We asked Revelstoke council candidates their thoughts on greenhouse gas emissions

The Revelstoke Mountaineer’s question and answer series with city council candidates covers a wide variety of issues central to the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 20, 2018. The series features verbatim answers written by the candidates themselves.

The questions were created by the Mountaineer’s civic affairs reporter Melissa Jameson and former Revelstoke Review editor Alex Cooper.

In this seventh edition of the Mountaineer’s question and answer series with city council candidates we asked council candidates to consider the following:

As tourism becomes a more dominant industry for Revelstoke we are also seeing an increase in motorized recreation. What role do you see for the city in helping to tackle greenhouse emissions and reduce our community’s impact on climate change?

The following are the responses from the candidates who got back to us prior to our publication deadline.

Jackie Rhind is running for a spot on Revestoke city council. Photo: Jackie Rhind

Jackie Rhind (candidate for council)

Revelstoke is known for its incredible mountains, so the increase in use of motorized recreation (snowmobiling, heli-ski/biking) over the years is inevitable. While this important tourist attraction is not particularly sustainable, it does draw in many visitors from around the world. If we can be progressive in the way our town is developed and run (i.e. ride-sharing, tiny homes, extensive network of bicycle/hiking trails, green spaces), then I think we can be international ambassadors for sustainable living.

The city has supported various sustainability initiatives but there is always room for improvement when it comes to taking care of our planet. It is important that the city consistently evaluate its progress with respect to the greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy established in 2011 and explore alternative housing solutions that support communal gardens and reduce the reliance on commuting by car (i.e. higher density options downtown).

As Revelstoke begins upgrading its outdated infrastructure, I see a large opportunity here for the city to capitalize on technological advancements that have been made over the last 20 years; I think this is a great opportunity to integrate more sustainable and efficient infrastructure into our network and perhaps seek federal funding to help do it.

Nicole Cherlet is running for a seat on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Nicole Cherlet.

Nicole Cherlet (candidate for council)

I’m passionate about our environment and what I describe as the Big Mountain Lifestyle. I’m also passionate about personal freedom, independent business and the right of an entrepreneur to do as they see fit. There’s a balance of perspectives to be found, and compromises to be made that can better serve all groups.

With a clear vision in hand, the city can set acceptable standards within city limits through bylaws like the Clean Air and Noise Bylaws. We can make property tax and licensing incentives for businesses that reduce their carbon footprint in significant ways: make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.

On the larger scale, we can work with the Regional District and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development to work on regulations and tenures that make sense from the perspective of our community.

We need to trust our businesses and our entrepreneurs; conservation is most effective when led by the users of the land. Hunters are the most staunch conservationists; they want the wildlife and wilderness to be there for generations to come.

Cody Younker is running for a spot on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Cody Younker.

Cody Younker (candidate for council)

One of the many great things about Revelstoke is how beautiful it truly is and a result of that is people wanting to be here and when they come, they bring atv’s, boats etc. Some ways I believe that we can combat climate change are as follows. We should be looking into electric/hybrid vehicles for the city when it comes time to replace the current ones. We also need to ensure that we have tax reduction options and DCC reductions to encourage builders to create more environmental friendly homes and buildings. Other things that we need to look into include a plastic shopping bag ban across the city and getting dedicated recycling bins to replace the clear single use recycling bags that line the streets every other week.

Michael Brooks-Hill is running for a seat on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Michael Brooks-Hill.

Mike Brooks-Hill (candidate for council)

Almost all of the motorized recreation occurs outside of city limits.  Hence, the city not having any regulatory authority over it.  The city has been, and should continue to push for a backcountry recreation plan.  As tourism and outdoor recreation become a larger part of both our economy and way of life, introducing a comprehensive strategy will help protect wildlife values, while reducing conflict between user groups and property owners.  This would be in collaboration with the CSRD, the Province, as well as the areas residents and stakeholder groups.  Through this framework various reductions or limitations could be introduced.  Within the city itself, promoting cycling and walking (see below) is a start, as well as slowly shifting the cities fleet of vehicles to electric.  (Why weren’t the bylaw enforcement vehicles electric?)  Helping to foster a facility that converted wood waste from the mills into propane or natural gas would make a huge impact on our GHG emissions while helping to maintain the viability of the forestry sector.

Rob Elliot is running for a spot on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Rob Elliot.

Rob Elliot (candidate for council)

The city can play a very effective role in the daunting battle against climate change.  Encouraging housing density, providing incentives for structures built to energy efficient standards, implementing a LED lighting only requirement and creating a no plastic bag/bottle policy are possibilities that quickly come to mind.   Creating a convenient and effective public transportation system, eliminating parking in the downtown core (during the summer months), establishing a yellow/pink community bike program would also help Mother Earth’s cause.

For the motor head recreationalists: enforcing a four stroke only rule and suggesting a meatless Monday diet.

Steve Kent is running for a seat on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Keri Knapp.

