Nanaimo City Council and Regional District of Nanaimo 2022–2026 Term Accomplishments

This is a summary of key Council and RDN accomplishments that was originally compiled by Councillor Ben Geselbracht which I have adapted. This is a list of accomplishments I supported and initiatives where I played a leadership role during my term on council. This list is not necessarily in order of priority.

1. Support health-care investment

·       Dedicated Nanaimo Regional Hospital District funding to stronger advocacy for expanded hospital services, including cancer care and cardiac services. The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District has identified the new patient tower, cardiac catheterization lab, long-term-care capacity and a cancer centre as priority projects. It has committed to paying 40% of capital costs for the patient tower, cath lab and long-term-care facility based on the 2022 estimates locked in, while advocating that the Province fund 100% of the cancer centre.rdn

• Increased NRHD taxation and reserve contributions so the region is ready to meet its required 40% share for new cath lab and patient tower. The 2026 NRHD budget included a 21% tax increase over 2025 to transfer $46.8 million into reserves for major capital projects. This was intended to ensure the hospital district has funds available when provincial approval and construction decisions proceed, rather than delaying projects while local financing is assembled.rdn.bc

• Secured a provincial commitment to begin moving cath lab and patient tower projects forward. The Province committed in fall 2024 to proceed with a new patient tower and cardiac catheterization lab at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. In Budget 2026, the Province confirmed initial planning for the NRGH expansion—a necessary first stage before detailed business-case approval and construction funding.rdn.bc+1

• Supported an innovative NRHD offer to accelerate planning and cardiac care. The NRHD offered to fund concept and business planning for both the patient tower and cath lab, and to fund construction of the cath lab up front as part of its overall cost-sharing commitment. In December 2025, the Board unanimously approved up to $50 million from reserves toward the cath lab, seeking to remove a potential funding barrier and accelerate provincial approval.rdn.bc+1

• Continued advocating for regional health-care equity. Expansion of NRGH services is an economic as well as health issue: local cardiac and cancer treatment capacity can reduce travel to Victoria or the Lower Mainland, improve recruitment and retention of health professionals, and provide Central and North Island residents with care closer to home.

• Supported a motion for staff to study the Colwood community clinic model and provide a report and recommendations to Council.

2. More Affordable Housing

Expand housing choices

• Enacted zoning reforms allowing more secondary suites, carriage houses and small-scale multi-unit housing in existing neighbourhoods. Nanaimo incorporated expanded housing permissions into the Zoning Bylaw on June 17, 2024, aligning local zoning with City Plan density goals and provincial small-scale multi-unit housing requirements. Nanaimo has a provincially mandated target of 4,703 net new completed homes between 2024 and 2029.

• Approved more family-oriented housing choices. This included the 29-unit Universal Place co-housing proposal at 5180 Universal Place and further work on family-friendly housing through the comprehensive Zoning Bylaw update.

Make affordable housing easier to build

• Created Nanaimo’s Social Housing Zone. Council gave the bylaw third reading on July 27, 2026. The proposed overlay applies to about 2,100 properties, roughly 7% of parcels in Nanaimo, in Urban Centre and Corridor areas. Eligible projects must include at least 20% social-housing rental units and secure affordability through a 60-year housing agreement. Final adoption was scheduled for September 2026.

• Implemented financial and land-use tools that improve non-market housing feasibility. These include housing agreements, density incentives, City-owned land, BC Housing partnerships, pre-zoning and Development Cost Charge reductions. In March 2026, voted for a 75% DCC reduction for non-profit rental housing; Council ultimately proceeded with 50%. The bylaw received three readings on April 20, 2026 and requires eligible units to remain below average market rent and protected for at least 60 years.

Build stronger partnerships with non-profit housing providers

• Supported the City–BC Housing partnership that has delivered and advanced hundreds of below-market and supportive homes. As of July 2025, 318 below-market or supportive homes were completed and occupied, another 411 were progressing through planning, rezoning or development, and the broader pipeline included 683 homes at varying stages.

