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Evan Dunfee

Independent for Richmond Council
My platform centres around the interconnectedness of housing, transportation and climate. To maximize our potential these three things need to work in harmony and luckily they all have the potential to complement one another.

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Climate Change

Active Transportation

Add tons of public bike parking around the city and require more bike parking for new commercial buildings (including Cargo bikes)
Create safe, separated, AAA (all ages and abilities) infrastructure all over the city.
Prioritize safety in our road design and build that into our engineering guidelines.
We have a mode shift goal of 51% of trips by active transport or transit by 2041. I will push for policies that get us there.
Expand and improve bike share in Richmond, and look to bring in car sharing services.

Electric Bikes & Scooters

E-bikes are a game changer, cargo especially! My partner got one last summer and it's opened a whole new world. We need more!

I really think this is the future. Micro mobility. We are seeing delivery companies creating electric delivery bikes to efficiently move packages, families ditching the car for a cargo bike, seniors and others with limited mobility have a brand new way of getting around. We need to account for this and make sure we are building space for them. Not just taking these modes on to the periphery. But build them into our priority.

Review the Lime e-mobility sharing service and explore if it is delivering value to our community.

The e-bikes and scooters are very expensive relative to other bike shares like Mobi and the e-scooters are certainly getting on some people's nerves. I don't belief e-scooters are inherently bad, just that our infrastructure isn't in place to support them. Currently they are illegal to ride in most of the city. They are only allowed in bike lanes and on roads with no yellow dividing line. It is impossible to get almost anywhere in the city following those 2 rules, so of course people take them on the side walk. We need to improve the infrastructure, not demonize a very efficient, sustainable and accessible way of moving people.

Explore possibility of city led rebates/grants for choosing to go car free, especially for commercial e-bikes for businesses.

The provincial rebates just aren't good enough. But taking cars off the road would save the city a ton of money on repairs, improve congestion, health and safety. So looking at ways that we can incentivize that for Richmond residents would be great!

Energy-Efficient Buildings & Retrofits

Richmond just updated their minimum step-code requirements and are on track to require new buildings be net-zero ready before the province
Stop natural gas hook-ups in new builds.
Leadership from the city with net-zero and passive house new city buildings.

If we are going to be leaders in this space we need to lead by example. The new Steveston Community Centre is very disappointing as they claim sustainability is at the forefront of the design but it is lacking affordable housing that should be attached, it has expensive and carbon intensive underground parking and it is only built to LEED Gold standards rather than net-zero. We are not putting action to our rhetoric.

Explore using electric heat pumps in our city owned utilities which currently use natural gas.

The City owned district utilities are amazing and award winning. They have thousands of units connected into them in the City Centre, Oval district and Alexandra district and will eventually provide heat and hot water services to those buildings using either geo-thermal or waste heat energy recovery. Unfortunately while we wait for those to come online they are temporarily serviced with gas furnaces. It might be 10 years before they become operational so I want to look at the feasibility and cost/benefit analysis of switching those out for electric heat pumps.

Flooding

Continuing with our fantastic diking strategy and looking for ways to accelerate and improve it when possible.

The City is already doing amazing work in this space and I am fully committed to continuing it.

Green Space

Look at repurposing/ replacing city owned lawns with more drought resistant turfs like the Bee turf created in partnership with the city.

The Bee Turf requires much less watering and mowing (which saves resources and money) while also acts as an amazing pollinator source for our pollinators. Using this on city owned greenspace where appropriate and incentivizing it on private property could allow us to keep our water usage down as we continue to grow.

More outdoor covered gathering space like the gazebo at Kidd Elementary.
Find innovative and efficient ways of activating our green space and continuing to prioritize access and abundance as we grow.

Parking

Explore equitable ways of redistributing public parking space to better uses.

Public on street parking is paid for by everyone in the city. Whether we own a car or not. It also takes up valuable space to store private vehicles that could be used to move people. As we move to more active transport and fewer people are choosing to drive we will have and even bigger abundance of parking that we already do and can re-allocate that space.

