JB
James Bradford
Director · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen
Area A 3 yrs
About
Jamie moved to the Okanagan 3 years ago after spending over a decade working in the hospitality industry in Ontario, and completing a post-graduate program at George Brown College. He works as a Brand Ambassador in the wine industry
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.
✓
Protect and restore ecosystems, which are essential to human survival, health, and economic well-being.
Supportive
✓
Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater.
Supportive
Land Use
We envision vibrant, walkable communities that protect nature and improve food security.
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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!).
✓
Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities.
Supportive
✓
Build bike and roll networks that are safe for everyone.
Supportive
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Expand EV charging infrastructure.
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.
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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?
Personally, i reduce my footprint by avoiding the disposable nature of many modern necessities. I choose products that are made to be purchased once per lifetime, and strive to thrift and re-use old items when possible. By doing this, I hope to not only keep things out of the landfill, it also reduces the need to make new items.
Questions for Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen
Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the RDOS. What specific policies do you most support and will work for to address transportation emissions, including improved public transit, and safe walking and biking?
As is so often the case, the geography and topography of the RDOS is a blessing and a curse. Transportation is not immune from this. While I believe in safe walking and biking routes being developed, this does not address the transit needs between communities. RDOS residents very often live in one small municipality, and work in another. In order to meet the needs of the residents for whom this is true, we need to increase the frequency and lower the cost of inter-municipality transit service, and do so with Hybrid and fully electric vehicles.
There is also the issue of large commercial vehicles and their emissions as they move goods around the country. I fully support programs and policies that prioritize the development of emission reduction technology, as well as partial/full electrification of modern intercity and heavy vocational trucks. This is an area where British Columbia, and Canada more broadly can be a leader globally.
There is also the issue of large commercial vehicles and their emissions as they move goods around the country. I fully support programs and policies that prioritize the development of emission reduction technology, as well as partial/full electrification of modern intercity and heavy vocational trucks. This is an area where British Columbia, and Canada more broadly can be a leader globally.
How will you approach land use and housing policies to ensure that people of all income levels—including low-income residents—have access to safe, affordable homes that are also resilient to a changing climate?
It is crucial to the future of our rural communities that we provide pathways and opportunities to folks who want to call our communities home. Before that can happen we need to lay the foundation of strong residential infrastructure like water and sewers that can support more of a 4 season population with a variety of housing solutions.
We also need to address the needs of our unhoused and underhoused residents. To that end I fully support a "Housing First" policy where those in our community experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless have access to safe and secure housing. These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community and they need the most support.
We also need to address the needs of our unhoused and underhoused residents. To that end I fully support a "Housing First" policy where those in our community experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless have access to safe and secure housing. These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community and they need the most support.
AI data centres use a lot of energy and water. What will be your approach if an AI data centre is proposed for your Area?
Absolutely not. My feelings on the dubious benefits of generative AI and Large Language Models notwithstanding, the very nature of a data center is anathema to what I believe our two valleys are all about. The impact on our fragile water, and power infrastructure alone outweighs even the most charitable perspective on the potential benefits. A data center should not be built in the RDOS. Never.
The RDOS is vulnerable to many climate-related risks (e.g. wildfire, drought, smoke, flooding, heat, local supply chains). How will you address these risks to support our community’s resilience?
I believe that these vulnerabilities can all be addressed, at least in part, by the proactive and careful management of our water. A healthy ecosystem relies on effective management of its water. This, alongside the promotion of sustainable landscaping and farming practices will allow all our other mitigation efforts a solid foundation to build on. We also can't let our communities relatively small sizes be used as an excuse for not funding projects to address the issue. In many ways the wildfire, drought, smoke, flooding, and heat problems of the RDOS are actually the problems of the entire province of British Columbia. We have to work with the provincial government in order to properly and decisively address the issue.
If you wish to clarify or add information you may use this space (250 word limit).
I'd like to add that I want the RDOS and Rural Osoyoos to be a place that welcome folks of all backgrounds and expressions, and gives them a chance to be part of a thriving rural community.
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