protection. I’d like to learn more about progressive ways to preserve and grow
responsibly.
- c) Do you believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion
of “green infrastructure” within the planning process for existing and new
area plans?
I would support a balance of green infrastructure that was feasible, I would be
interested in looking at the successes of other community initiatives. Using
innovative technology we can reduce our environmental impact and be far more
efficient. An example of this is using solar detectors in recycling and waste
containers to alert us to empty them. This reduces staff time, travel and
unnecessary waste.These containers can also light the path of dark walkways and
flash if emergency vehicles are coming. One item multipurpose.
- d) What is your position on the 30 metre setback relating to fish bearing
streamside protection?
I believe the 15-30m setback has been in place for quite some time and
development has accepted this as a rule for development in our community. I
understand the purpose of the setbacks and that subtle changes caused by
development can have a devastating impact on life in the stream or waterways. I
think these measures are important as Maple Ridge has environmentally sensitive
areas that feed into other streams and wetlands that impact wildlife, birds and
fish.
- e) What is your knowledge of “wildlife movement corridors?” Do you
support them? Please explain your answer.
As we develop we need to consider the impacts of disruption on our natural
landscape and wildlife. Corridors provide wildlife with the ability to move through
their environment when development has disturbed the natural patterns of
movement. I would support these structures where there is a need as indicated by
the mapping system which identifies movement corridors.
- f) What is your position on development within the North and South
Alouette River floodplain? Please explain your answer.
I would need more education before I could have a well understood and
comprehensive answer. I am concerned with an area that has been identified as
“floodplain”, with climate change we are seeing areas flood that has been safe for
decades. I would need to consider many factors and seems to me we may be able
to grow in other areas where there are fewer risks to property, wildlife and the
environment
We have developed in the East, I am not aware of the history, challenges
and problems that area experienced that we could learn from if considering future
projects. To make a good decision I would need to know the historic water levels,
impacts, environmental impact studies, and a complete proposal to even consider
development.
- g) Are you aware of the activities of Alouette River Management Society,
over and above what is reported on our website? If so, how are you
aware?
In 1996 I was involved with ARMS when Jenny Lundgren, Ross Davis and Jeff
Clayton were involved. I helped support Rivers Day and at that time I ran
Adopt-A-Block, the partnership with ARMS allowed us to have stream community
cleanups while taking into consideration the proper timeframe for less disruption. I
was involved with the education program that ARMS had which outlined the fish
habitat in Maple Ridge and advised Council on environmental impacts in Maple
Ridge from our choices.
- h) Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, have a role to
play in council’s decisions relating to development applications within the
Alouette River Watershed? If yes, what role do they play? If no, please
explain your position.
Yes, all stakeholders should be provided with the opportunity to contribute their
feedback, as experts on proposals that impact Alouette River Watershed. The
valuable role organizations, community members and the public at large play are
to give information to the Council to consider when making a decision.
- i) ARMS is provided an annual grant of $20,000 from the City of Maple
Ridge to support the work that we do within the Alouette River
watershed. We also oversee the Adopt-a-Block program on behalf of the
city and are allocated an annual budge of $25,000 to do that work. Do you
believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, should continue to
be funded for work of this nature? Please explain your answer.
YES! I believe non-profits such as this play a vital role in the wellbeing of our
community and in this case the preservation, restoration and heritage of our
waterways. Education and preservation are important to sustain a healthy future,
information is important in growing our community. Kids are the future of this
community and our decisions today will affect them years from now. I believe it is
important kids are being educated on how to keep a sustainable and healthy
community. I have a personal connection to the adopt a block program. I was the
coordinator for the adopt a block program in 1996. This program was important
then and still is important now. Adopt a block provides education as well as
community connections and helps our citizens invest in our community and their
neighbourhood.
- j) Are you aware of the Heritage River status of the Alouette River, if so,
what does it mean to you?
Yes, I am aware. When the Alouette River was awarded Heritage status in 1998
under the BCHRS (BC Heritage Rivers System) it was great recognition for Maple
Ridge and it’s citizens as well as those who put time and care into ensuring the
Alouette River stays in pristine condition.