Low fee parking permits should also be explored to create equity between who uses the space and who pays for it. These permits would be low cost and have exemptions for low-income residents who rely on their car.

Private Vehicles

Explore car share options so more people can choose to live car free if they want to.

I would explore extending Evo's home zone to include Richmond city centre at the very least with the goal of expanding it from there.

Urban Heat

Increase our tree canopy by adding many more trees on public space
Incentivize more tree planting on private property
Require external shading on new builds to improve residential heat tolerance.

This is really good way to decrease the heat gain in homes. Especially when you look at our new glass tower buildings that just suck in heat. We should look at making sure our buildings are adaptable to the changing climate and external shading is a big part of that.

Increase number of shaded outdoor public spaces
Be flexible in allowing more height in buildings if the smaller lot coverage can protect existing trees

Zoning

Incentivize co-housing, co-ops, non-profit housing and all other forms of below market housing in every neighbourhood

We need a mix of housing type, form, and affordability levels in every neighbourhood. We have ways that we can stack the deck in favour of non-profit development to provide more affordable housing options. We can increase density, speed up permitting, lower or eliminate some of the many fees developments have to pay.

End our restrictive detached zoning regulations.

Right now the only thing you are allowed to build on the vast majority of our residential land is detached mansions. We need the type of housing that is fit for young families, teachers, nurses, seniors looking to downsize, wage workers, for everyone! And we need it in every neighbourhood. Young families are fleeing Richmond's subdivisions and we have fewer overall kids today than we did in 2001. Schools are on the brink of closing and we to reserve that trend and zoning is orders of magnitudes the biggest thing we can change to create positive change.

Explore creating a municipal housing corporation

A Richmond Housing Corp that can buy and develop its own land, in partnership with non-profits could be an incredible way to create affordable housing across the city. Burnaby is looking at using this tool, many Vancouver parties are promising it in their city and we should look at it as well.

Allow for village clusters of detached and semi-detached houses

We could take 2 of our large lots in Richmond and zone them so instead of two mansions you'd be allowed to build 8 1000-1500 square foot family sized houses with big porches, looking inward towards a big communal garden space with a playground, a large communal kitchen and living space for big gathering together, a guest suite, or even a child care centre. WIth parking for car shares, a bike storage shed, electric charging space. We can have this type of a community, we just need to allow it.

Eliminate mandatory parking minimums.

Parking is expensive and is one of the biggest factors that prevent developers building more affordable units. Many cities across North America have gotten rid of mandatory minimums and as we look to build near transit, it makes sense to do the same. We already have good measures in place to reduce parking in exchange for things like more bike parking, car share spaces etc... but it is time to take the next step and require those other things, while leaving parking up to the market.

House Rental Tenure Zoning across the city to create new rental housing

Our vacancy rate is around 1%. We need thousands of new rental units in the coming years to catch up on years of inaction. We have the tools to deliver that rental housing, we just have to use them.

Housing & Homelessness

Affordability

Use city owned space to create below market non profit housing
End exclusionary zoning X2
End exclusionary zoning X1
Look at municipal housing corp to buy land and develop our own housing
fast track non-profit housing through the zoning process (or auto zone if compliant with Community Plan)
Allow more affordable forms of housing in every neighbourhood
End exclusionary zoning X3

Building Maintenance & Occupant Health

Set building maximum temps like we already have for minimum temps

We saw from the heat dome last year that our most vulnerable residents need more protection in their own home. Air conditioning may not be the best for the environment but while we transition to adapting to our warming environment we need to make sure we are protecting our most vulnerable. Everyone should have the right to cooling in their home. While at the same time we work to upgrade city facilities with heat pump cooling systems, and mandating them in new builds, along with active solar protection and more energy efficient buildings.

Co-Op Housing

Incentivize Co-op and other forms of affordable home ownership models

Co-op housing and co-housing (where a home owner could decide to develop their own land with their family or some friends...) are incredibly important tools in delivering affordable housing. There are lots of ways we can prioritize and incentivize this type of development.

Housing Accessibility

End the apartment ban in Richmond.