• Approved major supportive and affordable housing projects. Examples include 51 supportive homes and 14 shelter beds at Cornerstone, 50 temporary supportive homes at 1300 Island Highway, 59 temporary supportive homes at 1030 Old Island Highway, 51 permanent supportive homes at 702 Nicol Street,

• Continued advocating for senior-government investment in non-market and supportive housing. City data identifies an estimated need for 12,962 new homes from 2021 to 2031, including 7,001, or 54%, that would need to be non-market housing.

• Supported BC Builds collaboration for middle-income housing. The city of Nanaimo put forward underused City-owned land available for housing aimed at middle-income workers, helping fill the gap between subsidized housing and market housing.

Create a new model for non-market housing

• Supported a community Non-market housing development pilot intended to test delivery at scale. The proposed model would bring together community land, low-cost financing, innovative construction and local housing providers to create a locally controlled, repeatable non-market housing delivery system rather than relying only on project-by-project applications.  The pilot proposes developing up to 400 non-market units sold at approximately 30% below market value. On July 20, 2026, Council supported in principle a $75,000 contribution from the Housing Legacy Reserve to Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation and directed staff to assess the pilot’s viability.

  
  

3. Improve permit performance.

·      Implemented Certified Professional (CP) program as an alternative and expedited approval stream Nanaimo introduced a Certified Professional (CP) program as an alternative to the conventional City-led plan-review and construction-monitoring process. Under the program, appropriately qualified architects and engineers provide professional assurances of compliance with the BC Building Code and other applicable safety requirements, allowing the City to streamline review for eligible projects.nanaimo

·      Created a Fast Track permit stream for qualifying commercial tenant improvements. The City’s Fast Track Building Permit program is designed for relatively simple alterations within an existing tenant space and aims to issue eligible permits in as little as 15 business days after a complete application is accepted. Applicants are contacted within five business days to arrange a completeness and eligibility meeting. The stream excludes changes of use and certain higher-risk occupancy types, while incomplete or ineligible submissions must be redirected to the regular permit process.nanaimo

·  Supported a review of building-permit performance and progress on 2020 process and service reforms. The City had undertaken a broader review of its building-permit function and moved ahead with staff recommendations intended to improve workflow, coordination, application review, and customer service. Council directed staff to implement the Building Permit Function Review Update recommendations in May 2026 which included:  1. Separate civil Design Stage Acceptance from the building-permit process 2. Add one full-time Development Engineering Technician.3. Create internal service agreements for development approvals.4. Audit a sample of Certified Professional Program files.5. Explore more risk-based application reviews with industry.

·      Added a Senior Engineering Development Technician  to address a key permitting bottleneck. Council approved adding a full-time Senior Engineering Development Technician to the 2026–2030 Financial Plan. The position is intended to increase development-engineering review capacity and help reduce delays where servicing, site-civil, and related engineering reviews affect building-permit timelines.nanaimo

·      Supported a 2026 proposal for stronger public accountability on permit reform implementation and permit timelines service standards. In 2026, I supported a motion calling for clearer service standards, a public-facing performance dashboard, a 60-day implementation plan, and regular reporting on processing times, backlogs, and service-improvement efforts. The proposed measures would have made permit performance more visible and established clearer expectations for reducing timelines; however, the motion was defeated on a 3–6 vote

4. Health, Housing and Community Safety

Strengthen coordination on homelessness

• Implemented the Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization and moved forward Coordinated Access System and community By-Name List. The organization was established through the City’s Health and Housing Action Plan to coordinate service providers and support the implementation of coordinated access and a community by-names list to better identify people experiencing homelessness, prioritize residents based on need and connect them with housing and supports. The SPO was wound down as an organization in 2025 as its coordination function transitioned to the community leadership table through the community “alignment project”

• Supported full City participation and co-leadership in the federal Reaching Home and provincial Alignment Project. City of Nanaimo is one of the key participants in the community’s Homelessness Response Leadership Table Nanaimo is one of ten B.C. communities participating in work to strengthen Coordinated Access and expand use of the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System, connecting federal funding, provincial systems, local homelessness data and frontline service delivery.