- k) Have you ever seen the salmon run in the Alouette River and what should
be done to protect it?
Being a long time resident of Maple Ridge not only have I seen the salmon run but
also smelt it. While my eldest son was in his elementary years of school he would
be taught the life cycle of the salon and take field trips to the river to see our local
salmon spawn. This is just another example of the importance of teaching our kids
from a young age how important every organism is to our community.
What have you personally done to protect the environment?
I have a cabin we fitted with solar power. This has given our family perspective on
power use and consumption. We recycle, compost, have reduced our car to a
smaller car, switched from paper towels to rags, switched from desktop to
laptops, planted a Linden tree, buy local food, wash clothing on cold and hang dry
our clothes.
Don Mitchell
- As a candidate, how familiar are you with the OCP? Please give an example of your knowledge, or what you have done to familiarize yourself with the plan.I know that there is an OCP, have I read it in depth, no. When land use issues come before council, staff prepares the report and any back up information, like the effect on the OCP. At that point I could/would look at the specific details on the OCP. Some changes to the OCP also have to go to Metro Vancouver.
- What is your position on the Natural Features section relating to water course protection? I have read the specific sections and am supportive of all of the protections listed there.
- Do you believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of “green infrastructure” within the planning process for existing and new area plans? Yes
- What is your position on the 30 metre setback relating to fish bearing streamside protection? I have no problem with that at all and would need to be convinced to reduce it.
- What is your knowledge of “wildlife movement corridors?” Do you support them? Please explain your answer. Probably limited knowledge, but the name implies what it is. Yes, I would be supportive and be willing to be more educated.
- What is your position on development within the North and South Alouette River floodplain? Please explain your answer. It would depend on what the development is and whether or not intrusive or destructive. I would expect that the society would have input to any such development and would be considered the expert on the subject.
- Are you aware of the activities of Alouette River Management Society, over and above what is reported on our website? If so, how are you aware? I would mostly be aware from the newspaper and stopping by various booths and civic events ie Country Fest. Your request here has prompted me to view your website. I have seen it before but not recently. I know you are very active in trying to get a fish passage around the dam into Alouette lake, and I have heard there could be some very positive news coming soon.
- Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, have a role to play in council’s decisions relating to development applications within the Alouette River Watershed? If yes, what role do they play? If no, please explain your position. As I said above. ARMS would be the experts on the environmental side of the question.
- ARMS is provided an annual grant of $20,000 from the City of Maple Ridge to support the work that we do within the Alouette River watershed. We also oversee the Adopt-a-Block program on behalf of the city and are allocated an annual budge of $25,000 to do that work. Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, should continue to be funded for work of this nature? Please explain your answer. yes and for purely selfish reasons. You will garner many more volunteer hours that would be devoted to these projects than could be funded for city staff to do plus be much more devoted to what the cause is. I am involved with the Seniors Society and know how that works.
- Are you aware of the Heritage River status of the Alouette River, if so, what does it mean to you? Yes I am. It puts the river on a special status and group of rivers in the province that have major impacts on diverse ecological subjects.
- Have you ever seen the salmon run in the Alouette River and what should be done to protect it? Not recently and all salmon runs should be protected. How, I leave to you to come forward with the plans or opportunities. It is not something I have studied as to how.
- What have you personally done to protect the environment? I compost my own green waste, organics go to the proper disposal site, recycle, reducing my garbage to the minimum. I am a boater, and anything that goes out in the boat with us comes back. Am a member of the recycling society.
Chris O’Brian
- As a candidate, how familiar are you with the OCP? Please give an example of your knowledge, or what you have done to familiarize yourself with the plan.
The OCP stands for the Official Community Plan. I have looked up what an OCP may encompass, and it will involve all the major components of city planning. For example, when developing commercial business inside the central business district the OCP may call for increased density. When building residential detached homes on the outskirts of the city the OCP may call for a buffer of green space (trees and shrubs) between developments to ensure privacy, noise reduction, reduced car traffic, and keeping some natural beauty in the neighborhoods. It may also call for environmental assessments to ensure wildlife populations are not negatively impacted. The OCP will be used to guide development within the city, and decisions will need to reflect the goals of the OCP.