Apartments are much more accessible than townhouses and yet outside of the city centre there are almost no places where we can build low or mid density (4-6 storey) apartments. We need to change that to allow people with limited mobility the right to live in every neighbourhood. To allow seniors to downsize and stay close to their community. As our population ages this is so so important.

Indigenous-Led Housing

Provide land for Indigenous led housing developments in Richmond

A municipal housing corp could work with the Indigenous community to identify needs and work together to acquire and develop land to suit those housing needs.

Property Taxes

Continue our financial strategy that allows us to pay for projects up front, saving millions of dollars.

Instead of taking on debt and paying interest, Richmond is able to gain interest on our savings and put that towards projects significantly decreasing the cost to taxpayers for the infrastructure we get.

Public Housing

Build it. Lots of it. Everywhere.

Rent

Increase renter protections. Look to City of Burnaby as leaders in this and see what lessons we can take.

Rental Stock

Incentives for rentals, legalized in every neighbourhood.

Unhoused People

Housing is a human right. Build housing with supports to help those who want help.

Zoning

Incentivize co-housing, co-ops, non-profit housing and all other forms of below market housing in every neighbourhood

We need a mix of housing type, form, and affordability levels in every neighbourhood. We have ways that we can stack the deck in favour of non-profit development to provide more affordable housing options. We can increase density, speed up permitting, lower or eliminate some of the many fees developments have to pay.

End our restrictive detached zoning regulations.

Right now the only thing you are allowed to build on the vast majority of our residential land is detached mansions. We need the type of housing that is fit for young families, teachers, nurses, seniors looking to downsize, wage workers, for everyone! And we need it in every neighbourhood. Young families are fleeing Richmond's subdivisions and we have fewer overall kids today than we did in 2001. Schools are on the brink of closing and we to reserve that trend and zoning is orders of magnitudes the biggest thing we can change to create positive change.

Explore creating a municipal housing corporation

A Richmond Housing Corp that can buy and develop its own land, in partnership with non-profits could be an incredible way to create affordable housing across the city. Burnaby is looking at using this tool, many Vancouver parties are promising it in their city and we should look at it as well.

Allow for village clusters of detached and semi-detached houses

We could take 2 of our large lots in Richmond and zone them so instead of two mansions you'd be allowed to build 8 1000-1500 square foot family sized houses with big porches, looking inward towards a big communal garden space with a playground, a large communal kitchen and living space for big gathering together, a guest suite, or even a child care centre. WIth parking for car shares, a bike storage shed, electric charging space. We can have this type of a community, we just need to allow it.

Eliminate mandatory parking minimums.

Parking is expensive and is one of the biggest factors that prevent developers building more affordable units. Many cities across North America have gotten rid of mandatory minimums and as we look to build near transit, it makes sense to do the same. We already have good measures in place to reduce parking in exchange for things like more bike parking, car share spaces etc... but it is time to take the next step and require those other things, while leaving parking up to the market.

House Rental Tenure Zoning across the city to create new rental housing

Our vacancy rate is around 1%. We need thousands of new rental units in the coming years to catch up on years of inaction. We have the tools to deliver that rental housing, we just have to use them.

Human Rights

Physical Accessibility

Review accessibility of all public spaces, and improve where needed (curb cuts, path gates etc...)

Public Spaces & Services

Green Space

Look at repurposing/ replacing city owned lawns with more drought resistant turfs like the Bee turf created in partnership with the city.

The Bee Turf requires much less watering and mowing (which saves resources and money) while also acts as an amazing pollinator source for our pollinators. Using this on city owned greenspace where appropriate and incentivizing it on private property could allow us to keep our water usage down as we continue to grow.

More outdoor covered gathering space like the gazebo at Kidd Elementary.
Find innovative and efficient ways of activating our green space and continuing to prioritize access and abundance as we grow.

Sidewalks & Bike Paths

Ensure all side walks have curb cuts
Ensure that anywhere people need to go there is a safe way to get there on foot (e.g. Food Bank has no side walks currently)
Invest in a huge expansion of off-street AAA multi-modal paths.
Get rid of the 15km/hr speed limit on shared paths and replace it with more common sense bylaws

Zoning

Incentivize co-housing, co-ops, non-profit housing and all other forms of below market housing in every neighbourhood

We need a mix of housing type, form, and affordability levels in every neighbourhood. We have ways that we can stack the deck in favour of non-profit development to provide more affordable housing options. We can increase density, speed up permitting, lower or eliminate some of the many fees developments have to pay.

