The work ahead

Next Term.

We have projects to finish, homes to make room for and daily problems to keep working on. This is where I want to put my time.

Nunns Creek concept layout showing four ball fields, two overlapping soccer fields, parking and a playground — Concept layout for Nunns Creek Park. Final details may change. View larger

Under construction · City project

Nunns Creek's comeback story.

When current council arrived in 2022, Nunns Creek Park was beset by encampments and crime.

Clearing the encampments was step one. Step two is to keep the park safe and bring it back into regular use by sports teams.

The goal is fields ready for spring 2027.

Sources & methods

City Council meeting highlights, September 28, 2023

The City recorded my notice of motion seeking options to address encampments and safety concerns at Nunns Creek Park and in the downtown core.

City construction notice, July 17, 2026

The notice scheduled construction for July 20, with a goal of play the following spring. The completion date is a target, not a guarantee.

The illustration is a concept layout, not a construction photograph or a final as-built plan. City project scope and progress

In progress · Regional project

Carry Strathcona Gardens through its next stages.

Collage of Strathcona Gardens concepts: aquatic centre above, wellness pool at lower left, and preliminary third-arena interior at lower right — Aquatic centre, wellness pool and third arena concepts. Images: SRD / REC-REATE. View larger

More space for swimming, fitness, rehabilitation and ice sports will make a difference to everyday life here.

New aquatic centre: Public access scheduled for October 16, 2026.
Wellness centre and remaining Phase 1 work: Expected in summer 2027.
Third arena: Approved; detailed design is the next phase.

This is an SRD facility. My role on City Council is to work with our regional partners on the City decisions and coordination it requires, and to keep residents informed about the cost and progress.

Sources & methods

SRD project page and September 18, 2026 aquatic opening update

Stages checked September 20, 2026. Regional capital spending is separate from the City's historical capital-acquisition total. Dates remain subject to the project schedule.

REC-REATE aquatic and wellness design renderings

SRD third-arena approval and preliminary concept, June 26, 2026

The collage combines published design renderings, with presentation and colour adjusted. The wellness image shows the wellness pool. The third-arena image is preliminary and may change through detailed design.

Foundation trenches, insulated wall forms and construction tools at a housing project — Housing under construction.

Work I want to advance

Make a good housing project easier to get built.

Builders still face too much waiting, uncertainty and repeated work. The City cannot make housing cheap. It can make a good project easier or harder.

Give applicants a clear list of requirements before they spend heavily on design.
Track approval times and identify where applications get stuck.
Use staff-level approvals where appropriate, with clear rules and accountability.
Plan the pipes and roads that allow the homes to follow.

Work to continue

Make the improvement felt downtown.

Streets, parks, the library and downtown businesses must be usable by everyone. Things are better, but still not great.

Use the City's authority to maintain public spaces, enforce valid bylaws and fund local capacity. Press senior governments for treatment, recovery and second-stage housing. The response has to address what people encounter on the street and what keeps bringing people back into crisis.

How I decide

Principles I'm not flexible about

Spend wisely

Every dollar City Hall receives came from somebody.

Taxes and fees come out of household budgets. Reserves are money already collected; debt is a bill to pay later. Within ten years, I want Campbell River to have the lowest municipal tax burden among similarly sized B.C. communities. That means bringing in revenue and spending it well.

Keep public spaces safe

Compassion and order are not opposites.

Streets, parks, the library and downtown businesses must be usable by everyone. Things are better, but still not great. Use the City's authority and press senior governments on treatment, recovery and second-stage housing.

Build lasting value

We have to build wisely through the storm.

Water, sewer, roads and stormwater come first. Parks and places to play matter too. With construction costs rising and projects taking longer, we need to examine what we build and how. Simpler standards can stretch the budget where they still provide safe, reliable service.

Seek prosperity

Families rely on solid paycheques.

Industries that sell outside Campbell River bring new money into the community. We need to defend them and welcome new employers. More homes let families grow here; more productive businesses create work and share the municipal bill. Make this a practical place to invest and build.

Govern carefully

Listen a lot. Think even more. Then act.

Governments tend to add rules without taking old ones away. Over time, the rules pile up and work against each other. Government ends up pushing the gas and the brakes at the same time, burning out society with high taxes and high complexity. We need to be rational: look at what our rules actually achieve and remove the ones that no longer serve a useful purpose. Government should make people's lives better, not just more controlled.

Build and protect relationships

Trust is built over time.

We need to work in good faith and be open with our many partners. Consistent, logical decisions help people understand our reasoning and know what to expect from us. We will not agree on everything, but we can disagree respectfully until we reach a workable solution.

How I test a campaign promiseExpanded

The promise test

Big promises need price tags.

Be very wary of candidates who make sweeping values statements or promises without measuring the cost.

“Sidewalks everywhere.”
“A park in every neighbourhood.”
“Food security for all.”