IN THE MAPLE RIDGE COUNCILLOR’S RACE: Sunny Schiller

Sunny Schiller

RUNNING WITH A BETTER MAPLE RIDGE

Public service, age not given

Whonnock resident who’s lived in Maple Ridge 12 years

I’ve become involved with the community in many ways since moving here to raise my family.

I have worked in Maple Ridge at the municipal and provincial government level and have been a volunteer with Maple Ridge Climate Hub and Maple Ridge Repair Cafe.

I’m part of the A Better Maple Ridge team working to bring positive change to Maple Ridge.

I am committed to working collaboratively and respectfully with the others to address the needs of our growing community, while still protecting the natural environment that makes this such a special place to live.

I hope I can count on your support on Oct. 15. I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the community I love as a member of council.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/electsunnyschiller

Website: www.sunnyschiller.ca

Website: www.abettermapleridge.ca

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: No.

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

1. Does the City have a handle on the problems created by homelessness?

No. The City has an important role to play in working with provincial and federal governments to increase affordable housing in the community.

Unfortunately, due to the inability or unwillingness of the current council to work cooperatively with the provincial government, we’ve missed opportunities to get affordable housing built in Maple Ridge. In Mission seniors are already living in housing provided through BC Housing.

I regularly speak with people who are struggling to find an available home that they can afford.

As a city, we need to be engaged with higher levels of government and make land-use decisions that support the creation of housing of all types – including rentals, secondary suites, and co-op housing developments.

2. Do you believe residents of the City feel safe?

3. Do you support the City borrowing funds to build a new aquatic centre?

Yes.

4. Are you in favour of development along the Alouette River?

No.

5. Can City hall do more to attract new businesses to open in Maple Ridge?

Yes.

6. Should the City borrow funds to build a new arena facility?

Yes.

7. Should Maple Ridge take more direct action to combat the local opioid crisis?

Yes.

8. Is the City taking adequate measures to lower carbon emissions?

No.

Decisions at the municipal level have a very real impact on emissions. Maple Ridge needs a Climate Action Plan. As a community we need to identify the actions that will support us in meeting our green house gas emission reduction targets. The A Better Maple Ridge team will create a Climate Action Advisory Committee to support this work. How we move around, and how we construct and manage our buildings are two areas where existing technologies can be used to achieve significant reductions. It’s time for Maple Ridge create a vision for what the community looks like in the future.

9. Are tax levels too high in the City?

10. Should the City commit to making a decision on proposed new developments within 12 months or less?

Don’t know. The City should commit to prioritizing development within Haney. By increasing the number of homes available in the compact, walkable urban centre more people are able to live where services are already being provided. We need to focus on developments that address the needs of the community as a whole. As a City we need to be providing clear guidelines about how development approvals are being done to support developers in doing their work.

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CLICK ON OUR ELECTIONS 2022 TAB TO FIND A WIDE VARIETY OF RELEVANT STORIES

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

How the questions were presented to each candidate

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows news readers have told us how much they value this important, straight-forward reference guide that helps orient them with the range of choices on the ballots – both at the council and school board levels.

Towards that end, we have attempted to make this package available (along with the following instructions) to each of the candidates in a timely fashion ahead of the Oct. 15 election.

Please read carefully before you start to fill this out.

To help voters in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows make their choices on election day, The News is asking local candidates 10 issue-based questions.

You must provide a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y, N, D) response to EACH of these questions.

Each question MUST be answered with yes (Y), no (N), or Don’t Know (D). This will be published in a grid in the Oct. 6 edition. Any questions not answered will be LEFT BLANK.

Candidates may also expand on ANY OR ALL of these questions (to a maximum of 200 words each). Please note any responses longer than that will be cut off at the 201-word mark.

Due to space limitations, we can only guarantee to run one of these answers in The News print edition ahead of the election. You must CLEARLY indicate which expanded answer you want to see published in print. If you do not specify, we will choose. Any and all expanded answers provided will be published online at www.mapleridgenews.com.

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