End our restrictive detached zoning regulations.

Right now the only thing you are allowed to build on the vast majority of our residential land is detached mansions. We need the type of housing that is fit for young families, teachers, nurses, seniors looking to downsize, wage workers, for everyone! And we need it in every neighbourhood. Young families are fleeing Richmond's subdivisions and we have fewer overall kids today than we did in 2001. Schools are on the brink of closing and we to reserve that trend and zoning is orders of magnitudes the biggest thing we can change to create positive change.

Explore creating a municipal housing corporation

A Richmond Housing Corp that can buy and develop its own land, in partnership with non-profits could be an incredible way to create affordable housing across the city. Burnaby is looking at using this tool, many Vancouver parties are promising it in their city and we should look at it as well.

Allow for village clusters of detached and semi-detached houses

We could take 2 of our large lots in Richmond and zone them so instead of two mansions you'd be allowed to build 8 1000-1500 square foot family sized houses with big porches, looking inward towards a big communal garden space with a playground, a large communal kitchen and living space for big gathering together, a guest suite, or even a child care centre. WIth parking for car shares, a bike storage shed, electric charging space. We can have this type of a community, we just need to allow it.

Eliminate mandatory parking minimums.

Parking is expensive and is one of the biggest factors that prevent developers building more affordable units. Many cities across North America have gotten rid of mandatory minimums and as we look to build near transit, it makes sense to do the same. We already have good measures in place to reduce parking in exchange for things like more bike parking, car share spaces etc... but it is time to take the next step and require those other things, while leaving parking up to the market.

House Rental Tenure Zoning across the city to create new rental housing

Our vacancy rate is around 1%. We need thousands of new rental units in the coming years to catch up on years of inaction. We have the tools to deliver that rental housing, we just have to use them.

Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations

Indigenous-Led Housing

Provide land for Indigenous led housing developments in Richmond

A municipal housing corp could work with the Indigenous community to identify needs and work together to acquire and develop land to suit those housing needs.

Transit & Getting Around

Active Transportation

Add tons of public bike parking around the city and require more bike parking for new commercial buildings (including Cargo bikes)
Create safe, separated, AAA (all ages and abilities) infrastructure all over the city.
Prioritize safety in our road design and build that into our engineering guidelines.
We have a mode shift goal of 51% of trips by active transport or transit by 2041. I will push for policies that get us there.
Expand and improve bike share in Richmond, and look to bring in car sharing services.

Electric Bikes & Scooters

E-bikes are a game changer, cargo especially! My partner got one last summer and it's opened a whole new world. We need more!

I really think this is the future. Micro mobility. We are seeing delivery companies creating electric delivery bikes to efficiently move packages, families ditching the car for a cargo bike, seniors and others with limited mobility have a brand new way of getting around. We need to account for this and make sure we are building space for them. Not just taking these modes on to the periphery. But build them into our priority.

Review the Lime e-mobility sharing service and explore if it is delivering value to our community.

The e-bikes and scooters are very expensive relative to other bike shares like Mobi and the e-scooters are certainly getting on some people's nerves. I don't belief e-scooters are inherently bad, just that our infrastructure isn't in place to support them. Currently they are illegal to ride in most of the city. They are only allowed in bike lanes and on roads with no yellow dividing line. It is impossible to get almost anywhere in the city following those 2 rules, so of course people take them on the side walk. We need to improve the infrastructure, not demonize a very efficient, sustainable and accessible way of moving people.

Explore possibility of city led rebates/grants for choosing to go car free, especially for commercial e-bikes for businesses.

The provincial rebates just aren't good enough. But taking cars off the road would save the city a ton of money on repairs, improve congestion, health and safety. So looking at ways that we can incentivize that for Richmond residents would be great!

