Kelowna Candidate Matcher
- Responses from Sharon Shepherd
| 1. Do support the current rabbit cull program? | No | I do support dealing with the excess rabbits but not by using the contractor hired by the City. I would have supported working with a contract to sterilize and relocate to a protected site. |
| 2. Would you give final approval to the CD21 downtown redevelopment zone currently before council? | No | I do support the redevelopment of the 4 block radius and using a CD zone. However,what has been presented to council in my mind is not yet the best it could be for the citizens of Kelowna. It was for the following reasons that I could not yet support CD21 as presented. I disagree with using the Royal Trust (City owned property next to Kerry Park)for a hotel as I feel it should be park,heritage on Bernard and Water needs better protection, height and density should be decreased and the highrises identified for Abbott and Queensway need to be lower and stepped back, affordable housing increased from the 7% proposed, and amenity cost should be spread out to the rest of the downtown. Financial implications and challenges with the proposed density on the water table still needs more detail. The CD zone should be in accordance with the best energy development principles and aim for at least a measurement of LEED GOLD. I love the proposed "Sail Square", new alignment of Mill Street, Bernard and Abbott increased pedestrian use, and protection of the designated fire hall. I also supported updating the downtown plan at least at the same time as the CD21 was moving forward but this did not get a majority vote of council. I feel that the issues that many in the community have identified could be addressed and we really should be aiming for a much greater community support than I feel has been identified. I would prefer that more citizens would get extremely excited about what is being proposed. |
| 3. Do you think the City should limit the height of highrises? | Yes | I support height to be set back from the water front and stepped back. Our community has not really had a good discussion around "how high should we go" and where height would be acceptable. Our four town centres have varying height restrictions and as each of those plans are considered it would be appropriate to identify what height fits in with the vision. If there is need for a variance for height it should be clear what amenities would be agreeable in return for the extra height applied for. Pedestrian friendly principles must be considered and all new buildings should incorporate green building practices. |
| 4. All other things equal, if you were forced to make a decision that favours neighbours or a developer, which would you choose? | Neighbours | My roots are as President of a Neighbourhood Association and I try to rememeber "Where I came from". It should take more than one neighbour to express concerns before the developer proposal gets turned down. I believe that the best applications are where the developer and the neighbourhood have met and looked at proposals and considered input for change prior to being in front of council. |
| 5. Would you support an increase in Development Cost Charges to reduce the taxpayers' contributions to covering the costs of new development? | Depends | Development Costs are collected for sewer,water, roads, parks and drainage as a result of NEW developments. Charges must reflect actual current costs and recently the city staff have been obtaining input from the community and development community to best address the recent challenges of the changes in the economy. The present taxpayers should not be expected to pay for the the costs of new development. There is already an assist factor in recognition of the benefits of new development. Any costs to the developer must be in accordance with the 20 year financing plan and should be equitable and transparent. However, there really needs to be a recognition of the present economy and I will likely support either a zero or minimal increase for at least 6 months and then a reconsideration. |
| 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 | The Alternative Approval process is used regularly in doing business in the city and I have supported its use as it is part of the Local Government Act. However, there are many people in the public that do not agree with its use and I feel there needs to be a review of when the process is used and a policy as to when a referendum would be preferred to the alternative approval process, for example recreation complexes. A number of years ago throughout the province the percentage of public needed to sign an alternative approval process was increased and this may need to be revisited. |
| 8. Should non-Kelowna rate payers be charged extra user fees for using City amenities such as the future aquatic centre? | No | I feel that as many people as possible should be encouraged to use our facilities. |
| 9. In general, do you think the City of Kelowna should | maintain current service and taxation levels | In surveys done in the past the majority of citizens supported maintaining current service and taxation levels. The upcoming year is going to be very challenging with the recent economic impact and there are going to be some tough decisions in order to maintain our services. |
| 10. Have rural / agriculture lands been adequately conserved within the City? | No | I support the Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR) and the Agriculture Plan that has been developed. There is great pressure to remove land from the ALR and it is important for council to support the recommendations of the Agriculture Advisory committee and policies of the city. There have been lands taken out of the ALR that I did not support. Food security is an important issue and as citizens we must continue to work on supporting those in the agriculture business. I believe we should consider promoting a "100 mile diet" and support buying local as much as possible. |
| 11. Do you think big box retailers are a net positive or net negative for the community? | neutral | A new Big Box in any community I believe can be negative. However, the choices of Big Box for our city has taken place and now many jobs are provided and we are a draw for shoppers throughout the interior. There is very little space for any more Big Box stores (Ikea still to come?)and I feel there needs to be more expectation on the landscaping of the parking lots with any new or redeveloped stores in the future. I beleive we need to continue to encourage the small jobs in the town centers and not allow any big boxes other than the area they are already located. |
| 12. With regard to the Official Community Plan, do you think past councils have: | changed it too often | I am not opposed to changing of the OCP but there have been changes that went against city policy as well as outside the 2020 planning horizon that I did not agree with. Again, there needs to be more public accountability and reporting back to the public the reasons for the changes. All OCP amendments do require a public hearing and I would encourage the citizens to observe when these changes are occuring and let the council know whether you approve or not. |
