Lainie Greyeyes

Council · Penticton

Duncan Ave west 55 yrs

About

Lainie has called Penticton home for more than 55 years, growing up in neighbourhoods across the city She is a Syilx community member, and she’s known among neighbours as someone who listens first and brings people together.

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

✓ 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?

As an Indigenous Sn’pitk’in woman, I was taught that we are part of the land and water, so I try to live in a way that respects that responsibility. In my home we return organic waste to the earth, and as a Penticton resident I recycle and sort household garbage to reduce what goes to the landfill. Through my work and community involvement, I support environmental responsibility and cultural teachings that protect our territory for future generations.

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)?

Penticton can cut transportation emissions by making it easier to get around without a gas car. We need better bus service, safer walking and biking routes, more support for e bikes and mobility devices, and more EV chargers. Clear connections between neighbourhoods and reliable transit would help people choose low emission travel more often.

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?

I would keep the Climate Action Plan moving by focusing on the actions we can actually finish this term. That means clear timelines, regular updates, and starting with the projects that help residents right away—better transit, safer walking routes, and reducing waste. Keeping it practical and accountable is how we make real progress.

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?

To protect Penticton from severe weather and wildfires, we need long term planning that works with the land and with our neighbours. That means collaborating with Sn’pintk’in and surrounding communities, because we share the same territory and the same risks. We also need to learn from the Bald Range wildfire — what worked, what didn’t, and how to prepare better. Strong emergency routes, better communication systems, and more fuel management around the city will help keep people safe. Working together and planning ahead is how we build real resilience.

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?

For me, balancing housing, jobs, healthcare, and climate action starts with my cultural teachings: we plan for the next seven generations. That means every decision we make today should protect our land, water, and people long into the future. We can build more housing and support good jobs while still reducing emissions by choosing energy efficient buildings, better transit, and smart land use. When we protect the environment, we’re also protecting the health and safety of our children and grandchildren. Keeping that long view is how we meet today’s needs without harming tomorrow.

Compiled & presented by

Authorized by First Things First Okanagan, registered sponsor under LECFA, info@firstthingsfirstokanagan.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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