- What is your position on the Natural Features section relating to water course protection?
I will be in favor of protecting Natural Features as part of water course protection. In regards to this I would need to be assured that any alterations to the timing, volume or flow of water isn’t impacted by man-made obstacles (for example, a dam installed by B.C. Hydro).
- Do you believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of “green infrastructure” within the planning process for existing and new area plans?
Yes, I believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of green infrastructure. This is an environmentally friendly solution to maintaining our ecosystem and may prevent the city from having to pay a costly sum of money for a water treatment facility. Using the natural environment (eg. Planting shrubs, trees, building up river banks with plants if needed) is always preferred to using mechanical interventions.
- What is your position on the 30 metre setback relating to fish bearing streamside protection?
I am in favor of the 30 metre setback. Thie is a requirement under The Fish Protection Act and falls under Riparian Access Regulations. There is a set of measurements that are taken by a qualified professional in the field of fish habitats that will determine the need for the 30 metre setback. This is important as fish in their spawning cycle will need this setback enforced so as not to negatively interfere with their natural spawning movements within the stream.
- What is your knowledge of “wildlife movement corridors?” Do you support them? Please explain your answer.
Wildlife movement corridors are areas of preserved green vegetation that allow two or more wild animal groups to come into contact with one another, where they otherwise may be cut off into marginalized areas. For example, if through residential development in an area inhabited by wildlife two species that normally come into contact with one another are now cut off by the building structures, wildlife movement corridors can reunite them. It may beneficial to keep two different groups of the same species (like coyotes) connected through a corridor for mating purposes and social contact. Or it may be beneficial to keep two different species connected (like coyotes and wild rabbits) as the coyotes can keep the rabbit population in check so that a cull doesn’t become necessary, and by having the rabbits as natural prey the coyotes may not start attacking neighborhood pets like cats and small dogs. These corridors are an essential way of keeping an ecosystem balanced and preserving natural habitats.
- What is your position on development within the North and South Alouette River floodplain? Please explain your answer.
I would consider the impact and the potential for increased risk of flooding. These two floodplains need to stay below a certain water level as measured by their respective south and north water gauges. Unrestricted development may alter the drainage and water flows in these areas and contribute to flooding. In this case having the area assessed by an expert in floodplain management would be recommended before a proposal for development would be considered. I would typically recommend not developing in these two areas.
- Are you aware of the activities of Alouette River Management Society, over and above what is reported on our website? If so, how are you aware?
I have heard of the ARMS and the environmentally responsible work they do before I looked at the website. I believe that the ARMS plays’ an integral part in the management of the local fish hatchery. By overseeing the spawning of salmon, their migration patterns, the health and lifespans of the fish, and counting the numbers of fish spawning each year the ARMS helps to ensure the fish populations remain abundant. The ARMS also can determine changes to the fish life cycle by changes in the numbers of natural predators (types of birds, bears, bigger fish, and many other animals), fishermen, and human caused issues relating to fish population decline (such as chemical waste in the water and debris the fish get accidentally caught up in).
- Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, have a role to play in council’s decisions relating to development applications within the Alouette River Watershed? If yes, what role do they play? If no, please explain your position.
Yes, the ARMS and other environmental organizations have a role to play. They can inform council of critical changes to the environment, types of developments that would be beneficial to the environment, and make suggestions on what types of developments would be harmful to the watershed. Man-made dams (such as those erected by companies like B.C. Hydro) would likely have the greatest impact and the ARMS can advise on whether it would have too great a negative impact to be considered a viable option. These are important decisions as they would have an impact on the fish and surrounding ecosystem for generations to come and mstakes can be costly in both environmental and financial terms down the road.
- ARMS is provided an annual grant of $20,000 from the City of Maple Ridge to support the work that we do within the Alouette River watershed. We also oversee the Adopt-a-Block program on behalf of the city and are allocated an annual budge of $25,000 to do that work. Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, should continue to be funded for work of this nature? Please explain your answer.