| 13. Do you think local government should subsidize affordable housing? | Yes | Affordable housing can occur through policy and partnerships and that is the approach that I have been supporting. Four recent social housing projects recently were approved with the city providing city land and then the funding for building has come from the province and a not for profit will manage these properties. Rental accomodation needs a federal commitment to changes in the tax law and I have lobbied with other mayors across the country for these changes. Local government has a limited tax base and I see the municipality role as one of advocacy and policy and partnerships when social housing is identified as a priority. Partnering is the approach I prefer versus subsidizing. |
| 14. With regard to in-camera (not open to public) council meetings, do you think Kelowna council has: | struck the right balance | In camera meeting agenda items must meet Local Government criteria and at each meeting staff scrutinize whether the item fits the requirement and then council does the same. The process around in camera items does need to have better communication around when and what items must be discussed. At each meeting of council the reasons for going in camera on items is disclosed publically on the agenda. |
| 15. Do you support the City temporarily closing public spaces for large private for profit events such as concerts or sporting events? | Depends | The benefits and impacts of all concerts/events are evaluated through an Events committee which includes city park staff, police, bylaw and health authority representatives. It is essential that there be a good communication plan to the public about the temporary closure. Events must be spread out as too many closures would not be in keeping with having the tax payer paid for public spaces not available. |
| 16. Do you support the sinking of the old floating bridge pontoons in Okanagan Lake? | No | Environmental impact is being done to analyse the sinking will have on our very important lake water source. I would prefer alternate reuse of the pontoons. |
| 17. Would you be willing to increase taxes to support more road infrastructure? | No | An effective and adequate transportation system is important for our community to move goods and services and people. Investment in roads must continue to occur but I would support more investment in alternative modes of transportation including in transit and improvind our cycle and pedestrian(sidewalk)network. As we make it safer for residents to move about the community and not need their automobilies we would not have to spend as much money on the road infrastructure. The finance plan has identified the roads that need to be improved and many are development driven. |
| 18. Over the last three years, do you think that Council has made decisions that treat all neighbourhoods fairly/equally? | No | Council has many debates and discussion on each decision that is made and there are times that there are split votes on council. I weigh each of my decisions and respect the impact on neighbourhoods for decisions that I make.Working with neighbourhood associations and listening to their input has always been an essential part of my decision making. |
| 19. Would you vote to ban plastic shopping bags? | Yes | Although I support all the retailers that are taking on this challenge themselves. It does not necessarily take legislation to make a change and each one of us can stop using plastic bags on our own if we feel it is important. |
| 20. Would you support the Kelowna's amalgamation with boundary communities such as Ellison and Joe Rich? | Depends | An amalgamation would require consideration of benefits and cost impacts and a majority agreement for both the City and Joe Rich/Ellison areas before this would occur. A city policy is that if there is an extension of services (eg.sewer) to a neighbouring community outside our boundaries then in order to receive those services then it must amalgamate with the city. This happened recently in the Country Rhodes subdivision. |
| 21. Which party did you support in the recent Federal election? | Won't say | I must work with whomever gets elected and as a muncipal leader I do not feel it is appropriate to disclose who I do vote for. I value my relationships with the MP and MLA's and Ministers and Premiers as well as the Opposition Party. |
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? | Communication is an absolute issue that needs to be addressed. I believe that it is important to continue working with the media, neighbourhood associations, business and social agencies and the general public in developing a plan to address the issues that have been identified. | |
| 23. The 2008 Citizen Survey identified weaknesses in transit, roads, and senior services, bylaw and police. What would you do to address this? | A citizen survey provides an indication of areas that need attention and through budget and planning there needs to be changes identified that would improve the system. The survey for example was taken before the transit improvements took place and the comments on transit were absolutely correct. However, it takes many years to budget for improvements and our city recieved the most funding of any community for service extension connected to UBC-O student Upass then any other city in the province. The Official Community Plan vision to 2030 document is inviting the public input over the next year and I believe that we need the community to be as engaged as possible in this plan. | |
| 24. What is the greatest problem facing Kelowna and what would be your approach? | Management of growth in sustainable way. Water quality and quantity and air quality continue to be priorities and working in a valley wide approch recognizes that these issues are not contained in our boundaries. | |
| 25. Open ended comment section | I believe in a safe, healthy and vibrant community that has an inter-generational approach to developing a sustainable community.Some of my goals for the next term would be the building of James Stuart Park, development of Central Green (old KSS site), embarking on the 10 year plan to end homelessness,children to seniors inclusiveness,accesibility improvements, becoming a solar community,implementing affordable housing policies, connecting the city through biking and walking and transit and identifying the priorities for the town centres including Downtown,Pandosy and Rutland. I would like to thank the citizens for the priviledge of working on your behalf for the last 12 years. I would appreciate your support for re-election for Mayor and for more details please go to www.sharonshepherd.ca | |
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