Ramona Rose Faust

Mayor · Nelson

Nelson 7 yrs

About

I have lived in the Kootenay Lake area since 1974, settling in Procter for 42 years. We bought a house in Nelson in 2019. My employment was in education and management in community forestry and social services. I was elected to the RDCK for 14 years.

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. 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.

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

✓ 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. 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 have served on the local government Climate Caucus as a former elected official since its inception. I was part of 100% Renewable Kootenays, and I worked with hall societies in Area E to conduct energy retrofits and install solar arrays on four community buildings. As a board member of the Real Estate Foundation of BC for six years, I helped provide funding for renewable energy projects.

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?

There is an implementation plan; assessing current initiatives and reviewing the plan for priority actions should happen early in the first term, and a report card will be included in the City of Nelson Annual Report.

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

Data is important. Route ridership is an important study to ensure that buses are right-sized and allocated where ridership is strong, adjusting schedules to ensure maximum use and the most utility for riders. A positive and relentless advertising campaign will be key to a successful increase in ridership. It is a waste of GHG expenditure to run empty buses. Electrification would cut the operational costs of transit. To accommodate out-of-town riders, working with the Car Share Co-op to hold a car or two for rural bus passengers to use for shopping in town serves as a passive solution to commuter travel.

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?

We will advocate for changes to the Residential Tenancy Branch to mandate that landlords provide air purifiers and heat pumps, especially during heat domes and smoky skies. We can host a "maker day" so that staff can teach residents how to assemble simple air purifier kits. We will offer appropriate smoke masks for children in city care. Cooling centers are, of course, a resource that must be available.

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?

Nelson Hydro accepts residential solar arrays and works with proponents to size them and attach them to the net metering program. The federal government has rebate programs and our Enegy Save staff can support wider residential adoption of the solar program to homes with appropriate exposure. Local energy generation and storage can even out the need for expensive excess power purchases.
Geothermal district energy may be worth instigating further.

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 believe city staff and council are very aware that the community values its tree canopy. The development of lakeshore areas is a concern. Nelson was a peripheral partner in the Kootenay Lake Partnership and the of 2012, and Nelson would have been and still could be an integral addition to the project as further work has taken place. Participation in the Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Program would cost a small amount per year and could raise funds for shoreline maintenance. We have not addressed vegetation as the best natural barrier to flooding along the lakeshore. Proposed boatslips will cause additional riparian disruption over short and longterm.

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

We must find a solution to our organic waste issues and get methane out of the landfills⁸8. The Foodcycler is a temporary diversion but not a city wide solution. As we change utility vehicles we should electrify equipmen̈t and consider a three chamber truck to enable a weekly waste, recycling and organics pickup.

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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