Yes, I believe that the ARMS should continue to be funded by the city. This is a relatively small cost to pay for the integral work the ARMS does. I also like the idea of both Adopt-A-Block and Adopt-A-Stream. As a councilor I would look at ways to make these programs more highly visible I our community and draw added attention to their significance. I like the idea of youth being involved in this much needed work, and would also consider other groups of volunteers to help keep Maple Ridge clean and free of litter.
- Are you aware of the Heritage River status of the Alouette River, if so, what does it mean to you?
I was aware that the river attained heritage status in 1998. Personally, this signifies the importance of keeping this river preserved in its natural state. By being a heritage river it signifies the importance of its position and function within the watershed and that the flow, volume, filtration, water levels, and maintenance of “blue-green infrastructure” are integral for this river and to the surrounding area.
- Have you ever seen the salmon run in the Alouette River and what should be done to protect it?
I have been part of the salmon run with my small daughter during two of her class trips where she put the small fry into the stream to start their spawning cycle. It should be protected by educating the public about its importance, encouraging volunteers to participate in displays and community functions promoting the salmon run, and by imposing fines and other penalties against individuals who would interrupt the salmon run (eg. Fishing illegally or dumping materials into the stream).
- What have you personally done to protect the environment?
I recycle regularly. I ride my bike in the summer or walk within the city to limit the amount of emissions from my car. I also have been planning on purchasing an electric car when the price comes down a little bit. In high school I wrote a paper on the damaging effects of chloriflourocarbons (CFCs) in hair sprays and other pressurized spray cans on the ozone layer. Thankfully, CFCs have since been banned.
Continued
Ryan Svendsen
- As a candidate, how familiar are you with the OCP? Please give an example of your knowledge, or what you have done to familiarize yourself with the plan.
I have looked at the Official Community Plan, primarily the town center plan. I am aware that is the guiding document for council on decisions pertaining to future development.
- What is your position on the Natural Features section relating to water course protection?
I see the value in protecting our water courses and support the entire Natural Features section.
- Do you believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of “green infrastructure” within the planning process for existing and new area plans?
I do believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of green infrastructure and I am aware that there are grants available from other levels of government to assist local government with the associated costs.
- What is your position on the 30 metre setback relating to fish bearing streamside protection?
I support the 30 meter setback along fish bearing streams.
- What is your knowledge of “wildlife movement corridors?” Do you support them? Please explain your answer.
They are for wildlife to move from one area of their ecosystem to another, usually in the form of over and underpasses. I fully support them.
- What is your position on development within the North and South Alouette River floodplain? Please explain your answer.
I will need to do more research in this area as there is a lot of information to consider. For example, what do the subject matter experts support, what is ARMs position on this matter and finally what is the city staff recommending.
- Are you aware of the activities of Alouette River Management Society, over and above what is reported on our website? If so, how are you aware?
I am aware of the important work that ARMS is involved with as I have attended some events in the past, however, I do need to learn more about the organization.
- Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, have a role to play in council’s decisions relating to development applications within the Alouette River Watershed? If yes, what role do they play? If no, please explain your position.
I absolutely think they should be able to make recommendations and provide information related to any development along the watershed.
- ARMS is provided an annual grant of $20,000 from the City of Maple Ridge to support the work that we do within the Alouette River watershed. We also oversee the Adopt-a-Block program on behalf of the city and are allocated an annual budge of $25,000 to do that work. Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, should continue to be funded for work of this nature? Please explain your answer.
I do support the continuation of grants for environmental organizations such as ARMS. We need organizations such as this to advocate for and educate the public on the matters related to watershed conservation.
- Are you aware of the Heritage River status of the Alouette River, if so, what does it mean to you?
No, I am not aware of this.
- Have you ever seen the salmon run in the Alouette River and what should be done to protect it?
No, I have not seen the salmon run.
- What have you personally done to protect the environment?
