Black Press Media is reaching out to all candidates running for Peachland council in the 2022 municipal election, asking for their response to three specific issues about the community, as well as a fun question. Responses will be published in the order they are received.
Randey Brophy - Council candidate
If elected, how do you think council should manage growth and development in Peachland?
A:
We need a balance between growth and services, where the residents’ wishes, infrastructure requirements, water supply, etc are all taken into consideration along with the need for growth.
We have a habit of letting developers initiate development. We have to plan instead, seeking out specific types of development that will provide what the town needs, rental accommodation, affordable housing for young families, and anchor tenants, like a small hotel, that will complement the unique tourist beauty of the town.
Specific to all areas of Peachland, we need development that provides middle-income and rental accommodation, such as the proposed new 84 rental unit development just approved on Clement Crescent.
In your view, what is councils’ responsibility in assisting those experiencing homelessness, and providing affordable housing for Peachland residents?
B:
We all have a societal responsibility to end homelessness. You do it, in my opinion, by reducing the conditions causing homelessness: providing counseling, treatment, and job opportunities. You need federal, provincial, and local governments working together on this.
At a local level if we can do a good job of increasing employment here and affordable accommodation, through targeted development that promotes jobs and better housing options for young families then we will be reducing some of the underlying conditions causing homelessness for some and the frustration for many who today can simply not get in the housing market.
Peachland did a great job, starting in 2006, in working with BC Housing, the provincial and federal governments to eventually provide a five-storey rental housing option for seniors.
The goal here was to allow aging Peachland residents a rental housing option, built on district land, that would allow them to remain in Peachland.
In a similar vein, we should be looking at rental and strata housing options, built on district land, that will allow young families to live in Peachland.
What steps do you think council could take to improve traffic flows on Highway 97 and road infrastructure in Peachland?
C:
We need a traffic light at Trepanier and Highway 97, coordination of the lights on Highway 97 in Peachland, and a curb lane from Clements to Ponderosa, so folks leaving the IGA mall don’t have to first merge onto Highway 97 before exiting one- block later. We also need sidewalks on Princeton Ave.
Who is your favourite Okanagan celebrity and why?
D:
Niki Martinus is a fantastic local singer, who literally stopped traffic on Beach Avenue as crowds gathered on the street listening to her sing outside a local cafe a few years ago.