Mithila Karnik

My climate contribution has mostly shown up through everyday choices rather than formal environmental committees- I'd like to be upfront about that. In my own household, we prioritize transit use over driving whenever possible, treating it as both a climate choice and a way to stay connected to the community we're moving through. We're a one car family and it's a hybrid EV. We're intentional about waste reduction in daily routines, and I'm conscious about the meat and dairy we consume, paying attention to where it comes from and trying to make choices that reduce our footprint and support more sustainable food systems.

That said, I see climate action as inseparable from the community infrastructure work I've spent the past 8 years building in PoCo. Strong, walkable downtowns, multilingual access to services and community cohesion all reduce the need for car dependency and make sustainable choices easier for everyone, not just those with the resources to make them a lifestyle. As I look toward what "PoCo Forward" means for our city, I want to bring that same equity lens to climate policy: making sure sustainability initiatives are designed with newcomer, working and multicultural families in mind from the start, not in any sense an afterthought.

I don't claim to have all the answers on climate policy, but I bring a track record of showing up, listening and building practical systems that work for real people. That's the same approach I'd bring to climate action at the council table.

Port Coquitlam's climate risks demand infrastructure planning and community connection working together, and that's the approach I'd bring to council. On flooding, I want to see disaster management planning treated as a standing priority, not a reactive scramble after each event: clear drainage and stormwater investment, updated flood response protocols and a communication system residents can actually rely on when conditions turn.

But infrastructure alone doesn't protect everyone equally. Vulnerable populations, seniors living alone, newcomer families still learning local systems, renters without resources to prepare or recover, are hit hardest by flooding, smoke, and heat events, and they're often the last to hear about warnings or supports. That's why vulnerable population outreach has to be built into our disaster planning from the start: multilingual emergency communication, direct connection with community organizations who already have trusted relationships with these residents, and check-in systems that don't rely on people finding information themselves.

This is exactly what PoCo Forward means to me. A resilient city isn't just one with strong infrastructure, it's one where every resident, regardless of language, income, or how long they've lived here, has a real path to safety and support when climate risks hit. My 18 years building community infrastructure and trust across PoCo's diverse populations is the foundation I'd bring to making that resilience real, not just written into a plan.

New construction is one of the clearest levers we have for long-term climate impact, and getting this right now means we're not retrofitting problems later at far greater cost to taxpayers and the environment. Requiring virtually zero carbon buildings going forward is a practical, forward-looking standard, and it fits squarely into what PoCo Forward means to me: building infrastructure that serves this community for decades beyond any election cycle.

I'd also want implementation to include support for builders and residents navigating the transition, especially smaller local developers, so the standard is upheld without creating unnecessary barriers to the housing our city needs.

Climate resilience and housing growth aren't in tension. Done right, they move forward together.