We need provincial legislation to enforce the promises Canada made when it signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There are major problems with the implementation of income support, housing, and employment.

Work in partnership with the provincial and federal government to advocate for more affordable, non-profit, and purpose-built rental housing. When families are living from paycheque-to-paycheque it becomes apparent that we need more social, cooperative, and subsidized housing.

I think it would add to the culture of our city if more local art was made accessible to the public through city projects. With this in mind, I think we could continue to solicit contributions from the public and local artists, just like the city does with the street banners. We could also hold city contests for young people to come up with ideas on how to beautify a part of our city, like the Canada Line support columns.

Cannabis will become legal for adult recreational consumption on October 17, 2018. We recognize that not all community members will be comfortable with cannabis, similar to some community members not being comfortable with alcohol or tobacco. We will strongly advocate for at least the same kinds of municipal controls on the use and sale of cannabis as currently exist for the use and sale of alcohol and tobacco.

We commit to being active partners with RCMP, Richmond Fire Services and our other first responders to ensure that the people helping us are getting the resources and tools they need to be effective.

Richmond has sufficient bylaws to protect and ensure fair and equitable treatment of residents in a variety of areas; however, without consistent enforcement, bylaws such as the Short Term Rental (STR) bylaw, are ignored. We will vigorously enforce bylaws, and will actively ensure compliance.

Through community consultations, the City of Richmond or a non–profit partner can create a new immigrant “buddy” program. Residents who have lived in Richmond for a set period of time can sign up to be a “buddy” for a new immigrant. These buddies can answer questions for newcomers as they settle into their new home. We recommend that buddies speak fluent English, pass a criminal record check, and have at least an hour per week availability.

Richmond Citizens’ would encourage developers to build to LEED Gold or Platinum standards. The City would hold an annual award ceremony to recognize those builders for excellence in achieving those standards. We would further encourage building to LEED standards by offering front-of-line privileges during permitting and inspection of LEED projects.

We should explore how to reduce waste from disposable cups, shopping bags, and take-out food containers. Moreover, RCA will advocate the BC government to establish industrial norms to ensure new bags and other disposable items such as coffee pods are recyclable.

Decrease the size limits on farmhouses from 10,764 sq.ft. to 5,382 sq.ft., and work with the province to close the loopholes which permit speculators to purchase farmland by avoiding residential lot guidelines, pricing policies, and residential property taxes.

Petition to amend and strengthen the Conflict of Interest Rules to include oversight by an independent officer, and that a new lobbyist registry is created that will require all individuals lobbying the City of Richmond to register and declare all their lobbying activities.

In suburban areas, garages must face the road (with an exception for arterial road homes) in order to increase the percent of green lot coverage. Green coverage aids beneficial insects, birds, and wildlife, and is vital to managing water runoff. Green coverage is also a passive community amenity, which increases residents’ well–being and increases property values. We support increasing our urban forest, not just on city-owned land, but also on personal property.

We would advocate to the province to make additional transit investments in Richmond. Additional improvements can be made by altering or creating new routes, such as a bus route the length of Steveston Hwy, more frequent and direct service to the Richmond Oval and Riverport Entertainment Complex, as well as moving timing stops that impede traffic such as the one on Steveston Highway near Seaward Gate.

We need to increase in the number of First Nations art installations throughout our city – in public offices, schools, community centres, and outdoor public spaces. The voices, art, traditions, and culture of our aboriginal peoples have been ignored in Richmond for way too long and we are in a unique position to change that. In this way, art could serve as a healing act of reconciliation for past wrongs and foster future positive relationships.

Demolition projects in Richmond are subject to recycling regulations and we would step up enforcement to ensure that recycling rules are being followed. It makes little sense to have a strict residential blue and green bin program, yet dump millions of pounds of demolition materials in the landfill every year.

With rapid development abound in Richmond, businesses are seeing their property taxes skyrocket yearly, even though the building is unchanged. We will work with the provincial government to move forward with an equitable way to calculate taxes assessed to commercial properties.

With major Richmond destinations to the east of Hwy 99 and high traffic volumes heading south and north on Hwy 99, the entire area is frequently gridlocked. Richmond Citizens’ would vocally and effectively advocate to the provincial government for a new and efficient interchange. We support twinning the Massey Tunnel, and it must include the capacity for Light Rail Transit to connect Bridgeport station through the tunnel, to service communities South of the Fraser.

Richmond could do more to ensure food accessibility for its at-risk citizens. The city could work in partnership with Quest Food Exchange, which is a not-for-profit organization that provides access to a variety of affordable and healthy foods to individuals facing food security challenges in our community.