Robyn Goldsmith

I was a driver behind Tourism Revelstoke's shift towards considering the environment and sustainability as part of its mission. Through this work I orgininated the Revelstoke Climate Coalition to advocate for consideration of the climate and environment in the publc sphere.

In my personal life, I am an avid cyclist, opting for green transportation as much as possible. I work particularly hard to eliminate food waste in my home after learning that food waste accounts for 8% to 10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. I love to creatively use all the ingredients in my fridge. I also try to be a responsible consumer, opting for recycled fashion or sustainable clothing.

I want to see the City of Revelstoke bring back a position dedicated to implementing sustainability and climate policy. This person could coordinate implementation across departments, track progress against measurable targets, report regularly to Council and the public, and identify and pursue provincial, federal and other funding opportunities.Rather than viewing this position simply as an additional expense, I think we should look at its potential to bring outside funding into the community and help the City deliver projects that might otherwise remain unfunded.

I would focus on implementing and measuring the plans Revelstoke already has. The City has an Official Community Plan, Water Master Plan, Food Security Plan, Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, and, most recently, a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. I would work with staff and Council to identify the highest-priority actions across these plans, establish clear timelines and responsibilities, and ensure they are reflected in capital planning and budgeting. According to our OCP, our City has a goal of becoming a net-zero community, so we need tangible ways to get there.

There are also practical actions we can take now. I would support our progress in working toward curbside organics collection, expanding FireSmart assessments and incentives for homeowners while continuing fuel-management work on City lands, protecting and expanding the urban tree canopy and incorporating native, drought-resistant landscaping into City projects, and prioritizing missing sidewalk and cycling connections that make it safer and more realistic for people to leave their cars at home.

I think the City needs to more effectively utilize the expertise at the table at its committees. Currently, the committees are not as impactful or effective as they need to be, and that includes the EAC. I would like to see the committee meet regularly and be able to bring things to council. The EAC has the potential to keep the City on track and accountable for the goals in the various plans, particularly the OCP.

I think the RCFC would benefit from broader representation in governance. A representative from the outdoor recreation community and a dedicated spot for an environmental group or EAC representative would help diversify the scope and vision of RCFC to make it better work for our community. We need to understand that there are competing values with respect to public lands, and resource extraction is not the only way to drive economic development.

Education and truth need to come before reconciliation. Revelstoke exists in a complex area with overlapping land claims and stewardship history between different Nations. It's important to acknowledge and understand the origins of those disputes. Due to our geographical context, we need to leave our community to build relationships. This involves attending celebrations in other communities, visiting heritage and cultural sites, and connecting with individuals.

We have extensive planning in this area, and what's critical is to read, review, and follow the actions outlined in these thoroughly prepaed plans. Revelstoke has an excellent Food Security Strategy developed in 2022.

Identified City priorities include: Provide in-kind support to lead organizations working to increase Revelstoke's food security, Support annual calculation of food costs as part of the Living Wage indexing, Support housing models designed for inclusivity and community living, and encourage the planning and management of shared food production and eating spaces where possible in new and existing housing models, Conduct a detailed policy review as it pertains to food production in Revelstoke. Create a suite of policies and incentives to support and encourage increased food production within City limits with the support of a policy working group, Require new developments to include irrigated food production space as part of their neighbourhood blocks, or at minimum provide incentives such as tax breaks for new developments to leave room for food production space.

We don't need to start from scratch - we need to follow the guidelines and plans in place.

This last summer demonstrated the importance of effective wildlife management. We need to trust the expertise provided by bear aware and follow their recommendations. We also need to lead by example by replacing fruit bearing trees on City property.

Revelstoke has a strikingly un-bear aware waste collection system compared to other comparable communities. We need to look at communities like Banff and Whistler who are doing a much better job of managing their attractants by implementing a depot or neighbourhood bin system.

Tourism is a critical part of Revelstoke’s economy, but its success should ultimately be measured by whether it contributes to a community where people can afford to live, work and build a life. My approach would be to manage tourism growth intentionally, rather than simply pursuing more visitation. We need to investigate tourism’s economic leakage, impacts on the social sector, and Revelstoke’s carrying capacity to better understand how much tourism we can handle, and maximize the money that stays local. We need to consider who the best visitors are for our community, our local economy, and our environment, and work to attract the types of people who will acre for our community.

Housing has to be central to that conversation. Tourism businesses need workers, and workers need homes. I would support using the tools available to local government to increase long-term housing supply, including encouraging infill and gentle density, reducing unnecessary barriers to appropriate housing development, supporting purpose-built rental and non-market housing, and ensuring new neighbourhoods are compact, energy efficient and connected to walking, cycling and transit. I would also continue to protect long-term housing from conversion to short-term accommodation and ensure that tourism growth contributes appropriately to the infrastructure and services it relies upon.

We need to ensure that the cost of hosting visitors does not unduly burden residents. City Council should work with the Chamber and Tourism to advocate for increased investment in infrastructure for designated Resort Municipalities.