• Funded with community parters at the Nanaimo Homeless Hub a daytime drop in center that provided basic health and housing services. The Hub at 55 Victoria Road operated seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., providing daytime indoor space, warming and cooling access, outreach, basic resources and connections to housing and health supports. Supported transitioning the service model to a more appropriate longer-term location after neighbourhood impacts, safety concerns and site limitations emerged.

• Continued advocating for coordinated housing, health and homelessness services. This includes partnerships among the City, BC Housing, Island Health, Snuneymuxw First Nation, United Way BC, Island Crisis Care Society and non-profit housing and service providers.

5. Advocate for treatment, supportive housing and complex care

• Approved complex-care housing at 1850 Boxwood Road. The project is expected to provide approximately 20 to 22 homes for people with complex mental-health, substance-use, brain-injury, chronic-health or disability-related needs. Council gave first and second reading to the rezoning in June 2025, with rezoning and development-permit approvals completed in August 2025.

• Approved continued expansion of supportive and affordable housing. As of spring 2026, Nanaimo had 258 supportive homes operating, including 222 opened since 2017, with 167 additional supportive homes underway. Planned projects included 35 homes at 355 Nicol Street, 50 at Terminal Avenue and 60 near McKenzie Avenue and Old Victoria Road. The 250 Terminal Avenue redevelopment is planned to include 50 supportive homes in its first phase and 37 affordable homes later.

• Secured provincial “Dry housing” for recovery at 250 terminal

• Continued advocating for provincial investment in treatment, recovery, complex care and supportive housing. The emphasis has been on pairing stable housing with the health and social supports required by residents with significant and overlapping needs.

Support evidence-based responses to addiction

• Defeated a 2025 motion that placed undue blame on overdose-prevention services rather than severe under-resourcing of treatment and advocated for a balanced response that includes advocating for treatment, recovery, mental-health care, overdose prevention and neighbourhood safety.

• Put forward a motion for the City to advocate for a comprehensive approach to the challenges of addiction, mental health and homelessness in our community. I advocated for an approach similar to the Four Pillar approach. 

The 4 pillars are:

Prevention – reduces harmful substance use before it begins through education, community initiatives, and regulation

Treatment – supports people with substance dependence through accessible, evidence-based services

Harm reduction – reduces the health and social harms of substance use without requiring abstinence

Enforcement – focuses on public safety and reducing harms related to the illegal drug trade

The motion was defeated.

Improve community safety and cleanliness

• Supported an integrated public-safety approach. Community Safety Officers, RCMP, cleaning, outreach, housing and health interventions are treated as complementary tools rather than relying on policing alone.

• Expanded Community Safety Officer program by ten positions. In December 2024, Council approved nine new full-time CSO positions and one Senior CSO. Five CSOs and the senior position were scheduled for 2025, followed by four more CSOs in 2026, supported by two additional fleet vehicles and EV charging infrastructure.

• Added 12 RCMP members between 2025 and 2027. Council approved four additional officers per year for three years, adding general-duty and mental-health capacity while building on earlier crime-reduction and downtown-safety investments.

• Expanded Downtown Clean Team and cleaning capacity.

6. Climate Action and Environmental Protection

Implement City and RDN climate plans

• Continued implementation of Nanaimo’s climate commitments, including building retrofits, low-carbon facilities and fleet electrification. Nanaimo’s Integrated Action Plan translates City Plan’s climate commitments into operational actions across City departments. These include updating corporate standards for City-owned facilities to reflect current and future energy and greenhouse-gas requirements, improving energy efficiency, reviewing lighting practices, advancing green-building

• Maintained Nanaimo’s status as a recognized municipal climate action leader. Nanaimo was named to CDP’s 2024 Cities A List, one of only two B.C. communities recognized that year. Only 112 cities worldwide and eight Canadian communities received the designation. It was Nanaimo’s second A List appearance after 2022.

