Nicole MacDonald
INDEPENDENT ACCLAIMED AS MAYOR
Notary public/business owner, age 43
Central Pitt Meadows resident who’s lived here 16 years
I have been honoured to serve as a councillor for Pitt Meadows for the past four years.
I am the mother of two daughters and am grateful for the support of my husband, Garett.
I was a police officer with the Vancouver Police Department, and then obtained my master’s in applied legal studies and became a notary public.
I have operated my notary business here in Pitt Meadows for the past 10 years.
I believe we need a stable, effective, and respectful council to continue the positive work of the last four years.
I will prioritize public safety, and work towards a better, balanced, and livable city.
This can only be achieved if we work together in healthy and productive relationships with other governments, agencies, and rightsholders.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Nicole MacDonald for Mayor
Instagram: @nicolemacdonald_for_mayor
Website: www.nicolemacdonald2022.ca
Phone: 604-341-0438
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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: Yes, Councillor.
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Questions:
(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)
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1. Should the City switch from a volunteer-based (paid-on-call) fire department to a full-time model?
Yes. The Paid-On-Call model has historically served our community well; however, we can no longer rely on a volunteer model given the current environment. We are seeing major issues with lack of attraction of POCs and high rates of attrition as members regularly get hired to other departments. This results in a loss of approx $40,000 in training and onboarding per member. This also leaves the department lacking experienced and skilled firefighters, such as a lack of qualified drivers, building-entry requirements and reliable leadership roles. Pitt Meadows is the only City that does not have full time coverage after 6pm. This directly results in a delayed response to emergencies. PM currently responds to less categories of medical emergency calls than any other department in the Metro area. Unfortunately, as the City developed over the last 15 years, with denser residential and commercial, investment was not incrementally made in our Fire Service as needed. Pitt Meadows is a complex community; including YPK airport, industrial, high rise and multi family homes, Lougheed Highway, CP Rail, agricultural lands, dykes, ditches and much more; all of which require skilled personnel and appropriate services to provide adequately for the safety of the community and its residents.
2. Should Pitt Meadows take more direct action to combat the local opioid crisis?
Yes. The opioid crisis affects the entire province and many of us have a close connection with the negative impacts of addiction. Most of the resources, funding and mandates to combat the opioid crisis fall under Provincial Jurisdiction, such as health care and housing; therefore, Pitt Meadows along with other municipalities must loudly advocate for more and improved treatment, recovery and counselling services. This includes a vocal advocacy role with senior orders of government, the Health Authorities, UBCM and the importance of diversion programs such as Youth Justice. I also believe cities like Pitt Meadows can drive change in providing inclusive and safe recreation and culture opportunities for all ages, in particular our local youth. Addiction is complex and often woven with trauma and mental health issues; therefore, the more resources such as Youth Lounge, sports, clubs, activities, mentorship, volunteerism, the Foundry, Community Services, Pride events and more that Pitt Meadows can provide may be an avenue of prevention or the needed safe-haven for an individual.
3. Do you support the construction of the Harris Road underpass?
Yes. For the past 5 years the Port Authority, CP Rail, Federal Government and the City of Pitt Meadows have been working on securing an underpass on Harris Road, with the $150 million cost covered by the partners and not Pitt Meadows. Extensive negotiations have occurred including sound and vibration mitigation, heritage relocation and active transportation flow; the project is currently in the detailed design phase. The Harris Road train crossing is one of the busiest in Canada; and has been identified by Transport Canada as a priority for safety improvements. Train traffic will continue to increase significantly, more than double in the next 10 years with or without an underpass, especially with CP Rail’s right of way and plans to lay a third track. Vehicle traffic on Harris will continue to increase due to residents, commuters and the impact of the industrial development and Amazon warehouses. Importantly, improved public health and safety will result with a faster and more reliable response by police, fire and ambulance, this will save lives. There will be less idling traffic therefore less air emissions from vehicles near the downtown core. Vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians will all benefit from the increased accessibility along Harris Road.
4. Should the City set targets for the creation of more low-income and seniors rental spaces, social housing units, and/or co-op development to improve home security?
Yes. Affordable housing is one of the most serious issues for residents and future generations. The Metro Vancouver Non-Market Housing and Child Care Project is a significant project and investment. It will see the addition of much needed rental housing for low to moderate income; and is specifically geared to families, seniors and people with disabilities. As well, 83 new daycare spots will be added resulting in a combined total of 150 child care spaces with the existing Discovery Playhouse. Importantly the City has undertaken a Housing Needs Assessment, diverse options are needed to make housing more accessible. As potential development occurs, such as in the City Centre or North Lougheed Area Plan, a lens of housing accessibility and equity must be applied so we can provide rentals, seniors housing and more options for the community.
