Corey Viala
Council · Nelson
Nelson - Uphill 45 yrs
About
I have called Nelson home since 1981. It is where my wife Tina and I raised our family. It is also where I built my career as a first responder and volunteered my time including The Nelson Rotary Club & and Nelson Leafs Hockey Society.
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.
✓
Incentivize renewable energy, battery storage, and smart-grid technologies in new and existing buildings to improve energy security.
Supportive
✓
Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings.
Supportive
~
Implement a 'right to cool' bylaw to protect tenants during extreme heat events.
Neutral
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.
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Pursue available legal options to recover a fair share of the climate costs facing our community from fossil fuel companies and other big polluters.
Neutral
✓
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.
✓
Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater.
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!).
✓
Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities.
Supportive
✓
Build bike and roll networks that are safe for everyone.
Supportive
✓
Expand EV charging infrastructure.
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.
✓
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.
~
Implement zero waste bylaws to divert organic waste and recyclables from disposal.
Neutral
~
Support the development of a circular economy to eliminate waste and improve resilience.
Neutral
✓ 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?
I am the current President of the Nelson Leafs Hockey Society, and have been a voting member on the board for over 10 years. The Nelson Leafs have a long history attending to the recycling needs of the Nelson area. The Nelson Leafs Eco-Depot took on the collection of house hold hazardous waste a number of years ago. We have reintroduced a paint exchange program in order to serve the greater needs of the community. We have also been recognized with provincial awards due to the amounts of oils collected at our site. This, of course, lessens the amount of toxic materials from our landfills, creeks, and water ways. In my role on the board, and as President, I have collaborated with the RDCK and the City of Nelson in order to make room for additional items to be recycled, as set out by the Province of British Columbia. As this list is constantly expanding, our organization continues to look for ways to help Nelson & Area residents properly recycle, and reuse, items.
I have also helped welcome to the Union Board, the "Climate Action Committee" that was started as a unionized grass roots initiative within the Ambulance Paramedics of BC. The committee was created to advocate for BC Emergency Health Services to not only look for fully electric support vehicles to be utilized, but to also encourage any new stations and support buildings to preplan the EV charging stations.
I have also helped welcome to the Union Board, the "Climate Action Committee" that was started as a unionized grass roots initiative within the Ambulance Paramedics of BC. The committee was created to advocate for BC Emergency Health Services to not only look for fully electric support vehicles to be utilized, but to also encourage any new stations and support buildings to preplan the EV charging stations.
Questions for Nelson
In 2020, Nelson Council adopted the Nelson Next Climate Action Plan. How will you set timelines for implementing the plan and ensure they move forward this term?
Nelson City Council must do everything in their power to adhere to those climate action plans and goals as they continue to watch Nelson grow. During my time as a City Councillor, I would learn and reevaluate the action plans and goals in order to make sure that we are not only making the right decisions, but also the decisions that will be impactful in a positive way for the compliance of the goals that have been set in 2020. I would also be in favour of potentially reviewing that 2020 Nelson Next Action Plan to make sure that we are making positive steps to obtaining the goals as they were set.
How will you advocate for better public transit (frequency, coverage, fares), both locally and intercity, including working with other levels of government?
I believe that it is important to build a public transit system that will benefit as many core users as possible. All avenues need to be explored to make sure that the services are giving the Nelson residents value for their tax dollars. Transit between our regional communities should at least be looked at to see if they can either be expanded, or modified in order to facilitate a higher user framework. Advocating for more additional funding from the Provincial Government to help expand the transit needs of not only the City of Nelson needs to happen.
What policies will you implement to reduce the health risks of dangerous outdoor and indoor summer heat and poor air quality, particularly for renters, low-income households, and children attending outdoor summer day camps?
I would work with senior governments to ensure that we have sustainable programs available to help particularly for renters & low-income households. My hope is that the Province of British Columbia learned a valuable lesson from the 2021 "Heat Dome" that affected many elderly, renters or low-income households with devastating results.
Some municipality-owned utilities in Canada, like Summerside in PEI, are investing in solar, wind and batteries. As electricity demand increases, how would you support Nelson Hydro diversifying its generation to include other renewable sources?
I believe that these kinds of programs can be of value to the city of Nelson & Area. With the electrical increase of additional housing, businesses & other necessary infrastructure, Nelson must at least explore all additional options to minimize the impact on our electrical grid system as the city expands and grows. if financially viable, the City of Nelson could look at diversifying additional electrical support systems to help with the increase in demands.
Natural spaces improve human health, biodiversity, and mitigating extreme weather like heat and flooding. What can you do to ensure the City prioritizes preserving natural areas, green space, and the lakeshore?
Nelson is a very unique community with its impressive green spaces, mountains and water accesses. The city of Nelson need to explore locations that could be expanded. The old transfer station on Lakeside Drive is a prime example of space that should be allocated for different usages. Currently, the City of Nelson and the RDCK are using it for collecting some recycling materials. If those collection containers were relocated to a more suitable location, that would potentially free up some water front land that may be utilized either as park space, or camping destination for our many tourist.
If you wish to clarify or add information you may use this space.
Some of my answers stating a "Neutral" response was simply that I could not not answer with full support as I believe that more information is needed in order to answer the question truthfully.
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