• Supported practical RDN emissions-reduction measures and implementation of a Natural Asset management systems. RDN climate work includes constructing energy-efficient facilities, incorporating sustainable infrastructure, adding zero-emission vehicles to its fleet, pursuing watershed protection and integrating climate considerations into operations and capital planning.

• Supported the implementation of the Zero Carbon Step Code that requires all new residential buildings to have low-carbon or electric space heating, cooling, and water heating systems instead of fossil fuels like natural gas. The ZCSC was implemented in July of 2024.

Lead the transition toward zero waste

• Sat on the RDN Solid Waste Select Committee for two years and advanced the region’s 90% waste-diversion goal. The target is equivalent to approximately 109 kg of disposed waste per person annually. The region had already reached approximately 68% diversion.

• Implemented RDN Mandatory Waste Source Separation and waste-hauler licensing bylaws. The Waste Hauler Licensing Bylaw received provincial approval in April 2024, and Mandatory Waste Source Separation took effect January 1, 2025. Together they require more consistent separation and collection of recycling, food scraps and residual garbage across multi-family, commercial, institutional and industrial properties throughout Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and RDN electoral areas.

• Continued Zero Waste Recycling Fund investment and a circular-economy approach. The RDN provides annual funding for projects that reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, compost and recover materials before disposal, helping extend landfill life and develop local circular-economy solutions. Projects supported included the Habitat for Humanity Restore and the Loaves and Fishes food recovery warehouse.

• Supported a 2026 motion that was adopted calling for the RDN to move away from land application of biosolids unless contaminants are addressed through appropriate treatment. The motion advanced a precautionary approach and called for advancing thermal treatment of biosolids before any land application that would create biochar and remove persistent contaminants such as PFAS compounds and pharmaceuticals. 

Protect parks, water resources and environmentally sensitive areas

• Protected through acquisition Hamilton Marsh, a 360 acre wetland. The RDN Board approved $21.2 million in long-term borrowing and committed more than $4 million from capital reserves toward the $28-million acquisition, with support from the Province, Government of Canada, Nature Trust of BC and Sitka Foundation. The acquisition will create the RDN’s thirteenth regional park and conservation area, adding to more than 2,814 hectares already protected. Hamilton Marsh is important for the health of the aquifer which supplies water to Qualicum Beach and French Creek.

• Established stronger urban-forest protection and canopy targets through the official community plan and advancement of an update to the Nanaimo Urban Forestry Management Strategy. Nanaimo’s Official Community plan monitoring framework sets a minimum 30% tree-canopy target in every City monitoring area and identifies 40% as an ideal level for stronger cooling benefits. Reaching targets will be accomplished through an update to the the Urban Forestry Management Strategy.

• Opposed the original approximately $10.8-million Loudon Park boathouse design because it would have removed 29 mature trees and displaced significant public green space. 

• Brought forward a successful motion to purchase additional properties to expand Loudon Park and provide a more suitable location for the proposed boathouse and amenity space that did not intrude onto parks historical public green space. 

• Reconsideration led to a revised approach that preserved the mature-tree grove and moved the building onto newly acquired adjacent parkland.

• Advanced protection of East Cable Bay and Nanaimo River lands and continued scrutiny of development affecting wetlands, riparian areas and sensitive ecosystems. These efforts aim to protect connected forest, riparian, wetland and recreational lands as permanent public assets.

