build it and fund it years ago. We don't even have the approval or a binding construction date. With a 10-12 hr wait time at the ER for a hospital that serves most of the island we need provincial funding. I can be the strong voice that gets things done. We can not wait any longer. We have patients dying waiting for care . 440 inpatients in 356 beds. Unacceptable to have to pay 40% from Nanaimo taxpayers. Its a defacto provincial hospital. It needs provincial funding"

"We are currently sacrificing our most ecologically sensitive sites such as cable bay, the millstone river, the rock city wetland amongst many others for the sake of an anachronistic model of development. In an island with finite resources we cant make the extraction of those resources the primary driver of the economy. Raw logs are worth a fraction of boutique manufactured goods. We need to leverage public land for high yield agriculture in order to have a more affordable, sovereign food supply. This can also trigger a different kind of investment where Nanaimo positions itself as a research and logistics hub (paired with rail) which attract the knowledge industries which in turn help us bring high paying jobs and a knowledge base that aids in the public management of our lands."

"We need to finish the multimodal infrastructure axioms in the city so we don't have to rely on bike lanes next to cars, so that we have efficient roadways and public transport. I am a champion for restoring our part of the Island Rail because as the Port of Nanaimo expands to 1.4 million TEUs a year, that equates to 3500 truckloads a day which can collapse our traffic and destroy our already frail highway system. Freight rail is a necessity here, it can create new commercial and industrial corridors away from sensitive ecological areas and can expand our tax base dramatically paving the way for a next gen passenger train network which fuels the tourism/eco tourism industry."

"We need to digitize the permit approval process. We can not have the current lag due to bureaucratic stasis. Non market housing, high density planning (w amenities) has to be part of the equation. We have 1300 people moving here every year. Nanaimo is the 5th fastest growing city in Canada. Our building has to at least match that. Otherwise simple supply and demand will continue to raise rents and the barrier to home ownership."

"This is the toughest problem. I say that as someone that experience homelessness. Its a national problem that necessitates national action with local coordination. We can not fund our way out of this problem by ourselves as a city. But we can establish the guidelines and do everything in our power to leverage the current funding. As of May 2026 there were 1.05 Million dollars destined for homelessness that are still waiting for city hall to allocate. These dollars are devaluing as all currencies are. We need to deploy them to get the addicted people off the streets."

"Logistics infrastructure namely Rail will be the key to unlocking economic potential. With diesel prices at the whims of the global wars and almost at 3$/L, we have to be as independent as possible on the island so that we can set our own course in economic development. Each freight train can carry up to 280 TEUs vs trucks that can carry 1 or 2. This makes transportation for goods 5x to 10x more cost effective faster and much cheaper. It enables new commercial and industrial corridors along the rail line and can fund the next generation of passenger/tourist rail that can further create high paying jobs and enable new zoning for housing."

"We are spending a record amount on public safety while the results do not appear to be there in terms of crime and homelessness. Some candidates want to keep throwing money into CSOs as if theory equates with practical realities. Not me. We need to assess the public safety budgets line by line, with an econometric lens and make decisions based on actual measurable results. What works should stay, what doesn't should be studied further and perhaps curtailed to reallocate those funds to other more effective approaches."

"We can not have idle or dilapidated storefronts in prime high visibility areas of downtown. We need a downtown vibrancy stimulus for each business so that they can beautify and protect the first impression people coming to Nanaimo get from our downtown. It has to be clean and safe. Foot traffic has been shown in many studies to be the driver of investment to a city's core. The Jean burns hole in the middle of downtown has to be transformed into a high density vertical urban farm where we can sample to ourselves and others what the environment of our island can provide if we align the science, the econometrics and the ecological vision in one project with measurable results."

"We don't have to reinvent the wheel. Every city is at risk from climate change. In Japan they use tetrapods to create a barrier against tsunamis. In Saitama, our sister city, they have effectively managed 11x the population of Nanaimo in only 2x the landbase. In Mexico city they use neighborhood community kitchens to enable moms and children to have good cheap meals in a community setting after school, in the US and cities in Europe food forests and farmers markets help the local economy at the individual and family levels. We need to look for proven models so we can find cost effective solutions we can apply here for the benefit of all. We don't need more Loblaws selling US pesticide laden strawberries at exorbitant prices. We need to help and leverage the knowledge base of our farmers to densify high yield food production and have independence from the global supply chains. We don't need to be a timber yard or export our raw materials. We need to support and foster more of the existing industries on the island that create secondary industry products in order to be sustainable and profitable."

"We need data driven governance for measurable tangible results. Not politically calculated decision making. As someone who has vowed to not serve more than 1 term if elected, I will be free of the burden of thinking of pandering for electoral purposes. Effective fiscally and scientifically literate long term planning with applied econometrics can create predictable measurable results instead of cost overruns and half finished projects. We need change and a faster flow of ideas and actions through city hall. "

"Extremely important. Accessible streets are safer streets by default. Bus stops are a good example. One I can think of is the one by country club. However, that is just me thinking of the top of my head. Its the disability community that has lead the way so that we can identify what we can not see from our non-disabled vantage points. Same with people that have suffered from exclusion and inequities. "

"We need to stand up for the Nanaimo taxpayers. Specially to the province. The hospital expansion funding being a prime example. NRGH services over 400000 people. Only 120000 have paid for it. The 40-60 ratio for funding has not been a law since 2003 and neither Victoria, Vancouver pay even 30 % of their hospitals. With a budget of 36.8 Billion dollars we have to put massive pressure on the provincial governments and our MLAs to get on the priority list and achieve a binding construction date. "

"Certain parts of the OCP are good steps in the right direction. Specially the ones identifying culturally significant sites for development. It could start a cultural research and tourism industry in Nanaimo. I also think its paramount to get Restore Island Rail but the ICF corridor comprises of several first nations. We need to work efficiently and collaboratively to resolve this matter once and for all. Its a lock of our economic growth and development."

"We need a binding construction date and provincial funding for the hospital now! We need to restore island rail in order to drive economic growth. We need to stop data centres in an island where we import 60% of our electricity! We need national action to stop the inflow of the toxic drug supply!"

"I used to think only the sciences mattered in education. Now I see that the application and derivations of sciences also matter because student engagement is the crux of education. Whether its music academies like the one at Welling HS or the ecoschool program at Departure bay, these are good examples that can be emulated or derived from to help Nanaimo become a city of knowledge not just in the theoretical but in its applications."

"My wife runs a daycare so I have first hand knowledge of this issue. As both parents have to work in this economy, the choice and proximity and trust of a day care are fundamental to the well being of families. They provide safety, a learning environment and a place for children to learn language, social norms, friendship, reading and the basis for future good citizens. We need to support these not just as a good thing for the kids and families but as a primary driver and enabling factor of the local economy and public health."