Beverley Kohler
Mayor · Penticton
Downtown on Haywood street 20 yrs
About
I am a concerned citizen of Penticton and love this town that’s why I choose to move here 20yrs ago from Whiterock!! I am wanting positive change and small town community and safety brought back! I have never wanted to get involved in politics…
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.
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Support electrification of new buildings.
Neutral
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Incentivize renewable energy, battery storage, and smart-grid technologies in new and existing buildings to improve energy security.
Neutral
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Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings.
Neutral
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
✓
Create connected urban greenways for people and wildlife.
Supportive
Land Use
We envision vibrant, walkable communities that protect nature and improve food security.
✓
Build affordable homes near jobs, schools, shops, and transit.
Supportive
✓
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.
Opposed
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.
×
Implement zero waste bylaws to divert organic waste and recyclables from disposal.
Opposed
✓
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?
I don’t believe in climate change because real geologists and climate scientists I have talked to in person have said it it cyclical not human caused.10yrs ago august here was 45-50* and this year august reached mid 30’s so we are cooling down by observation
Questions for Penticton
Transportation is Penticton's largest source of climate pollution. How can we decrease reliance on gas vehicles and improve how people get around the city using low emission transport (e.g. walking, biking, carpooling, bus/transit, EV)?
Every city has pollution and Penticton is no different. Most people that live in Penticton don’t work here because there are not enough jobs of variety or availability to the average worker… get the transit system figured out properly and it will help immensely! But telling people to walk or get on a bike in the weather that we deal with is not possible.if people work same hours and live close to each other then yes carpool!!
Penticton Council adopted a Community Climate Action Plan in November 2021. How will you prioritize actions and set timelines to move the plan forward this term?
It depends on what makes sense and what is part of an “agenda” I want whats best for our community not whats best for non voted in world organizations
Resilience is about being ready for unexpected shocks. Along with emergency response, what long-term planning measures would you recommend to protect our community from the impacts of increasingly severe weather events and wildfires?
Get to know your neighbours!! When in a crisis situation we need to rely on each other!! The more we get to know each other the more we trust each other!! When it comes to a life an death situation or scary unexpected event… the more people you know and have bonded with the better chance you have!! We also need escspe routes laid out in black and white so everyone knows how to get out safely if we end up in an uncontrollable situation
How will you balance immediate local priorities—like housing, jobs, and healthcare—with the need to reduce emissions and protect the environment so we can secure a sustainable future for our children?
With housing I feel like there are enough houses with space/basements where the owners could use help with their bills but can’t afford to build a suite… give short term 0% loans specifically for renovations ..1 bedroom $750..2 $1000..3 $1200 capped for at least 5 yrs then go back again and see if things need to be adjusted by $25-$50 to accommodate for inflation on house fundamentals like electricity. If we make our town a destination town people will move here with their businesses and new jobs will become available at this time there is nothing but the sun in summer to attract young and older to this town. The obstacles and bike lanes have now turned a lot if our tourists and would be new citizens off of Penticton and onto OK Falls, Oliver , Osoyoos,, Peachland.. basically anywhere else in the okanagen but Penticton… so sad. When people are takin off the streets and put in houses their health improves immensely so less people going to the hospital, bringing communities also helps improve health, not having bike lanes have the right of way over cars will stop people from getting hit therefore also lowering people in the hospital… as far as doctors we need a few more if possible and a 24 hr walk-in clinic
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