·       Referred the West Cable Bay industrial rezoning proposal back to staff and developer for stronger environmental protections. The specific referral request I supported: That Council refer “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2026 No. 4500.249” back to Staff for further discussions with the applicant on amendments to improve compatibility with surrounding lands and address environmental, recreational, and community interests, including:

1.  Narrowing emission-intensive permitted uses, including removing petroleum processing and non-biomass waste-to-energy facilities;

2.  Improving the Cable Bay Trail buffer, including a consistent minimum 100-metre buffer where it is reduced to 50 metres and including adjacent environmentally sensitive areas within the buffer,

3.  Increasing the width of lighter industrial transition areas adjacent to residential lands and the Cable Bay Trail, with electoral area residential setbacks equal to city residential setbacks

4.  Ensuring adequate servicing and drainage to protect surrounding parkland, wetlands, and the adjacent marine environment from spills, contamination, stormwater impacts, and toxic substances. 

Expand sustainable transportation

• Expanded transit and HandyDart service by roughly 12% since 2022 adding roughly 16,000 additional transit hours to the 137,000 2022 hours. 

• Strengthened interregional transit connections from Nanaimo to Downtown Duncan and Nanaimo to the Comox valley with express buses

• Supported the motion for fare-free transit for youth throughout the Regional District of Nanaimo. The RDN approved fare-free transit for youth aged 18 and under beginning in September 2026, covering Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville and Qualicum Beach and expected to remove fare barriers for approximately 8,000 young people. Before the change, youth aged 13 to 18 paid $45 for a monthly pass, while children 12 and under already rode free.

• Collaborated in the expansion of the E&N Trail (trail beside rail) south from Hecate Street to Seventh Street and committed to further expansion to Extension Rd.

• Expanded investment into pedestrian safety upgrades and active transportation routes.

Since 2022 city has doubled its annual investment into unallocated pedestrian safety and active transportation upgrades not including planned capital projects.

7. A Strong Local Economy

Improve permitting and development processes

·    Established a Certified Professional (CP) permit stream in 2023 as an alternative process for complex Part 3 buildings. It enables greater reliance on certified architects’ and engineers’ professional assurances, with the intent of reducing the depth of City review and allowing phased permit issuance where appropriate. Nanaimo amended its Building Bylaw and created local CP procedures, forms, and a manual supplement.nanaimo+1

·    Established a Fast Track permit stream for eligible tenant improvements, developed with industry through the Joint Building Permit Advisory Working Group and launched in 2022. The City’s target is permit issuance within 15 business days after a complete, eligible application is accepted; applicants are contacted within five business days to arrange the intake meeting.nanaimo+1

·    Added additional permitting staff capacity, including supervisor and building-official capacity. The City also received a $500,000 provincial grant for development-approvals improvements, including building-permit review implementation, planning-process review, and technology investments. The 2026 review nevertheless found ongoing staffing shortages in Development Engineering, a major source of referral delay, and recommended adding a full-time Development Engineering Technician.pub-nanaimo.escribemeetings+1

·    Moved permit services toward digital intake, review, and tracking. Simple permits shifted to an e-apply platform; remaining permit types are scheduled to transition in 2027. The City also adopted Bluebeam for collaborative and identified Power BI for internal and applicant-facing application-tracking dashboards.

·       Commissioned and brought forward a 2026 independent review of implementation of 2020 building permit improvement recommendations.

·       Hired a full time Senior development Engineering Technician to address staffing bottle neck

• Supported a 2026 push for stronger building-permit accountability framework in implementation of 2026 permitting improvement recommendation and service standards for each permit stream. Proposed public service standards, a performance dashboard, a 60-day implementation plan and quarterly reporting on processing times, backlogs and service improvements. The motion was defeated 3–6.

8. Strengthen local food security

• Supported Loaves and Fishes’ food transportation and logistics warehouse. Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank is developing a major food-distribution facility on East Wellington Road. The project received land from the City with a 60 year lease for minimal payment and funding and support from the RDN. The warehouse will increase Loaves and Fishes’ ability to receive, store and sort food recovered from grocery stores, from major donations and through Food Banks Canada and then distribute food across Vancouver Island

• Continued park planning for a five-acre farm and East Wellington Park. Community-farm planning to create opportunities for local food production, education, volunteer participation, intergenerational activity and ecological stewardship. Integrating food-growing spaces into park planning also helps make food security a visible, local part of community infrastructure rather than relying solely on emergency food provision.

