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Tara Shushtarian

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Climate Change

Active Transportation

Green's promises

Create 30 km per year of sidewalks
Provide secure bike lock ups and showers so teachers may cycle to work
Create a "Bike Library" so kids of any age can have a bike to ride
Create car free zones near schools
Create 30 km per year of separated cycling paths
Complete safe sidewalk network around each school

Energy-Efficient Buildings & Retrofits

Tara Shushtarian's promises

Monitor carbon emissions from old buildings and set a cap or target to lower building emissions to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Preferably encourage no fossil fuel gas hookups in new builds.
Speed initiatives for installation of electric heat pumps for all housing needs
Improve building envelope and doors and windows insulation.

Green's promise

Make buildings more energy efficient (geothermal, heat pumps, solar)

Flooding

Tara Shushtarian's promises

Urban forest management and creeks and embankment revitalization to abate soil erosion.
Storm drain improvement.

Green Space

Green's promise

Preserve and enhance Burnaby's green spaces

Parking

Green's promise

Create by-law to require/encourage every parking lot to have charging stations

Urban Heat

Green's promises

Preserve and enhance Burnaby's green spaces
Expand Burnaby's green canopy

Housing & Homelessness

Affordability

Green's promises

Speed up development approval for affordable housing
Create more co-ops, purpose built rental housing, and subsidized housing for complex needs.
Fil in the "missing middle"

Co-Op Housing

Green's promise

Create more co-op housing

Property Taxes

Green's promise

Hold the line on taxes

Public Housing

Green's promise

Create more co-ops, purpose built rental housing, and subsidized housing for complex needs.

Rental Stock

Green's promise

Create more purpose built rental housing

Public Spaces & Services

Green Space

Green's promise

Preserve and enhance Burnaby's green spaces

Transit & Getting Around

Active Transportation

Green's promises

Create 30 km per year of sidewalks
Provide secure bike lock ups and showers so teachers may cycle to work
Create a "Bike Library" so kids of any age can have a bike to ride
Create car free zones near schools
Create 30 km per year of separated cycling paths
Complete safe sidewalk network around each school

Parking

Green's promise

Create by-law to require/encourage every parking lot to have charging stations

Biography

submitted by the candidate or their team
My multi ethnic family and i are long time proud Burnaby residents. I have been been involved in campaigns such as the climate emergency declaration and All on Board affordable Transit campaign. Currently i sit on the board of WE-CAN , FVC and the Burnaby Environment cmte.

As Burnaby residents for twenty years, my family and I are proud of our multiethnic municipality. I am running to enact progressive policies on key issues like affordable housing, childcare, accessible transit, and creating more separated bike lanes, cycling corridors, and pedestrian sidewalks. A climate and social justice activist, I have worked on many campaigns including the BC Poverty Reduction Plan, which has been adopted into legislation; climate campaigns to get municipalities, including Burnaby, to declare a Climate Emergency and endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty; and the “All on Board” campaign for accessible, affordable transit. I also worked with the BC Centre For Palliative Care as a South Asian advisor for their Advanced Care Plan. Currently, I sit on Burnaby City Council’s Environment Committee, the West Coast Climate Action Network board, and the Fair Vote Canada board. A film aficionado, I am part of the New West Film Society.

Reason for running

submitted by the candidate or their team
We are in a housing crisis and cities are at the helm of climate change . We need more affordable and equitable housing ,reliable , affordable, transit,accelerated cycling and walking infrastructure, functional urban villages with amenities and preservation of nature .

Hello I'm Tara Shushtarian and am excited  to be running as a  city councillor for the  Burnaby Greens. 

 I am privileged  to live on the foot of Burnaby mountain, unceded coast salish lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh nations. 

Being a climate and social justice activist 

 I am running for Council because we are facing an increasing housing crisis and  we are in a climate emergency .

Our housing crisis needs to be addressed with urgency.

We need developement , of more  affordable purpose built  rental units , where you don't spend more than 1/3rd of your income on your rent.

We have to be bold and ambitious  in our zoning for more middle infill housing like townhomes , coops , laneway homes and prefabricated homes  to accomodate the housing needs of young families , seniors , young couples and the underhoused.

Innovative housing partnerships like the current one with the BCGEU are crucial. And we need to explore other not for profit partners whose goal goes beyond a profit margin. 

As we can see cities are at the forefront of mitigating climate disasters

We need climate resilient plans such as  urban villages where you can access affordable housing, employment, childcare and  amenities like your grocer, doctor salon ,restaurants all within a 15 min radius of walking, biking or transit.

 We need to prioritize accelerated walking  and cycling  infrastructure, to expand active transportation , preferably by 30km per year.

Increase the accessibility and reliability of transit  by implementing dedicated bus lanes and the affordability of transit by subsidised bus passes for the under employed. 

Incentives and  installation of low  energy systems like heat pumps into mainstream housing  to reduce rising energy costs.

Preservation of our greenscapes, tree canopy and the health of our streams.

 I believe all stakeholders have a voice at the table, be they politicians , city planners advocates but most importantly we the people . Please vote for Tara Shushtarian for Burnaby Greens on October 15th.

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