Steve Kent (candidate for council)

Revelstoke has high quality dirt biking tracks and trails that are the envy of other communities. Our opportunities for heli-biking and bike shuttles are known throughout the mountain biking community. As well, considering the amount of accommodation and encouragement we have given the heli-skiing and snowmobiling industries in the past and the amount of money we have received over the last 20 years, any attempts to curtail these activities would be fruitless and hypocritical.

However, it’s not that there is nothing we can do.  Revelstoke has an audience among the motorized recreation community.  We can use this to support and encourage electric or other alternative technologies in motorcycles and snowmobiles. We can set an example within the our urban setting that showcases bicycle and pedestrian friendly travel throughout town.  We should   continue to develop no-idle bylaws.  We make decisions every day that will either harm or help the environment.  Let’s do our part to at least get everyone thinking in these terms.

Tim Palmer is running for a seat on Revelstoke city council.

Tim Palmer (candidate for council)

Motorized recreation is an important component of the Revelstoke tourism economy.  We have active motocross, snowmobiling, cat-skiing, boating and trail riding organizations.  We have tourists that are choosing to fly and drive to Revelstoke as a destination over other places in the world they would otherwise travel.

We are a community that is conscientious of our environment and the future.  We want to do more to reduce our impact on the environment.  Here are a few ideas I have heard from individuals in the community:

• Work with agencies like Parks Canada for busing tourists up Revelstoke mountain
• Integrate school buses, RMR bus system, and BC Transit (city bus)
• Expansion of carshare opportunities
• Business opportunities arising with Greyhound’s departure.   More entrepreneurial opportunities for public transportation to Calgary, Kelowna and elsewhere.
• Perhaps a targeted “Transportation Task force” could be established to get public input on potential solutions
• Revelstoke can be a leader in reducing emissions.  Public input is key.  The City could be a facilitator.

Steve Cross is running for a seat on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Steve Cross.

Steven Cross (candidate for council)

Revelstoke is at a crossroads. We are on the move again development wise and on the world stage as a sought after place to come to. This is a key time to sort out “what do we want to be” and “how we will achieve it?” Meanwhile, our entire industrial base and our entire recreation base depends on sustainability.

On a big picture level, I would like to help Revelstoke build consensus around what becoming a leader in sustainability would look like – in our homes, in our businesses and industry, and in our recreation. I think we could all benefit from as much development as possible along these lines. Some top of mind things – I would like to part of exploring the possibility for an improved bus service that was free to use by everyone, having more electric cars and charging stations, and investigate anything we can realistically do as a town. This is a terrific opportunity for our town to come together at all levels to make a difference we can proud of.

Tony Morabito is running for a spot on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Tony Morabito.

Tony Morabito (candidate for council)

The City has done some good things such as the anti-idling bylaw and banning wood burning except with certified devices although they bent to the wishes of some to have back yard  special occasion fires. I believe the City’s contribution to emissions affecting climate change are minimal as compared to the misguided policies of senior governments to allow wildfires to burn all summer instead of putting them out. This action polluted most of the province with carbon particles less than 2.5 microns which is detrimental to the health of Man and Beast and the smoke also being a tourism KILLER !

Gary Sulz is running for mayor in the upcoming Oct. 20 election. Photo: Gary Sulz.

Gary Sulz (candidate for mayor)

In 2007 the Provincial Government introduced the Climate Action Charter and asked municipalities to sign on.  Most municipalities including Revelstoke signed on and were requested to be carbon neutral by 2012.  As part of the charter, all municipalities were required to submit a reduction strategy.  The City of Revelstoke hired an Environmental Sustainability Coordinator in 2010 and since then have done energy audits on their principal buildings and have reduced emissions by approximately 20%, as well are continuing the audit on the balance of their buildings.  Revelstoke updates their inventory every year and reports to the Provincial Government.  Recently the City of Revelstoke received an award from the UBCM Green Committee for accelerated progress on the Charter Commitments.  In 2011 the City started the Climate Action Reserve Fund to assist with this project.  The City operates the Revelstoke Community Energy Corporation which uses sawdust from Downie Street Sawmill to produce clean heat for many businesses, city buildings and schools.  Recently, the Sustainability Coordinator did a vehicle assessment on the value of electric vehicles versus our current mode of transportation and what was discovered is that we drive our vehicles very little putting on less than 20,000 kilometers per year, per vehicle which means that we don’t drive them enough to make that switch viable.

Peter Humphreys is running for a spot on Revelstoke city council. Photo: Peter Humphreys.

Peter Humphreys (candidate for council)

We have minimal ability to affect the environmental impact of our visitors. We can’t reverse Greyhound’s decision to stop service, we can’t tell CP Rail to offer passenger service and we don’t have any legislative authority over car and snowmobile manufacturers. We do however, have the ability to change the way the City operates and in turn influence residents through an environmental leadership role. Overall spending reductions will give us the breathing space to consider electric and alternate fuel vehicles when it comes time for replacement. Public works is a prime candidate for electric or alternate fuel vehicles given the limited distance they must travel.