Doug Patan

Council · Summerland

Summerland 20 yrs

About

Background; • Municipal Governance & Public Service: I have worked in local government for over 26 years, notably serving as the Building & Permitting Branch Manager and Chief Building Official for the City of Kelowna prior to my retirement

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. Neutral

~ Incentivize renewable energy, battery storage, and smart-grid technologies in new and existing buildings to improve energy security. Neutral

~ Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings. Neutral

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.

✓ 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 a councillor for the District of Summerland we have embedded climate action plans into all our municipal departments.

Questions for Summerland

Transportation is Summerland's largest source of climate pollution. How can we decrease reliance on personal gas vehicles and improve how people get around using low emission transportation methods (e.g. walking, biking, carpooling, bus/transit, EV)?

Summerland Council over the years has invested in EV charging stations in much of the downtown core, Electric vehicles are part of our procurement policy when reviewing our fleet replacements and we have adopted free transit for the citizens of Summerland to travel to Penticton and back.

Summerland Council adopted a Community Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan in February 2020. How will you prioritize actions and set timelines to move the plan forward this term?

Plans are presented to council and reports submitted Orr target achievements.
As staff looks at ways to decrease the District’s emissions these measures will be brought forward.

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?

As we have witnessed with the Bald Range Fire, future resources will need to be invested in our watershed, dams and reservoirs as well as increased participation in wildfire mitigation throughout our District.
Mayor and Council will need to look at what worked and what went wrong and implement Stratigic Priorities to become a more resilient community dealing with climate change.

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?

Mayor and Council over the last term has worked diligently on securing a Primary Health Care Facility in Summerland which will help to provide those needed services within the District. As a community work on utilizing our existing land base to create affordable and attainable housing stock to avoid urban sprawl.

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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