9. Invest in recreation, arts and culture

• Made large improvements to parks, recreation and community facilities including upgrades at Westwood Lake Park, the Stadium District, Marie Davidson BMX Track,  Beban Park pickleball facilities, Nanaimo Aquatic Center and the Maffeo Sutton Playground.

• Supported operating grants for cultural organizations, public art and community cultural facilities. The 2026 budget includes operating grants for cultural venues, the Temporary Public Art Program, and artwork or renewals in the Stadium District, Colliery Dam Park, Mansfield Park and Harewood Park. This support recognizes arts and culture as part of community wellbeing, downtown vitality and the local visitor economy.nanaimo+1

• Supported efforts to bring significant cultural experiences to Nanaimo, including the proposed Van Gogh installation pilot. A large-scale immersive art installation could attract residents and visitors, support hospitality and downtown businesses, and broaden access to cultural experiences that are often concentrated in larger urban centres. A pilot approach allows Council and community partners to assess attendance, local economic impact, cost and long-term feasibility before committing to a recurring program.

• At Loudon Park, pushed for a more affordable design that protected mature trees and public park space. Council approved a revised, single-storey Loudon Park Activity Centre and boathouse design in April 2025. The approved project includes a publicly bookable 150-square-metre multipurpose room, boat storage, athlete-training space, accessible washrooms and changerooms, an inclusive playground, accessible waterfront improvements and tree replacement and replanting under the City’s tree-protection bylaw.nanaimo

• Brought forward a successful motion to purchase additional properties to expand Loudon Park and provide a more suitable location for the boat house and community amenity space

• Supported expansion of the Loudon Park improvement plan. In December 2025, Council directed staff to update the Loudon Park Improvement Plan to include the expanded park area and layout, and allocated $1.3 million in 2028 for non-building park improvements such as landscaping, a picnic shelter, children’s play equipment and interpretive signage.nanaimo

10. Protect industrial land responsibly

• Supported expanding Nanaimo’s industrial land base where development is appropriate and environmentally responsible. New industrial capacity is important for local jobs, trades, manufacturing, clean technology, warehousing and service businesses. The challenge is ensuring expansion occurs in appropriate locations, with environmental assessment, infrastructure planning, forest retention and meaningful consultation with affected communities and Snuneymuxw First Nation.

• Supported expansion of Industrial lands as part of the Sandstone development.

• Supported industrial development in principle at Cable Bay, but opposed proceeding without stronger environmental protections, trail buffers and meaningful Snuneymuxw engagement. The Cable Bay proposal would rezone approximately 74.7 hectares for heavy industrial use and dedicate approximately 11.3 hectares as parkland along the Cable Bay Trail. The proposal includes an average 100-metre forested trail buffer, but its scale and location generated substantial concern about mature forest loss, industrial impacts, ecological protection and the trail experience.nanaimo+1

• Supported motion to refer the Cable Bay application back to staff after extensive public hearings. The public hearing extended across three sessions and approximately 11.5 hours, with more than 900 written submissions and significant public participation. Referring the matter back for staff work created an opportunity to strengthen mature-forest protection, parkland dedication, trail buffering, industrial-use conditions and consultation before any final decision.savecablebay+2

• Brought forward a motion to amend the Heavy Industry zoning rules requiring emissions-intensive industries to undergo site-specific public rezoning rather than being automatically permitted.Council directed staff to examine zoning changes that would exclude emissions-intensive heavy industries—including petroleum refining, chemical processing, waste-to-energy incineration, thermal-electric generation and LNG export facilities—from existing industrial zones unless a site-specific rezoning is approved. This would ensure public notice, Council review and tailored conditions for proposals with significant potential impacts.nanaimobulletin You can read my blog about this motion here.

