Election questionnaire: Karen Elliott

Name:

Karen Elliott

How many years have you lived in Squamish?

Six, but I have been visiting here since the 90s.

How many council or committee meetings have you attended since Sept. 1, 2017?

With a few exceptions, I have attended all of them.

What do you love most about Squamish? (150 word limit)

I was originally attracted to Squamish because of the beauty around us and the access to so many outdoor pursuits. But it's the people who keep me here. I have been lucky enough through my work and my time on council to meet so many talented, entrepreneurial and community minded people; those that have built this community and those that have recently arrived and want to contribute their skills and ideas to the community. It gives me a lot of optimism for the future.

Are you endorsing a particular candidate for mayor? (question for councilor candidates)

Karen Elliott

What do you think is the biggest single issue facing Squamish? (150 words limit)

Managing our growth in a way that establishes a great environment where businesses can thrive, provides affordable housing options for singles, families and seniors and preserves our small town connectedness.

In the last term, what was council's single greatest accomplishment? What was council's biggest failure? (150 character limit)

 This term council updated and adopted a tremendous about of policy (including a new Official Community Plan) and infrastructure plans (Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan, Active Transportation Plan, Mapping Environmentally Sensitive lands, Zero Waste Strategy, Economic Development Action Plan, Real Estate and Facilities Strategy and more) so that we could match progressive policy with the growth of our community. This work positions us well for grants, partnerships, a sound fiscal management in the years to come. We also approved Under One Roof, which was essential. Our failure... not acting quickly enough to address the zoning heights in downtown.

Residents often complain about traffic (speeding, parking etc.) What would you do to improve traffic and parking in Squamish? (150 words limit)

We need to continue to improve our streetscapes to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Parking has been studied in the downtown and a plan is underway to address future options for both parking and a transit hub. As for our neighbourhoods, we need to invest in trailhead parking management and build multi-family developments with proper driveways and garages the vehicles we drive in Squamish.

Squamish has a housing affordability crisis. What would you do to improve affordability? (150 words limit)

This problem will take constant vigilance and effort to create the partnerships and policy necessary over the coming decades. Remember, this is a senior level government responsibility, but we're the level of government that feels the pain of our citizens most acutely. Council has created a CAC policy to ensure that developers contribute cash to our affordable housing reserve or build purpose built rental/affordable rental. We have waived fees to help homeowners build secondary suites, resulting in several hundred new suites. We need to work with other municipalities to lobby the provincial government to enable affordable housing on crown land, and look for synergies with Squamish Nation and their housing plan. We should also be included in the foreign buyers tax and current council has asked the province to justify our exclusion.

Do you support stronger regulation of AirBNB?

Yes

How would you attract new businesses and employers to Squamish? (150 words limit)

We have to make sure the business environment is attractive. The housing affordability and workforce stability are intertwined as businesses are having a hard time attracting and retaining staff. Small businesses need better digital infrastructure which we need to find a way to encourage. We need to demonstrate to entrepreneurs both here and those living here but commuting to the city that we can support a start-up culture. That will take a more entrepreneurial approach to how we work with our community partners to deliver economic development. We have already prioritized commercial space in our development process and ensured the Oceanfront lands, Waterfront Landing, and Scott Crescent developments all include new commercial lands.

Do you have a strategy to implement regional transit? (150 word limit)

We have an MOU signed with all of our regional government partners, which the Province required before they would engage with us on regional transit. A management structure has been chosen and now we're negotiating the funding model. September 2019 is an aggressive target, but should remain the goal for the introduction of regional transit.

Given limited financial resources, what do you think is the single highest priority for Brennan Park? (150 word limit)

The community was split on what needed to happen first, but seeking grant funding and partnerships we need to expand the capacity of our most used assets where waiting lists are now an issue.

Do you support cannabis retail shops in Squamish?

Yes

Would you consider yourself pro-WLNG or anti-WLNG?

Somewhat opposed (4)

Are you supportive of the Garibaldi At Squamish project?

Neutral (3)

Do you support development of the Cheema Lands (Lot 509/510)?

Somewhat opposed (4)