Todd Sanderson

My wife and I have implemented a personal plan for reducing our carbon footprint. This included purchasing Ford's hybrid sedan as early adopters.

Yes. I would support responsibly accelerating Kelowna’s adoption of the Zero Carbon Step Code through a clear, phased schedule developed in consultation with builders, trades and energy professionals. We should achieve meaningful emissions reductions without unnecessarily increasing housing costs or delaying construction.

I would also support incentives and faster permitting for high-performance buildings, heat pumps, improved insulation, energy-efficient windows and retrofits to existing buildings. To strengthen resilience to extreme heat, Kelowna should encourage passive cooling, exterior shading, reflective roofing, expanded tree canopy and designs that maintain safe indoor temperatures during heat events and power outages.

These measures should be practical, affordable and supported by measurable results. The City should regularly assess their effect on energy use, emissions, construction costs, housing affordability and approval timelines.

I would support implementing Kelowna’s Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy with measurable canopy targets for each neighbourhood. Priority should be given to streets, sidewalks, parks, transit stops and neighbourhoods with the least shade and greatest exposure to extreme heat.

Kelowna’s Tree Protection Bylaw currently protects private trees only in limited areas. I would support reviewing it to provide reasonable protection for significant mature trees while allowing the removal of trees that are hazardous, diseased or inconsistent with FireSmart principles. Development applications should include tree inventories and protection plans, with replacement requirements based on the size and canopy value of trees removed—not simply the number of trees.

On private land, I would expand programs such as NeighbourWoods, provide incentives for property owners and developers to retain mature trees, and encourage planting around homes, businesses and parking areas. New trees should be drought-tolerant, climate-appropriate and supported by adequate soil, water and long-term maintenance.

Our goal should be the right trees in the right places—providing shade, cooling neighbourhoods and strengthening biodiversity without increasing wildfire risk or placing unreasonable costs on property owners.

Over the next four years, I would prioritize practical transportation investments that move the greatest number of people and provide measurable reductions in congestion and emissions.

I would encourage new development in urban centres and along established transit corridors where roads, utilities and public services already exist. This makes better use of taxpayer-funded infrastructure, reduces costly urban sprawl and allows more residents to live closer to employment, shopping and services.

For transit, I would advocate for more frequent and reliable service on high-demand routes, better connections between neighbourhoods and improved shelters, lighting and accessibility at bus stops. I would also support the gradual transition to lower-emission transit and municipal vehicles where it is operationally and financially practical.

For walking and cycling, the City should focus on completing gaps in the existing network, providing safer crossings and building connected, protected routes to schools, employment areas, parks and transit exchanges. These improvements should be coordinated with scheduled road and utility work to reduce costs and disruption.

I would also pursue provincial and federal funding so Kelowna can improve transportation choices without placing the full cost on local property taxpayers.

Yes. Food waste makes up more than one-third of household garbage in the Central Okanagan, so composting could reduce landfill use and methane emissions while extending the life of the Glenmore Landfill.

I would ask the City and RDCO to revisit this issue well before the currently proposed 2030 review. The first step should be an updated, transparent business case comparing the cost of constructing a local processing facility with contracting an existing private or regional facility. It should clearly identify capital costs, annual operating costs, environmental benefits, effects on landfill capacity and the cost to each household.

Any program should include a practical plan for apartments, condominiums, restaurants and other businesses—not only single-family homes. I would support beginning with a controlled pilot program to test collection methods, contamination rates, odour management and public participation before committing taxpayers to a full-scale rollout.

I would also pursue provincial and federal infrastructure funding and cost-sharing with regional partners. I support moving faster, but not issuing a blank cheque. The program must be regionally coordinated, environmentally effective and financially sustainable, with measurable targets and regular public reporting.

The first action I would champion is food-waste diversion. Within the first year, I would ask the City and RDCO to complete an updated, transparent business case comparing local and contracted processing options and addressing apartments, condominiums, businesses and single-family homes. Within two years, I would seek a pilot program with published results on participation, contamination, costs and waste diverted. By the end of the term, residents should expect either an operating regional program or a fully funded implementation plan with firm timelines—not another indefinite delay.

My second priority would be expanding Kelowna’s urban tree canopy and protecting significant mature trees. I would implement the Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy, prioritize planting along sidewalks, transit routes, parks and heat-exposed neighbourhoods, and expand incentives for planting on private property. Progress should be reported annually by neighbourhood, including trees planted, survival rates, mature trees removed and replaced, and changes in canopy coverage.

Within four years, residents should see a net increase in healthy public trees, progress toward Kelowna’s 2050 canopy targets, and measurably more shade where people walk, wait for transit and gather. As with all the actions I would champion both initiatives should include clear budgets, annual public reporting and measurable environmental results.