Martin Stegman

Council · Nelson

Nelson 25 yrs

About

I was raised in Nelson and it has made me who I am - a patron of the arts, a practical environmentalist, and a willing volunteer. My goal is to pair these values with my deep economic experience. Full Profile: https://www.facebook.com/martin4nelson

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. Opposed

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.

× Pursue available legal options to recover a fair share of the climate costs facing our community from fossil fuel companies and other big polluters. Opposed

✓ 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. Neutral

~ Expand EV charging infrastructure. Neutral

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. Supportive

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

I pedal-bike as often as possible when travelling in town, both as a direct climate action and to set an example to others (I live in Rosemont and it is totally doable). I carpool when possible to school with my partner, and if timing is inconvenient for one of us, the other will often take the bus on the return. I recycle, I Foodcycle, I grow my own food. I started an energy efficiency project on our house this summer and was able to get the energy assessment but unfortunately had to postpone the project until next year. I regularly encourage people to take advantage of government energy efficient programs or Nelson Hydro's eBike program (if they're unable to pedal cycle).

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?

I would like to see an accessible dashboard that clearly outlines progress made on the seven aspirations and potential tasks that Nelson could be undertaking to “achieve” the aspirations. I don’t have a good sense of where we are at now, so it’s hard to set specific timelines – but with a dashboard, it would be a lot easier to see what has been attained, what is attainable and under what timelines.

How will you advocate for better public transit (frequency, coverage, fares), both locally and intercity, including working with other levels of government?

I feel like the strongest way to advocate for improved public transportation is by looking at the data – what are the ridership patterns, what are the revenue patterns, what are the times people need to be places, etc. Through my outreach and personal experience, fare “dodging” seems to be a regular issue that may be worth investigating further or – if it is only amongst specific population groups, for example children – it may be worth formalizing cheaper or free fares for these groups and adjusting funding accordingly. I have considerable experience working with provincial and federal levels of government, so would also advocate on our transit system’s behalf based on the highest costs to run such a system in rural areas.

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?

Regarding children’s outdoor summer day camps, I think there is a role for the city to play in either making city-owned indoor spaces available or working with the school district to see if school spaces could be used to keep children out o the smoke. For other individuals, providing workshops on building cheap, box fan air filters – possibly through the Library or an organization like Repair Café Nelson – could help ensure renters and low-income households have access to affordable air purification.

Regarding heat, I am strongly opposed to the idea of a “right to cool” bylaw that would force rental providers to offer air conditioning to tenants. Air conditioning is a high-energy-consuming luxury that runs counter to climate action goals and it significantly raises costs for rental providers (the bulk of which are individuals in our community with single rental units, such as a basement suite). I think that cooling centres (which provide potentially vulnerable individuals with an opportunity to connect with others) is a good policy, along with helping rentals and building owners take advantage of government energy efficiency programs such as better insulation and heat pumps.

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?

Again, this is a place where the data will guide the decision making. Given our geography, with limited wind, deep valleys and mixed weather, I would want to ensure that any investments in solar or wind power are worth it economically. Large-scale batteries may be a good option for sustaining energy availability when water levels are low during the summer, and demand may be high if people are moving towards air conditioning rather than more climate friendly methods of cooling. With our relatively unique position with our own utility provider, I support the idea of Nelson pushing the envelope and trying new innovative ideas, setting an example for other communities, but I would want to see the necessary research and economics there for us to do it.

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?

I would support protecting the natural areas and green spaces we have in the City by cataloguing them, identifying their degree of risk of loss or redevelopment, and ensuring that they are protected through appropriate zoning and/or intentional maintenance. If people understand where are public green areas are and use them, they are much less likely to be lost. As part of this cataloguing, I think it’s also important to recognize those areas that provide additional ecosystem services, such as flood mitigation.

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

One additional comment around active transportation. While I am an avid cyclist myself, I am cautious about further investments in active transportation. Active transportation inherently only serves a single sub-segment of the population - cyclists. And cyclists (at least in our city) tend to be: middle-to-upper-middle class, culturally Western, aged 15-55, and are almost certainly able-bodied.

There are a lot of people that active transportation investments leave out (at best), or actually make life more difficult for (at worse). So far, I think Nelson has done a pretty good job at finding the right balance, but any new investments are definitely ones that I would be applying a critical GBA+ lens to.

Compiled & presented by

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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