New Transit Projects

Work to align our development goals with Translink's metro strategy and work together to realize projects.
Work with TransLink to find space for a bus exchange in Steveston off-street replacing Chatham.

Parking

Explore equitable ways of redistributing public parking space to better uses.

Public on street parking is paid for by everyone in the city. Whether we own a car or not. It also takes up valuable space to store private vehicles that could be used to move people. As we move to more active transport and fewer people are choosing to drive we will have and even bigger abundance of parking that we already do and can re-allocate that space.

Low fee parking permits should also be explored to create equity between who uses the space and who pays for it. These permits would be low cost and have exemptions for low-income residents who rely on their car.

Private Vehicles

Explore car share options so more people can choose to live car free if they want to.

I would explore extending Evo's home zone to include Richmond city centre at the very least with the goal of expanding it from there.

Ride-Hailing

Explore ways to crack down on illegal ride railing services at their source.

Sidewalks & Bike Paths

Ensure all side walks have curb cuts
Ensure that anywhere people need to go there is a safe way to get there on foot (e.g. Food Bank has no side walks currently)
Invest in a huge expansion of off-street AAA multi-modal paths.
Get rid of the 15km/hr speed limit on shared paths and replace it with more common sense bylaws

Transit Fares

Continue to use subsidized transit fares as an incentive for new developments near transit

Biography

submitted by the candidate or their team
I've spent my life in Richmond chasing after my Olympic medal dreams. Now I want to take the skills I've learned along the way, such as determination, goal-setting. leadership, & teamwork to continue helping my community realize our world class potential.

Born and raised in Richmond I went to Kingswood Elementary where our motto of Dream It. Think It. Live It. still rings true throughout my life. It is actually the name I gave my school presentations! I then attended McNair Secondary, squeaked into UBC before learning to really apply myself and finishing the last 2 years of my Kinesiology degree with a 94% average. My career in sport has taken me all over the world for travelling and competing. I have gotten to see some amazing places and it's also made me grateful for so much of what we have here in Richmond. Despite all of my travelling, I have never called anywhere but Richmond home.

I am so lucky to have gotten to spend my life chasing after my dream and using some of my free time to give back to the community. In my aforementioned school talks I have connected with over 10,000 school kids in and around Richmond. My talks have centred around the transformative power of sport, the lessons and skills I developed chasing after and realizing my dream of winning an Olympic medal and how we can all use the skills we acquire along our journey to help lift others up.

Between these talks and other fundraiser ventures I have raised over fifty thousand dollars for KidSport to help ensure more kids in Richmond and BC get to experience a life changing season of sport and activity. Through a sponsorship with Kraft Dinner I was able to get 35,000 boxes of KD donated to the Richmond food bank in 2021 to provide assistance to so many families. I coach with the Richmond Kajaks Track Club. And I have tried to never say no to a community member, group or event that thinks I could create value or be a positive influence for them.

I have been nationally recognized with awards for community involvement as well as sportsmanship. Internationally, I have been acclaimed for my integrity, honesty, and passionate way I have advocated for clean drug-free sport.

The last few years I've taken a keen and passionate interest in municipal politics. As I start to think about my life after sport, and the family and life I want to start in Richmond, I've been watching keenly and reading through hundreds of pages of staff reports to get an idea about how our city operates and create a vision for what we could look like a generation from now.

To learn more about me, my platform and my vision check out evandunfee.ca or follow me @evandunfee on twitter and instagram or add me as a friend on facebook.

Reason for running

submitted by the candidate or their team
In the tens of thousands of kilometres I've walked around Richmond I see that we have world class potential. But in order to reach it we need to fundamentally shift our thinking and policies. I believe I have a vision for a Richmond that is on track for everyone.

I have a vision for a Richmond with the housing we need in every neighbourhood; resilient in the face of a changing climate; where people can safely and easily access their daily needs; and where everyone feels welcome, included and at home.

I believe it is time for a new generation of leaders at the decision making table and I know the skills I've developed chasing my own big dreams can be transferred to helping the city achieve big dreams.

You can learn more about me, my vision and my specific platform at evandunfee.ca


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