Donald Pharand

Mayor · Castlegar

Grand Forks 48 yrs

About

I'm an 81 year-old longtime public safety, social, environmental activist from Grand Forks. Active since the age of 17. I live in a forest cottage west of Grand Forks and manage as best I can the dying giant fir trees around me.

Policy commitments

Buildings

We all want healthy, affordable, and comfortable homes. These policies will help to lower energy bills, cut pollution, and improve indoor air quality.

~ Support electrification of new buildings. Neutral

~ Incentivize electric heat pumps and air filtration systems. Neutral

✓ Implement a 'right to cool' bylaw to protect tenants during extreme heat events. Supportive

Climate Justice

Our community is already experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution, and taxpayers are on the hook to upgrade and repair critical infrastructure.

✓ Enact a moratorium on AI data centres to protect our energy and water resources. Supportive

✓ Collaborate with Indigenous peoples as partners in the stewardship of the land, air, and water, and work towards reconciliation. Supportive

Ecosystems

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all rely on healthy ecosystems. Nature can also help protect our community from extreme weather by controlling floods, protecting shorelines, and cooling neighbourhoods. Access to nature improves the health and well-being of residents, and supports biodiversity.

✓ Protect and restore ecosystems, which are essential to human survival, health, and economic well-being. Supportive

✓ Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater. Supportive

✓ Create connected urban greenways for people and wildlife. Supportive

Land Use

We envision vibrant, walkable communities that protect nature and improve food security.

✓ Upgrade critical infrastructure for heat, fire, flood, and storm resilience. Supportive

✓ Increase food security by supporting local agriculture and community gardens. Supportive

Transport

Connecting neighbourhoods through public transit and active transportation networks will cut pollution, improve public health, and make our communities more affordable (and fun!).

✓ Deliver reliable, frequent, affordable local transit. Supportive

✓ Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities. Supportive

✓ Build bike and roll networks that are safe for everyone. Supportive

Watersheds

Climate change, increasing populations, and overconsumption threaten our water security. Healthy watersheds and forests are critical to support clean drinking water, stormwater management, climate resilience, and biodiversity for future generations.

✓ Implement water conservation plans and educate the public to conserve drinking water. Supportive

✓ Protect and restore watersheds as vital municipal infrastructure. Supportive

Zero Waste

Zero waste policies reduce pollution, keep waste out of landfills, build resilient local economies, and safeguard public health by shifting society away from a disposable culture toward a sustainable circular economy.

✓ Support the development of a circular economy to eliminate waste and improve resilience. Supportive

✓ Implement bylaws to eliminate waste from new buildings, renovation, and demolition projects and to use existing buildings as efficiently as possible. Supportive

✓ Supportive

~ Neutral

× Opposed

– No response

Climate action

How have you contributed to climate action in your community through advocacy, past work, advisory committees, volunteer work, and/or reducing your personal carbon footprint?

Grizzly bear habitat protection as Spokesperson for Grand Forks Watershed Coalition led to creation of Granby Prov. Park. A 1985 mine milling operation we opposed (1 water management hearing, 3 appeal board decisions) led to a spill that cost the taxpayers $1,000,000 to clean up. As research director of the Fructova Radon Study (mid 80's) I ended up with more at on radon in the INterior than gov. It led to building code adjustments for radon. Much more needs to be done on that file.

Questions for Castlegar

In January 2021, Castlegar adopted the West Kootenay 100% Renewable Energy Plan. How will you prioritize actions, including timelines, to implement the plan and ensure that they move forward this term?

Sorry about this one. I am not up to date.

The Castlegar area is vulnerable to many climate-related risks (e.g., wildfire, drought, smoke, flooding, heat, local supply chains). How will you address these risks to increase our community’s resilience?

My entire platform is about a danger you do not even pose and very few residents of the Columbia River Valley are even aware of, the danger of anyone of the three massive landslides above the Revelstoke dam (3 of them) and the MIca dam (1 of them). Because of the risks I would push that all first responders of Castlegar be up to date on the worse case scenario by BC and CND govs and that their equipment and forces be upgraded to deal with such.

What ideas do you have to decrease reliance on personal gas vehicles and improve how people get around the city using low emission transportation methods (e.g., walking, biking, carpooling, bus/transit, EV)?

I believe the City needs to get directly involved with the physical and mental health of all its residents. I support a total ban of digital devices in schools for all under 16. I support the growing of non-GMO wheat and corn throughout the RDCK. I support bringing back and upgrading the heritage USCC flour mill at Grand Forks for the entire S Interior. The City could find a source of 3rd party tested non-GMO wheat seed.

How would you approach land use and housing policies to ensure that people of all income levels—including low-income residents—have access to safe, affordable homes that are also resilient to a changing climate?

First thing I would look at a different tax structure for luxury homes, to discourage them. To what point is the building code a hindrance to add-ons to homes when the family is growing. The City could incentivise people on double or triple lots to build on them or sell them. When large houses come up for sale the City could have a formula to insure they go to coop housing projects.

The Our Way to 2033 Community Plan includes many goals for enhancing and protecting Castlegar’s natural environment. How will you help advance those, including community partnerships, to help protect and restore our parks and natural areas?

I believe interacting with the various neighbourhoods to find out how each one would address this question would be a good place to start. With the financial crunch being felt throughout the world public dollars will be less and less available for such plans, proof how the Feds are bulldozing their own ecological regs.A

How will you foster collaboration and open dialogue with your fellow councillors and the community to make sure you are forming policy that best represents the full community’s needs, including seniors, newcomers, youth, renters, low income residents?

As a lifelong socialist and coming from a very large working class family and community, and being a senior, I have a very good inkling of what policies could support all the groups you list...and would encourage respect of ideas and persons. I understand how the City is an organism and functions at its best by collaboration.

If you wish to clarify or add information you may use this space.

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Authorized by West Kootenay Climate Hub, registered sponsor under LECFA, wkclimatehub@gmail.com

Vote4Tomorrow is an independent voter guide to evaluate where local candidates stand on climate and environmental policies that will affect our future.

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