As a family, we try to support businesses that are aligned with our environmental priorities and recycle as much as possible. I also own an electric car. I also select food that has the least impact on the environment by eating a plant based diet.
Glenn Shaffrick
Thanks for your concerns and the issues that are important to you in selecting candidates for the municipal elections.
I am familiar with what an OCP is and fully support a respectful balance between conservation and environmental concerns and development.
What I bring to the table is the to ability and desire to hear the issues from all sides to ensure council makes informed decisions.
This is why I agree with ARMS having a strong relationship with council and being our subject matter experts in areas pertaining to the watershed.
Your voice has to be heard and your knowledge factored into councils discussions.
Full transparency, I can’t answer a lot of the questions on my position and knowledge in the areas outlined in your questions and would look to agencies such as ARMS to educate and relay their knowledge to assist council in making decisions affecting the watersheds.
Regards,
Glenn Schaffrick
Michael Tuzzi
- As a candidate, how familiar are you with the OCP? Please give an example of your knowledge, or what you have done to familiarize yourself with the plan.
- Just reading up on the Official Community Plan now, part of my platform is the preservation of our eco-system and not to allow property development closer than 100 ft to our streams and rivers, I know that developers are pushing for that now.
- What is your position on the Natural Features section relating to water course protection?
- I am all for anything that has to do with preserving the environment and developing the ecosystem here in Maple Ridge. We need to put a cap on housing where it interferes with the natural beauty of our community, I think too much of an emphasis is placed on development of the land for residential purposes.
- Do you believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of “green infrastructure” within the planning process for existing and new area plans?
- Absolutely, the one thing that bothers me now is that when a new development comes in the first they do is clear out all the trees, it looks terrible. I’m proud of the fact that in west Maple Ridge we have so many lots where you see an abundance of trees still standing.
- What is your position on the 30 metre setback relating to fish bearing streamside protection?
- It should be more but it’s a great start for protection of fish bearing streamside water flows
- What is your knowledge of “wildlife movement corridors?” Do you support them? Please explain your answer.
- My knowledge of them is minimal at the moment but I do support them and would support protecting them and not allow development close to them
- What is your position on development within the North and South Alouette River floodplain? Please explain your answer.
- I would have to take a comprehensive look at the pros and cons of this type of development. I would not want to see the natural beauty of these areas compromised
- Are you aware of the activities of Alouette River Management Society, over and above what is reported on our website? If so, how are you aware?
- I am not aware at the moment but again, anything to do with conservation, I am for
- Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, have a role to play in council’s decisions relating to development applications within the Alouette River Watershed? If yes, what role do they play? If no, please explain your position.
- I do believe they have a role to play in helping to guide our positions in these matters, I would do my best to work with ARMS for the good of Maple Ridge. The role they play is to ensure the preservation of the sensitive lands and areas of the Watershed in terms of the ecosystem and development.
- ARMS is provided an annual grant of $20,000 from the City of Maple Ridge to support the work that we do within the Alouette River watershed. We also oversee the Adopt-a-Block program on behalf of the city and are allocated an annual budge of $25,000 to do that work. Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, should continue to be funded for work of this nature? Please explain your answer.
- I do, and the reason is because I see too much development going on where there is not a lot of consideration given to the sensitive balance of development and preservation of the natural habitat of the land.
- Are you aware of the Heritage River status of the Alouette River, if so, what does it mean to you?
- Yes, I am. For me, this is an important designation that allows council special privileges that we can enact in our proceedings.
- Have you ever seen the salmon run in the Alouette River and what should be done to protect it?
- I’ve actually only seen the aftermath, where the deceased salmon are in the river and on the banks after the run. To protect it we need to be keenly aware of all that is going on in our environment on a continual basis.
- What have you personally done to protect the environment?
- I believe the starting point is to recycle, recycle, and recycle even more ! I’m always looking for ways to recycle rather than throw out as garbage, and I believe this is growing at a rapid pace in our community. I am so proud of The Maple Ridge Recycling Society and the work they do in our community !
continued
Ahmed Yousef
- As a candidate, how familiar are you with the OCP? Please give an example of your knowledge, or what you have done to familiarize yourself with the plan.
