The following is a Q&A that was distributed to all District of Sechelt candidates.
Candidate name
Donna McMahon
Age
63
Occupation (s)
Writer
Which position are you running for?
Area E
Do you live in the area you're running for? For how long?
26 years
What should the board be doing to meet the promise of stable year-round water supply?
We have four new water sources under development now: Church Road (Granthams), Langdale, Marianne West (Elphinstone) and Gray Creek. We have also struck a new Water Supply Advisory Committee to look at long term solutions.
How would you approach calls for new regulatory bylaws as the SCRD struggles to enforce its existing ones?
We need the province to give us better enforcement tools. Communities across B.C. are struggling with challenges that our bylaws were never designed to address.
Should the SCRD be preparing for climate change? How?
I am on regional and national climate committees, and we have a Manager of Sustainability working on this. But we need regulatory and financial support from senior government. Local taxpayers can't take on this massive burden.
If acclaimed: What's your message to your community?
I would like to thank Elphinstone residents for their kind support. I look forward to another collaborative and productive term, hopefully with fewer states of emergency.
The SCRD has seen major tax increases this year, what opportunities are there to mitigate these?
We can look for cost savings through collaboration with local governments and community organizations. But we face expensive problems (e.g. the landfill) and escalating costs to deliver existing services.
How would you balance pushback on development with need for housing?
In the rural areas most rental housing is secondary suites. Our new zoning bylaw will make it easier for homeowners to create new suites and accessory dwellings in neighbourhoods that are already developed.
What do you wish we'd asked you?
New candidates: how have you been preparing for your role in local government?
