In Metchosin, Mayor John Ranns will serve a seventh term as mayor facing no opponent this time around, but eight candidates will vie for four positions on council.
The Goldstream News Gazette asked the candidates how they would make the municipality a better place and to outline their top three key initiatives. Here are their responses.
Darren Brown
I will keep Metchosin rural by defending the Official Community Plan, and the Land Use Bylaw.
I will maintain Metchosin’s uniquely sustainable financial model. Our lack of debt paired with our infrastructure replacement reserves is our communities greatest asset. We are in a very enviable position and we need to protect it.
I will say “NO” to any unnecessary changes or expenses and I will listen to the community for direction on key decisions.
Surrounded by some of the fastest growing communities in Canada Metchosin will face serious pressures in the future. My strategic vision for Metchosin is to keep everything the same, it’s a wonderful community just the way it is.
Metchosin is a model for using the official community plan, zoning and the land use bylaw to manage development. We need to protect this model and live within our means.
Brian Domney
1. Amalgamation – a non-starter.
2. Climate Change – threat of interface wildfires is increasing.
3. Bylaws – perceptions are important.
I’ve lived in Metchosin with my family for close to 30 years, and like many here think it’s close to Shangri-la as it is. Past councils deserve credit for maintaining Metchosin’s unique character against great pressures. We continue to live in a quiet, peaceful, green environment, debt- free and with a sensible approach to administration and management. We have an incredible cadre of volunteers who provide activities and services to the community. We’re developing a healthy relationship with Scian’ew/Beecher Bay First Nation.
Metchosin deserves a council of four bright, creative, independent minds, willing to carry their weight and willing to work with Mayor Ranns for the next four years, managing change, not denying it. I believe the electorate has a healthy slate of candidates with which to build a strong team.
Sharie Epp
1. To fight for rural Metchosin and the Official Community Plan.
2. To support our farmers, seniors, and young families, keeping them safe, healthy, and content in our community.
3. To work for the future of Metchosin School as a self-sustaining multi-purpose facility.
After 45 years living in Metchosin, I’m running for council because I want to be an integral part of the community’s future.
I ran my own Metchosin-based business for years, worked in the Sooke School District as an educational assistant, and retired after 23 years with the Victoria Times Colonist.
I’m actively involved with the Metchosin Community Association, and am a co-ordinator of the Rough Voice Singers.
I have the time, energy and drive to be a councillor, and as a sports reporter, communication was my business.
Whether it’s communicating with other councillors or the public, I will listen, I’ll be accountable, transparent, and a visible presence working for the community.
Norm Hardy
1. Maintain Metchosin as rural entity.
2. Maintain Metchosin’s status as the only debt-free district in the CRD.
3. Work toward expanding the local agricultural base.
This already a great place, but enhancing the agricultural base will serve us all well.
Kyara Kahakauwila
Metchosin is where my husband and I are raising our two sons. Since first being elected to council in 1999, Metchosin’s integrity as a rural community has not changed. I am proud to have played my part in achieving this community goal.
My experience with community involvement, both on and off Council, has provided me with the contextual history and knowledge to work towards collaborative solutions.
Having a council with differing views not only allows for more wholesome discussions, but has proven positive results as we work towards common goals. More importantly, it has shown me the insight that is required to continue the legacy of the fiscally responsible councils that I have been a part of and that have come before me.
On Oct. 20, I ask for your vote, so that I may continue to work for the continuation of our rural Metchosin values.
Marie-Terese Little
1. Preserving our rural community and environment- adhering to the Official Community Plan (OCP), budgets, and Land-use bylaw including rejecting amalgamation.
2. Assess the future needs of our farmers and seniors; Support them so they can stay on their land and prosper in a sustainable fashion.
3. Maintain our rural community values, encourage smart, innovative succession planning and promote future rural and agriculture leaders.
Metchosin is a highly desirable rural community. I want to help keep it rural and look to the future with the community, to five, 10, and 25 years and decide what we want to look like. As a visionary, I can help with our future sustainable rural planning.
Andy MacKinnon
1. Revitalizing the Old School.
2. Planning for the new greenspaces acquired in the land swap.
3. Collaborating with our neighbours and friends the Scia’new (Beecher Bay) First Nation on projects of common interest.
I believe we can make Metchosin a better place by building on our community’s strengths. We have an excellent Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw, and as a councillor I would continue to uphold and defend these. It’s been my honour for the last four years to serve as Council Liaison to our Agricultural Advisory Committee: I strongly believe we need to do all that we can to support agriculture in Metchosin. And I think we need to work hard to maintain our debt-free status – that’s what allows us the flexibility to creatively address important issues that arise.
Jenny Millar
1. Keep it Rural
2. Farming and food security
3. Planning for the future Metchosin style
Metchosin is already a wonderful and unique place. My vision for better would include the encouragement of more local farming and food production. The 100 Mile Diet was popular a few years ago, but I prefer the 10 Mile Diet, the one I grew up on in Metchosin.
I would also support the use of green technologies to enhance the rural lifestyle. I would support the relationships that Metchosin has built with its neighbours and look for ways to improve on them. I know that we must plan for the next generation and beyond.
Working towards a plan for the Metchosin School site and finding the best possible mix of tenants and services for our rural Village Core in keeping with the Official Community Plan is a task that I would love the chance to tackle.