I have the complete binder on my night stand and every day for the last nine months I’ve been reading through it to familiarize myself with it. To give an example of my knowledge of the plan; I refer to the five main goals of the Metro Vancouver 2040 Regional Growth Strategy of:
- Creating a compact urban area
- Supporting a sustainable economy
- Protecting the environment and responding to climate change impacts
- Developing complete communities
- Supporting sustainable transportation choices
- What is your position on the Natural Features section relating to water course protection?
My position on the Natural Features section is that must participate in regional, provincial, and federal programs and projects to preserve the natural integrity of watercourses and adopt comprehensive and innovative approaches to that end.
- Do you believe in implementing policies that would enhance the inclusion of “green infrastructure” within the planning process for existing and new area plans?
I firmly believe that such policies are what we should be considering for our future. Green infrastructure is the most sustainable and the least impactful on our pristine surroundings.
- What is your position on the 30 metre setback relating to fish bearing streamside protection?
My position is that the 30 metre setback is an agreed upon measure for Streamside Protection and Enhancement Areas, and as part of the Fish Protection Act, Maple Ridge would be well served to abide by it.
- What is your knowledge of “wildlife movement corridors?” Do you support them? Please explain your answer.
As stewards of the exquisite environment we are lucky to have, I believe it is upon us to provide high quality wildlife habitat and that is why our competition for space with wildlife must be mitigated to provide the long-established movement corridors with the space needed to continue to support the ecosystems we depend on.
- What is your position on development within the North and South Alouette River floodplain? Please explain your answer.
I believe the operative word here is ‘floodplain.’ Having lived in Nebraska and witnessed the carnage left behind during tornado season, I am of the mindset that one cannot build a home in the path of a tornado or a flood and expect nature to accommodate them. If we are left with no other options than to develop the North and South Rive floodplains, then we must look at the Netherlands for their model of building in such low lying lands and consider what would be applicable in our city.
- Are you aware of the activities of Alouette River Management Society, over and above what is reported on our website? If so, how are you aware?
Luckily, I am. I’ve recently become a lifetime member and have attended numerous events held and hosted by ARMS as well as two Board of Directors meetings.
- Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, have a role to play in council’s decisions relating to development applications within the Alouette River Watershed? If yes, what role do they play? If no, please explain your position.
Yes, as the organization that is most familiar with the Alouette River Watershed I believe ARMS advisory role is absolutely vital to decision relating to development applications within Riparian areas.
- ARMS is provided an annual grant of $20,000 from the City of Maple Ridge to support the work that we do within the Alouette River watershed. We also oversee the Adopt-a-Block program on behalf of the city and are allocated an annual budge of $25,000 to do that work. Do you believe environmental organizations, such as ARMS, should continue to be funded for work of this nature? Please explain your answer.
Yes, I believe environmental organizations such as ARMS should continue to be funded for their work as they work they do is what protects us as inhabitants of this space from ourselves. Left to our own devices, we as humans tend to over-exploit our surroundings without consideration for our impact and/or thought to replenish the natural habitats we impact. Therefore, ARMS and other organizations like it protect our existence as we know it from our own human exploitation of the resources we have to the point of unsustainability.
- Are you aware of the Heritage River status of the Alouette River, if so, what does it mean to you?
I am, and to me it means we must preserve the long standing history of the river as the Katzie First Nation have not only depended on the salmon of the river, but also have spiritual and cultural ties to the river. And, as an important recreational focus for our residents and visitors we must ensure the continuation of our, thus far, successful urban river stewardship and raise awareness of its vitality to our community.
- Have you ever seen the salmon run in the Alouette River and what should be done to protect it?
Unfortunately, I’ve not. I believe the proposed fish passage will serve to restore all species of salmon in the river and allow it to regain its liveliness and potential.
- What have you personally done to protect the environment?
I try to minimize the footprint of my family and I by recycling, composting, and generally being mindful that the pristine nature that surrounds us is fragile and the we must as responsible citizens protect it for ourselves and for future generations to enjoy.