Matt Cherry

In my own life, I reduce, reuse, recycle and up cycle, and do my best to buy things that produce less waste. I buy local and support local. I have chosen to cohabitate to live more lightly, I opened a car-sharing company to reduce not just my own footprint, but to make it easier for others reduce their reliance on car ownership.

On council, I have supported recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Committee, supported recommendations on wildfire resilience through the Community FireSmart and Resiliency Committee, and supported resolutions through the Southern Interior Local Government Association for long term protection of the Rainbow Jordan old growth ecosystems in the Inland Temperate Rainforest. I have met with Wildsight members for talks and site visits in active and planned logging areas, and I have met with Turtle Conservation Revelstoke to support their work to enhance nesting habitat and reduce road mortality to sustain Revelstoke's Western Painted.I will continue to bring that same combination of personal action and council leadership to this work.

Across all of these areas, I am committed to following best practices and listening to provincial and local experts, including City staff, provincial staff, local scientists and community stewardship groups, so our decisions are evidence based and suited to Revelstoke conditions.

To better prepare Revelstoke for climate change and biodiversity loss, I will focus on actions that fit the City's role. For food security, that means continuing to make it easier to grow, store and share local food through supportive zoning and partnerships, done in a bear smart way. For land use, it means directing growth into compact and efficient neighbourhoods that protect sensitive habitat. For water, it means supporting conservation and long term infrastructure planning so our supply stays reliable under more extreme conditions. For wildfires, I will continue to advance the work of the Community FireSmart and Resiliency Committee to reduce risk in the interface and help neighbourhoods and homeowners take action.

We just have to look at some of our neighbouring interior communities to see the results of inaction.

I'll be honest, I'm felling conflicted with this question. I am all for strengthening governance committees and improving community involvement in local decision making, including the Environmental Advisory Committee.

But I believe the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation is leading by example with its stewardship focused approach to forestry, preserving old growth and caribou habitat while harvesting sustainably, and with a focus on using thinning and partial cut systems to slow snowmelt, reduce flooding and lower crown fire risk. It is an example for BC of what forestry can be when you see yourself as a tree farmer for the long term rather than just a forester.

I will keep supporting that model while pushing for plain language reporting, open updates and continued education like school tours and site visits, so more residents understand the work and the community benefits that come from RCFC. www.rcfc.bc.ca/community

I'd like to turn this question around to get a feel on how the Revelstoke Climate Coalition would like to participate?

Great question and I'll start off by saying that I don't exactly know the answer. But I'm happy to listen and learn as we navigate towards a better path.

I believe reconciliation starts with building respectful, ongoing relationships with the Indigenous Nations connected to our region. The City should continue to improve communication and create meaningful opportunities for collaboration, particularly on projects and decisions that may affect Indigenous communities.
The City of Revelstoke previously advanced its reconciliation and community engagement efforts by integrating an Indigenous Liaison role into its municipal operations. Dale Tomma served as the City's Indigenous Liaison, operating within the Community Economic Development department, this role played a pivotal part in building and strengthening respectful relationships between the city and regional First Nations. Unfortunately, Dale left this position over a year ago and the City has put more focus on filling other roles at CED since.

In the next Council term, I will support filling this vacancy as well as local initiatives brought forward from the Indigenous Friendship Society and our local First Nations.

The City shouldn't try to control our food system, but we should make local food easier to grow, sell, and share through smart zoning, supporting the farmers market and community gardens, and making sure food security is part of our emergency plan. In a town that can get cut off from Highway 1, that’s just common sense resilience.

Over the past council term, I have supported changes to the zoning bylaw to allow added food security regulations to promote greenhouses, allow small-scale agriculture and urban bee keeping. We have provided municipal land (such as a 2.5-acre plot on Powerhouse Road) to organizations like the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative (LFI) and the Indigenous Friendship Society of Revelstoke to develop community growing spaces and the Revelstoke Food Commons. As well as fund critical local positions, including contributing to the wages and operation of the Revelstoke Food Security Coordinator hosted through LFI.

But there is always more that can be done and I'm open to more suggestions that lead to tangible outcomes for our community.

Bears are closely tied to Revelstoke's identity and tourism messaging, and if we promote that identity we have a responsibility to back it with real action and investment in coexistence. The City cannot manage wildlife alone, but we do control the biggest local drivers of conflict through secure waste management, consistent enforcement of attractant rules, careful planning for development and bear smart neighbourhoods, and stable support for education and monitoring with partners. I have supported practical steps in that direction on council. At our September 24, 2026 Public Infrastructure Committee meeting, we were informed that the City has taken possession of the new garbage and compost truck and we were able to see and handle the two options for bear resistant curbside garbage and compost bins. The option from Toter was the clear winner with a much more bear resistant design and a more user friendly gravity enabled opening mechanism. That kind of investment is how we make sure our reputation as a bear community reflects how we actually live alongside bears.

Across the province in communities like Squamish, Whistler and Ucluelet, I have seen first hand how a Wildlife Safety Response Officer (WSRO) has helped reduce human bear conflict. I've approach City Staff and Council about creating a WSRO position here in Revelstoke for spring of 2027 and have found funding that won't affect our tax base.

Tourism sustains many jobs and businesses in Revelstoke, but growth must fit our community first. That means guiding decisions through our Official Community Plan and infrastructure capacity, protecting neighbourhoods, trails and the environment that residents and visitors both value, and expecting tourism growth to contribute fairly to the services it relies on.

For me, that also means directly linking tourism decisions to housing and climate resilience. I will continue to support more diverse and affordable housing in town, including workforce housing so people who work here can live here, and ensure new development is compact, efficient and resilient to wildfire and flooding. If tourism grows, residents should feel the benefit in livability and housing stability, not just in visitor numbers. Through my previous work with Paradigm Panels building Net Zero, climate-resilient homes to Step Code 5 and Passive House standards, I bring hands on experience delivering the high performance housing Revelstoke needs.