Collaboration - 
                     neighbours working together for a stronger community

It will take working together to build a strong, resilient and regenerative  community of communities.  The new Official Community Plan (OCP) can  help us move towards those goals.

I'm committed to keep working collaboratively toward solutions to the many issues we face, the housing crisis, the opioid crisis, homelessness, climate and loss of biodiversity along  with citizens, community groups, neighbouring governments, First Nations the Cowichan Valley Regional District board and senior levels of government. 
 
Democracy can and  should be a collaboration.  It should not feel like a tug of war, but more like building a house or planting a garden.
       

---

My Commitment

Continue to improve relations between Council and First Nations by implementing the pertinent Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and equally, perhaps more important, developing relationships of trust and collaboration.

Strengthen the relationship between Council and the City of Duncan as we collaborate in many was and as parts of the  commercial core are governed by each of us through the jointly held University Village Plan and the Highway Corridor. 

Explore shared use of public infrastructure; for instance, using schools as local community centers in the evenings and on weekends.

Pressure senior levels of government to tie grants to local priorities and to share new sources of revenue with local government.    Ask them to give local government citizens. A larger slice of the tax pie, all Canadians make their live in an area governed by a local government.  What was we collect through all levels of taxation must reflect that. 

Proactively collaborate with  citizens, non profit groups, First Nations, and government agencies such as: VIRL, VIHA, SD 79, CVRD Electoral Areas, the City of Duncan, the towns of Ladysmith and  Lake Cowichan  as well as Province of BC and Federal Government.    

---