5. Do you support the proposal for the new CP Rail logistics yard?
No. Mayor, Council and the City of Pitt Meadows have been vocal and unanimous in our opposition to the CP Logistics Yard. While I understand the importance of the national supply chain and movement of goods, the removal of 100 acres of prime Agricultural Land in a time of increased awareness of local food supply importance is devastating. The extensive work by Pitt Meadows city staff, such as the formal letter identifying the errors on CP’s Environmental Effects Evaluation, highlights the negative impact the industrial yard will have on the environment, agriculture, health, and liveability. The industrial use of the Logistics Yard includes high hazardous goods and commodities, which puts a tremendous burden on local services such as Fire and Rescue, and infrastructure like our roadways. There will also be increased risks to public health and safety. Under the BC Assessment Act the Logistic Park is ancillary to rail and is not fairly taxed at industrial rates, rather it is class 6 commercial; therefore, while Pitt Meadows will bare the burden and negative impacts of the Logistics Park proper tax return from CP Rail, a private company, will not be returned to the City.
6. Should the City be offering more tax breaks, rebates, and other incentives to entice new businesses to town?
No. I do not believe the City should be offering more tax breaks or rebates to businesses. I am a business owner and homeowner in the City and pay both residential and commercial taxes. Pitt Meadows has a diverse tax base in the fact we have roughly a 50/50 split in residential and commercial taxes. This indicates a healthy attraction of business to the community. Namely, Pitt Meadows has small business operations, from retail, restaurant to services, as well as industrial businesses, farm operations and large Amazon distribution centres. The City can look to support existing and new businesses in a variety of ways such as, the newly formed Economic Development Advisory Committee as well as with the results of the Economic Strategic Plan that is currently being developed.
7. Do you think residential property taxes are too high in Pitt Meadows?
Yes. Unfortunately, the burden of property taxes is felt across the province, especially as we are all dealing with highcosts of living, interest rate increases, and lingering Covid impacts. Pitt Meadows remains the second lowest residential taxes in the Metro Area. Balanced and reasonable taxation is necessary to support the quality of life and service levels needed and desired. Importantly, a significant portion of Pitt Meadows’ taxes are out of the municipality’s control, namely water, sewer, FVLibrary, RCMP and more. When a zero-tax increase occurs, the result is a decrease in services and it can takes years to catch up, this is evident in the lack of incremental investment in our Fire Department. To minimize tax increases for today, Cities may opt out of investment in reserves for future projects and infrastructure, again this lack of forward-thinking results in exponentially higher costs to communities in the future. Balancing the City’s budget with the service level needs and wants of the community; tethered with the limited revenue sources for Pitt Meadows, which is 78% farm land, and does not have a casino or dense high-rise development, will continue to be the biggest challenge and responsibility of all future Councils.
8. Does Pitt Meadows need an indoor swimming pool?
No. Pitt Meadows does not ‘need’ an indoor swimming pool; however, the question remains does Pitt Meadows ‘want’ an indoor pool. The discussion and debate of an indoor swimming pool has existed in Pitt Meadows for over 20 years and the investment in the project has yet to occur. The Park, Recreation and Culture Masterplan, and the Parks, Recreation and Culture Committee, have identified an indoor pool as a want, but have deemed it significantly lower priority than other recreation related activities and assets. Investment in the capital for an indoor pool is significant yet could likely be achieved if partnerships with other agencies and neighbouring communities were explored. However, the annual operational costs would be high and are currently not accounted for her in the City’s operating budget so would result in a significant tax increase to residents.
9. Do you support the City creating a separate RCMP detachment, exclusively serving Pitt Meadows?
Yes. Council unanimously supported the de-integration of the RCMP from Maple Ridge.
With an almost $6-million annual operating budget for police services, Pitt Meadows was not seeing its return on investment, nor meeting the service-level expectations for our community.
A separate RCMP detachment and all 23 of our officers being stationed and working in Pitt Meadows will result in: presence, visibility, crime prevention, enforcement, education, and community relations all improving.
Maple Ridge’s detachment was built in 1985 and is significantly undersized.
Staying with an integrated detachment would have resulted in Pitt Meadows paying 20 per cent of costs of a new, much larger building owned by Maple Ridge, as well as continuing to pay 20 per cent of all housing and support costs with no decision-making authority.
Pitt Meadows is building its own detachment, utilizing a revenue stream that will not cause a tax increase.
Crime prevention and safety increases the livability, property value, tourism, economic and business investment, community interactions, and more of Pitt Meadows.
Public health and safety are the foundation of a city and we must invest appropriately now and for the future in our essential services.
10. Should Pitt Meadows parks and nature areas be protected at the cost of future development opportunities?
Yes. The recently completed Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan prioritizes natural spaces in the community. This is not surprising as Pitt Meadows is the Natural Place, and we know health and wellness is supported by exposure to nature and the outdoors. Pitt Meadows is working closely with Metro Vancouver to complement their existing lands and land owned by Pitt Meadows. Importantly, Metro has recently invested in the Codd Wetlands area and you will eventually see a local park area larger than Stanley Park. The City has also just acquired 5 acres of land, the Rose Grabenhorst Property, with the intention of a public park space and memorial area. The Parks, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan also identifies the priority of recreational park space; therefore, enhancements to Pitt Meadows Athletics Park, including the acquired 8 acres of Amenity Lands, for organized sport as well as Harris Road Park improvements to facilitate spontaneous recreation and family gathering will be important and a priority for the City.
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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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