Celine Lucier

Climate advocacy has not been the primary focus of my past community work, so I want to answer this honestly. Much of my leadership experience has been in hospitality, where I have seen firsthand how decisions around waste, energy use, purchasing and operational efficiency can have both environmental and financial impacts. As I have become more involved in municipal issues, I have also taken a greater interest in practical local climate initiatives, including waste reduction, composting, responsible infrastructure planning and ensuring that environmental goals are implemented in ways that are measurable, affordable and realistic for residents and businesses.
I believe climate action is most effective when it becomes part of everyday decision-making rather than being treated as a separate issue. As a councillor, I would support evidence-based initiatives that reduce waste and emissions while also considering affordability, infrastructure capacity and the realities facing local businesses and households.

I would like us to think bigger about what regional transportation could look like as our population grows.

Accessibility must be part of this conversation. Safe transportation is not only about bikes and buses; it includes people using wheelchairs, mobility scooters, walkers and other mobility aids. I would like to see gaps in sidewalks, curb cuts and accessible routes addressed, while also working with the business community to improve accessibility into local businesses, including ramps and barrier-free entrances where possible.

We should also support safe walking and cycling routes, carpooling, EV charging and other lower-emission options.

Ultimately, if we want people to rely less on their vehicles, we need to build a transportation system that gives them a genuine choice—one that is affordable,

My first step would be to establish exactly where we are today. The Community Climate Action Plan was adopted in 2021, and the plan itself recommends regular reporting and renewal approximately every five years. This term is an appropriate time to review what has been completed, what has stalled and what needs to be updated.

I would prioritize actions based on measurable emissions reductions, affordability, available provincial and federal funding, and broader community benefits. That includes advancing waste diversion and composting, improving energy efficiency in buildings, supporting EV infrastructure, and making lower-emission transportation more practical through better transit, walking and cycling connections. The existing plan identifies waste diversion, transportation electrification and building retrofits among the areas with significant emissions-reduction potential.

Accessibility should also be built into implementation. Transportation improvements should work for residents using wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other mobility aids, not just able-bodied pedestrians and cyclists.

Finally, I would connect climate actions to the annual budget and establish clear timelines and measurable targets, with progress reported publicly each year. Climate plans should not simply sit on a shelf; residents should be able to see what has been completed, what it cost and what results were achieved.

would support a long-term resilience plan that identifies Penticton’s highest wildfire, extreme heat, drought and flooding risks and ties those risks to infrastructure and budget priorities.

Wildfire prevention should include expanding FireSmart programs, managing vegetation and fuel loads around neighbourhoods, strengthening partnerships with neighbouring communities and Indigenous governments, and advocating for prescribed burns and other fuel-reduction work to be completed when conditions safely allow.

The Bald Range wildfire should also result in a transparent after-action review. A wildfire-risk-reduction project near Faulder included a prescribed burn planned for spring 2026, and questions have since been raised about whether that burn was completed. We should understand what worked, what did not, and whether opportunities for prevention were missed so those lessons inform future planning.

I would also review evacuation routes, backup access, emergency water supply, communications and the resilience of critical infrastructure. New development in higher-risk areas should incorporate wildfire-resistant materials, defensible space and appropriate emergency access.

For severe heat and weather events, we should strengthen cooling spaces, shade, drought-resilient landscaping, drainage and backup power for critical facilities.

Resilience is about investing strategically before disaster strikes, because prevention is safer and often far less costly than recovery.

I don’t believe we should have to choose between meeting people’s needs today and protecting the community they will inherit tomorrow. The strongest municipal decisions should accomplish both.

When we build housing, we should be thinking about affordability, energy efficiency and locating homes where people can reasonably access work, services and transportation. When we invest in infrastructure, we should consider its long-term cost, environmental impact and resilience. And when we pursue economic development, we should be attracting and supporting businesses that create good jobs while making Penticton a stronger, more sustainable community.

Penticton already has a Community Climate Action Plan focused primarily on transportation, buildings and waste. Transportation alone accounts for approximately 55% of our community greenhouse-gas emissions, so practical improvements to transit, walking, cycling, EV infrastructure and accessibility can make a meaningful difference.

At the same time, climate policy has to be affordable, measurable and realistic. I would look for opportunities to leverage provincial and federal funding rather than placing every cost on local taxpayers, and I would measure whether initiatives are actually delivering results.

For me, sustainability means more than reducing emissions. It means leaving our children a Penticton where they can afford a home, find meaningful employment, access the services they need, and still enjoy the natural environment that makes this community worth calling home.