Julius Bloomfield
Mayor · Penticton
Penticton 38 yrs
About
I have lived in the Okanagan since immigrating from the UK in 1988. Since then I have the good fortune to raise my family here and immerse myself in the nature and culture of the region. I have been on Council since 2018, the past 4 years as Mayor.
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.
✓
Support electrification of new buildings.
Supportive
✓
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
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.
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.
✓
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.
Supportive
✓
Support the development of a circular economy to eliminate waste and improve resilience.
Supportive
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Implement bylaws to eliminate waste from new buildings, renovation, and demolition projects and to use existing buildings as efficiently as possible.
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 have advocated for independent power production, voted for an urban tree canopy policy which passed during this term, was a council liaise for the City Sustainability Committee, a past Board member of the Penticton Urban Agricultural Association, former candidate for the Green Party, I drive an EV and live in an off-grid sustainable home.
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)?
The city needs a major revamp of its transit system to make it more efficient and appealing to the public at large, which is something this council has been advocating for. The design of city roads has changed to incorporate multi forms of transportation to facilitate future growth and promote alternate methods of travel, especially for young adults who get free bus passes. The reliance on gas vehicles will be a slow transition but the early adopters have started the trend towards different forms of power for vehicles.
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?
By ensuring there is a review of the Plan by the new council and look for an endorsement of that plan. This will give the staff the direction needed to keep it moving forward. Actions recommended in the Climate Action Plan that focus on buildings can be prioritized as part of the adoption of planning and development applications as they occur. There is also the potential for incentivising retro-fits on existing buildings as part of general renovations.
Penticton is unique in that it owns the electrical utility for the city which gives some flexibility in ensuring there are sufficient EV charging stations in the city, plus give incentives for adopting sustainable power systems such as solar power.
Another important action is building a better transit system to make it more efficient and appealing to seniors and youth.
Penticton is unique in that it owns the electrical utility for the city which gives some flexibility in ensuring there are sufficient EV charging stations in the city, plus give incentives for adopting sustainable power systems such as solar power.
Another important action is building a better transit system to make it more efficient and appealing to seniors and youth.
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?
It is vital that the City embraces independent power production to build resilience to future climate related events. The prospect of losing power to the city during an emergency greatly compounds the problems that the emergency operations team have to deal with during an emergency event.
We also need to protect our natural areas that surround the city. This can only be done with the co-operation of our neighbouring communities. One such way to do it is through the establishment of a Community Forest where the management of the immediate forest areas stays in local hands.
We must also adopt a building code for development in interface areas, whereby there are guidelines for construction methods and materials used in the construction of homes in those areas.
We also need to protect our natural areas that surround the city. This can only be done with the co-operation of our neighbouring communities. One such way to do it is through the establishment of a Community Forest where the management of the immediate forest areas stays in local hands.
We must also adopt a building code for development in interface areas, whereby there are guidelines for construction methods and materials used in the construction of homes in those areas.
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?
The report that is being submitted to Council titled "The Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan" addresses many aspects of this question where the focus is on keeping a sustainable, vibrant and safe community.
Addressing the social issues in the city is reliant on addressing the gaps in housing in the city, and what type of employment is available, and making sure there are no gaps in the health care offered in the city.
Reducing emissions and environmental protection can be contentious issues for some people and those changes need to come with clear messaging and public engagement with access to research, data and facts.
As with all decisions, the key is balancing the needs of the future residents of the city - our children - with the needs and wants of the existing residents. Change takes time but must remain constant.
Addressing the social issues in the city is reliant on addressing the gaps in housing in the city, and what type of employment is available, and making sure there are no gaps in the health care offered in the city.
Reducing emissions and environmental protection can be contentious issues for some people and those changes need to come with clear messaging and public engagement with access to research, data and facts.
As with all decisions, the key is balancing the needs of the future residents of the city - our children - with the needs and wants of the existing residents. Change takes time but must remain constant.
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