• Opposed delaying stronger industrial-zoning protections. The industrial-zoning review was deferred in August 2026 for additional consultation with Snuneymuxw First Nation, heavy-industry landowners and other stakeholders. Although consultation is important, opposing delay reflects the view that Nanaimo should move promptly to ensure that the most emissions-intensive industrial uses require transparent, site-specific public review.nanaimobulletin

• Supported advancement of approximately 25 hectares of new light-industrial land near East Wellington Road. Council unanimously advanced a rezoning application to public hearing for 25 hectares of light-industrial land between East Wellington Road and the Nanaimo Parkway. The proposal prohibits heavy industry and high-emission uses, preserves approximately 50% of existing tree cover, wetlands and buffers and maintains a 50-metre buffer along the Parkway and Parkway Trail.investnanaimo I did not support third reading because the Environmental studies were incomplete.

• Supported a balanced industrial-land strategy. The East Wellington proposal illustrates a practical distinction: Nanaimo can add job-supporting industrial capacity while restricting highly polluting uses, retaining substantial tree cover and protecting public trail corridors.investnanaimo

• Support proposals for a Port of Nanaimo Masterplan in partnership with the Nanaimo Port Authority and the Snnuneymuxw First Nation

11. Grow the circular economy

• Continued advocating for municipal and provincial circular-economy strategies. Nanaimo defines a circular economy as an approach that retains resources and products in use through reuse, repair, redistribution, reconditioning and recycling, rather than the traditional “take-make-waste” model. This reduces waste, emissions and demand for virgin resources while supporting local green jobs and more affordable material flows.nanaimo

• Supported Nanaimo’s Circular Economy Accelerator Program. The City partnered with the Vancouver Island Coast Economic Developers Association and Synergy Foundation to deliver the Circular Economy Accelerator Program. It provides practical support to businesses north of the Malahat seeking to reduce waste, improve resource efficiency and adopt circular business practices; partners are exploring a second phase.nanaimo+1

• Supported regional grants that create markets for reused and recycled materials. The RDN’s 2026 Zero Waste Recycling Funding program provides $300,000 for non-profit projects that divert materials from landfill, develop circular-economy markets and improve local reuse, recycling and composting systems.rdn.bc

• Continued provincial advocacy on extended producer responsibility, disaster debris, landfill capacity and circular-economy policy. These issues require provincial action because municipal governments cannot independently regulate product design, packaging, producer take-back programs or many end-of-life material streams. Stronger Extended Producer Responsibility shifts a greater share of recycling and disposal costs from local taxpayers to producers.

• Led advocacy for provincial mattress recycling. Mattress recycling is a practical example of Extended Producer Responsibility: mattresses are difficult to compact, consume scarce landfill space and contain recoverable materials such as metal, wood, foam and textiles. A province-wide stewardship program could create collection and processing systems while reducing costs and disposal pressures for local governments.

12. Results-Oriented City Government

Strengthen an innovative, results-oriented culture at City Hall and Increase accountability for key initiatives

• Implemented the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) to turn City Plan goals into measurable action and public reporting. Council endorsed the final IAP in June 2023. It organizes actions under five community goals: Green, Connected, Healthy, Empowered and Prosperous Nanaimo, and links City Plan priorities to departmental work, resource allocation and annual budget decisions. Council receives annual progress reporting showing whether priority actions are complete, in progress, ongoing or not started.

• Implemented stronger alignment between City Plan, departmental work plans and annual budgets. The IAP and subsequent business-planning process identify priority actions alongside departmental initiatives and capital investments during the annual budgeting process, making the connection between community goals and funded City work more visible.

