Many Nanaimo residents are struggling with the rising cost of essentials, and local families deserve meaningful ways to keep everyday living affordable. I support creating an Island Card that provides residents with discounts on groceries, clothing, tools, hardware, fuel, and other necessities. This program allows businesses to continue benefiting from tourism revenue while ensuring locals have access to lower prices on the items they rely on most.
The Island Card would be simple, accessible, and designed to strengthen the connection between residents and local businesses. By keeping essential goods affordable for those who live and work here year‑round, we can reduce financial pressure on families while supporting a thriving local economy that welcomes visitors without burdening residents.
A restored rail system would reduce congestion, lower long‑term road maintenance costs, and significantly decrease accidents on our highways. Rail moves more people with less land, less noise, and far fewer emissions. For Nanaimo, it also means multiple convenient stops across the city — connecting dense residential neighbourhoods, downtown, VIU, ferry terminals, and key employment hubs. This creates a seamless, accessible transportation backbone that serves residents of all ages and abilities.
By working directly with all levels of government and key stakeholders, we can revive Island Rail as a modern, high‑speed, eco‑friendly system that connects communities from Comox to Victoria. This is the kind of forward‑looking infrastructure that strengthens regional mobility, supports economic growth, and positions Nanaimo as a leader in sustainable transportation.
While our world has evolved rapidly with the help of technology, our government systems have not kept pace. Too often, residents feel disconnected from the decisions being made at City Hall, even when those decisions directly impact their neighbourhoods, families, and future. I believe it’s time to modernize how we engage with the public and give citizens meaningful input on important issues. That’s why I will work with Council to develop a secure, world‑class Citizen Insight Portal — a digital platform where registered voters can log in, review detailed information on upcoming decisions, and vote on key issues brought before Council. This system will empower residents, increase transparency, and bring direct democratic involvement into the 21st century.
The portal will also serve as a hub for community ideas and innovation. Citizens will be able to submit recommendations, propose new initiatives, and participate in guided discussions supported by clear background information, expert summaries, and data‑driven insights. Instead of relying on fragmented public hearings or limited engagement sessions, this portal will give every resident a voice — not just those who can attend meetings. By embracing secure digital participation, Nanaimo can become a leader in open government, ensuring that decisions reflect the collective wisdom and priorities of the people who live here.
Nanaimo’s long-term food security depends on expanding our local agricultural capacity. I will work with the Province to identify suitable crown land on the outskirts of Nanaimo that could be transitioned into new Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) areas. These lands would create homesteading opportunities for farmers and families who want to build agricultural livelihoods but cannot access today’s high-priced farmland. By opening the door to new ALR-designated farming zones, we can support young farmers, diversify local food production, and strengthen our resilience as the city grows.
One of the biggest challenges facing clean energy today is storage. Solar power is abundant, affordable, and increasingly accessible — but without a reliable way to store excess energy, communities cannot fully benefit from it. Nanaimo has a unique opportunity to lead the way in renewable energy innovation by exploring a world‑class pumped hydro power storage system on Mount Benson. This system would allow us to capture surplus solar energy during the day and store it for use at night or during peak demand, solving the critical bottleneck that currently limits large‑scale solar adoption.
By pairing pumped hydro storage with expanded solar generation, Nanaimo can build a clean, resilient energy system that reduces reliance on external grids, lowers long‑term energy costs, and creates new revenue streams for the city. This model also opens the door for low‑cost rooftop solar installations for residents, allowing households to generate their own power and sell excess energy back into the system — keeping more money in the community while supporting a greener future.
Nanaimo has the terrain, the climate, and the growing reputation to become one of Canada’s premier mountain biking destinations. By developing a world‑class, lift‑serviced mountain bike resort and community on the slopes of Mount Benson, we can unlock a new era of tourism, recreation, and economic growth. This project would position Nanaimo as a global hotspot for riders, families, and outdoor enthusiasts — while creating new housing opportunities and year‑round attractions that benefit residents and visitors alike.
The centerpiece of this vision is a modern, lift‑access bike park supported by a vibrant mountain village featuring housing, shops, restaurants, and a signature waterpark that provides four‑season recreation. This type of resort is a proven economic engine in other regions, drawing international tourism, supporting local businesses, and creating hundreds of jobs. For Nanaimo, it would be a game changer — expanding our recreation economy, increasing housing supply, and giving families and visitors a destination that celebrates our natural landscape and active lifestyle.
As AI and digital infrastructure continue to expand globally, Nanaimo has a unique opportunity to position itself as a leader in clean, sustainable data center development. With my background in thermal engineering — including operating a specialized shop for ConleyMax, a company known for proprietary flameless water‑heating systems — I understand the technical challenges of cooling, energy efficiency, and heat recovery. As a City Councillor, I would champion the creation of world‑class, eco‑friendly AI and data center facilities that take full advantage of our geography, renewable energy potential, and community needs.
By integrating pumped‑hydro power storage on Mount Benson with low‑cost rooftop solar installations across the city, Nanaimo can generate clean, reliable energy to power these facilities while creating new revenue streams that help offset municipal taxes. In addition, a state‑of‑the‑art closed‑loop cooling system would capture waste heat from the data centers and redirect it to local recreation centers to heat pools, and even provide supplemental heating for homes. This approach directly addresses public concerns about water usage, noise, and environmental impact — offering a model that is clean, quiet, and highly efficient.
With thoughtful planning, these facilities would bring high‑quality employment opportunities, improved access to high‑speed data infrastructure, and significant long‑term revenue for the city — all with a minimal environmental footprint. Nanaimo is one of the best locations in the world for this kind of innovation, and embracing it would position our community at the forefront of sustainable technology development.
If you feel my platform and vision align with your goals for a qualified, driven, and community‑focused City Councillor, I invite you to support this campaign by making a donation using the form below. Every contribution — big or small — helps us reach more residents, share our message, and build the momentum needed for real change.
You can also make a huge impact by sharing this page with friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues. Encourage others to learn about my platform, get involved, and make their voices heard in the upcoming election. Together, we can shape a smarter, safer, and more sustainable future for Nanaimo.