Kelowna Candidate Matcher
- Responses from Angela Reid
| 1. Do support the current rabbit cull program? | Depends | We need to do something to address the rabbit problem, but I would support a more compassionate approach. |
| 2. Would you give final approval to the CD21 downtown redevelopment zone currently before council? | Depends | There are so many great parts of this proposal, but the height of the buildings proposed is not appropriate for downtown. High rises are not energy efficient, increase incidents of crime and reduce the feeling of "community" that is promoted by more human scale developments of 4 to 7 stories. Density can be better planned and still promote a thriving downtown. |
| 3. Do you think the City should limit the height of highrises? | Yes | |
| 4. All other things equal, if you were forced to make a decision that favours neighbours or a developer, which would you choose? | Neighbours | |
| 5. Would you support an increase in Development Cost Charges to reduce the taxpayers' contributions to covering the costs of new development? | Yes | |
| 6. Are you accepting developer contributions for your campaign? | No | |
| 7. Do you support the use of the alternative approval process such as was used with the Mission Aquatic Centre? | Depends | I've read the guidelines for the alternative approval process, and it appears to be a way of "straw-polling" the electorate in advance of moving forward, which makes sense. As long as the public process is transparent and well-promoted, I think this process is effective for some decisions. |
| 8. Should non-Kelowna rate payers be charged extra user fees for using City amenities such as the future aquatic centre? | Depends | Before implementing a user fee for non-Kelowna rate payers, I would like to see an analysis of what percentage of users this represents on an annual basis. On one hand I believe in being a good neighbour, but if the use is exessive, then it would be fair to charge a small extra fee. |
| 9. In general, do you think the City of Kelowna should | improve service levels and increase taxes | This is tricky question, but it deserves and honest answer. During this campaign, I have learned of many areas that require some level of improvement, and improving service levels can't be made without investment. A small increase in taxes will deliver results that residents and business owners alike will benefit from; a variety of strategies to address the lack of affordable housing for skilled professionals, the homeless and those in-between, improved public transportation, sidewalks and bicycle lanes, adaquate staffing at the fire department to meet the demands of a growing city, programs to promote water and energy conservation, just to name a few. These services will pay us back over time and should be considered investments in our community. |
| 10. Have rural / agriculture lands been adequately conserved within the City? | No | We should be conserving remaining agricultural land and promote innovative and creative forms of urban agriculture. We are lucky to have as much remaining agricultural land as we do, and we should work to keep it this way. It is one of the things that attracts people to Kelowna, and if cultivated, can provide safe, nutritious, local food for our community. |
| 11. Do you think big box retailers are a net positive or net negative for the community? | negative | Small business is the life-blood of the Canadian economy and big box retailers that are owned by foreign companies are not the best thing for developing a strong local economy. They provide primarily minumum wage jobs, pave over huge tracts of land with their buildings and parking lots, and squeeze out the smaller companies who have a much greater vested interest in the long term well-being of our community. I would favour developing our local economy through avenues that promote higher-paying jobs, with a focus on the emerging "green" economy that includes green building, renewable energy, energy conservation, water conservation and other progressive technologies and services. |
| 12. With regard to the Official Community Plan, do you think past councils have: | changed it too often | The OCP should provide a long-term vision and overall plan for the community, which allows for broad input into the creation of this vision. I believe past councils have opened up and allowed changes to parts of the OCP for special private interests, which have gone against the spirit of and challenged the integrity of the OCP process. |
| 13. Do you think local government should subsidize affordable housing? | No | The local government grants a developer the privelage of building in our community and the opportunity to make a profit. In the last few years, we have seen the local economy churning as a result of development, but it has also left us with some big challenges to address, including affordable housing. I believe it is appropriate to require developers to include a percentage of affordable housing, as well as requiring that certain areas be designated for rental housing, without the need for subsidies. Affordable housing is something our community needs, and we should work to attract the kinds of developers that are interested in working within these requirements to meet the goals of the community. |
| 14. With regard to in-camera (not open to public) council meetings, do you think Kelowna council has: | used them too often | |
| 15. Do you support the City temporarily closing public spaces for large private for profit events such as concerts or sporting events? | Yes | Our community needs more public events that bring the community together. Whether concerts, sporting events or festivals, so long as they are respectful of the community and environment, I would support using public spaces to host them, regardless of the for-profit or non-profit status of the orgaizers. |
| 16. Do you support the sinking of the old floating bridge pontoons in Okanagan Lake? | No | |
| 17. Would you be willing to increase taxes to support more road infrastructure? | No | |
| 18. Over the last three years, do you think that Council has made decisions that treat all neighbourhoods fairly/equally? | No | |
| 19. Would you vote to ban plastic shopping bags? | Yes | |
| 20. Would you support the Kelowna's amalgamation with boundary communities such as Ellison and Joe Rich? | Yes | |
| 21. Which party did you support in the recent Federal election? | Green | |
Open Ended Questions (Optional) | ||
| 22. The 2008 Citizen Survey ranked the city poorly on conducting business open and fairly as well as being responsive to citizen needs. What would you do to change this? | Reducing the need for in camera meetings. I have served on councils for federal and provincal political parties, and we only use in-camera meetings to discuss matters that affect personel or that are highly confidential from a strategic point of view. The electors of Kelowna should have the right to know how their elected officials are voting on policies that will affect them and our greater community. | |
| 23. The 2008 Citizen Survey identified weaknesses in transit, roads, and senior services, bylaw and police. What would you do to address this? | Improvements in our public transportation, cycling and walking corridors, and a campaign to promote these alternatives in transportation will help to address weaknesses in our road infrastructure. Improved public transit will also enhance senior services with additional handi-dart services. Addressing some of the issues around addictions and homelessess will alleviate pressures from bylaw and police services. I would like to better understand staffing levels of bylaw and police officers relative to the demands put upon them as another potential for addressesing the weakness identified by the Citizen Survey. | |
| 24. What is the greatest problem facing Kelowna and what would be your approach? | Our rapid growth has been unsustainable because we have not improved community services and infrastructure at the same rate as we have developed new residential units. I want to bring to council the business case for sustainability, to demonstrate that investments in community services and infrastructure, and doing a better job of planning growth in the future, will provide lasting economic and quality of life benefits to residents and business owners. | |
| 25. Open ended comment section | I have lived in Kelowna for nearly 20 years and am the CEO of Tigress Ventures Inc. (a green business development company), and GreenStep Sustainability Coaching. I sit on the Board of Directors for the Okanagan Environmental Industry Alliance and am active as a member of the Chamber of Commerce Economic Sustainability Committee. | |
Candidate Information
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