• Supported a 2026 push for stronger building-permit accountability on reducing timelines. Proposed public service standards, a performance dashboard, a 60-day implementation plan and quarterly reporting on processing times, backlogs and service improvements. The motion was defeated 3–6.

Strengthen Nanaimo’s Provincial Advocacy

• Advocacy to Provincial Government, MLA’s Ministers, Premier and staff in Union of BC Municipalities executive. Advanced regional and provincial advocacy on housing, health-care access, transportation, regional-district legislative reform, watershed protection, climate resilience and solid waste.

• Connected Nanaimo priorities to provincial funding and policy discussions. City and Regional District advocacy priorities included a new patient tower and cath lab at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.  The Regional District Hospital Board (7 councillors sit on this including myself) resourced a focused advocacy strategy to lobby provincial government which included hosting a provincial election all candidates meeting with questions specifically centered on expanding NRGH and held a Health Care Access summit in 2025 to raise political awareness.

Continued regional leadership on solid waste and the circular economy. Through the RDN, supported stronger diversion systems, provincial approval for Mandatory Waste Source Separation, waste-hauler licensing 

13 . Standing by My Commitments

Several votes and interventions this term demonstrated a willingness to stand by commitments to environmental protection, accountable government, public health and responsible planning, including when in the minority.

Cable Bay

• Moved to seek further staff work on the proposed Cable Bay heavy-industrial rezoning after extensive public opposition and concerns about environmental protection, Snuneymuxw consultation and compatibility with the Cable Bay Trail. The proposal involved approximately 74.7 hectares of industrial land and about 11.3 hectares of parkland, including an average 100-metre forested buffer. The public hearing ran for roughly 11.5 hours over three sessions and generated more than 900 written submissions.

Loudon Park

• Opposed the original approximately $10.8-million boathouse and activity-centre design because it would have removed 29 mature trees and displaced a significant portion of public green space.Brought successful in-camera motion to purchase additional land to add to the park and provide a more appropriate location for the boat storage and community amenity building. 

Supported reconsideration, which led to a revised design preserving the mature-tree grove and expanding the park. In December 2025, also supported deferring the $10.2-million funding decision until other capital priorities were considered. That deferral motion failed 6–3, and voted against the final funding decision.

Data centre

• Opposed rezoning East Wellington Road lands for a data centre without adequate information about water demand and other resource use.I opposed fourth reading reading of the rezoning for 2086 and 2090 East Wellington Road (The first three reading happened before I was elected in 2022). When the project returned in 2026, continued calling for water-use, electricity-demand and conservation information to be available at the rezoning stage. Reported projected peak water use was 55,000 to 69,000 litres per day.

Linley Valley wetland

• Opposed rezoning at 2400 Barrington Road for large multi-family buildings adjacent to the Linley Valley bog wetland and called for stronger environmental due diligence when new information emerges.

Drug policy

• Opposed framing overdose-prevention services as the sole cause of community-safety challenges and advocated for treatment, recovery, mental-health care, supportive housing, overdose prevention and neighbourhood safety together. The City subsequently received $442,752 in federal Emergency Treatment Fund support for overdose-response capacity and assistance for unsheltered residents.

High-emission industry

• Brought forward motion for site-specific zoning requirements for emissions-intensive industrial uses and opposed indefinite delay in establishing those protections. The proposed changes would require uses such as petroleum refining, chemical processing, waste-to-energy incineration, thermal-electric generation and LNG export to undergo site-specific rezoning which would require staff studies and reports, public hearings and a democratic vot by council..

Biosolids

• Moved to end support for land application of biosolids unless contaminants are first addressed through appropriate treatment. Advanced consideration of thermal treatment and biochar as potential circular-economy options, subject to independent testing, lifecycle assessment and regulatory review.

Building permits

• Pushed for a 60-day implementation plan, public service standards and quarterly reporting on building-permit reform. The proposal sought published baseline and ongoing performance data, clearer responsibility and regular public reporting. The motion was defeated by the Council majority.