Alisha Masongsong
School Board · Vancouver
Crosstown/Downtown Eastside 14 yrs
About
Alisha is a mother, community advocate, and Planner in Economic Development with the City of Vancouver. She will bring bold, collaborative leadership as a school trustee to ensure every Vancouver student has opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive.
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.
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Support electrification of new buildings.
Supportive
✓
Incentivize electric heat pumps and air filtration systems.
Supportive
✓
Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings.
Supportive
✓
Implement a 'right to cool' bylaw to protect tenants during extreme heat events.
Supportive
Climate Justice
Our community is already experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution, and taxpayers are on the hook to upgrade and repair critical infrastructure.
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Pursue available legal options to recover a fair share of the climate costs facing our community from fossil fuel companies and other big polluters.
Supportive
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Collaborate with Indigenous peoples as partners in the stewardship of the land, air, and water, and work towards reconciliation.
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.
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Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater.
Supportive
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Prioritize native tree planting in all areas, especially those with low tree cover, higher population densities, and more vulnerable residents.
Supportive
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Create connected urban greenways for people and wildlife.
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
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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!).
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Deliver reliable, frequent, affordable local transit.
Supportive
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Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities.
Supportive
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Build bike and roll networks that are safe for everyone.
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.
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Support the development of a circular economy to eliminate waste and improve resilience.
Supportive
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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?
I have attended various climate action protests througout Vancouver, and when possible the Fridays For Future protests. I'm also a consitent donor for the Binners' Project in Vancouver. At home, I do everything I can to lessen mine and my family's carbon footprint, by walking/biking around the city, recycling and using household reusables as much as possible.
Questions for Vancouver
What is your position on gas hookups for new buildings?
I am against this and would like to see the ban on gas hooks ups in new builds bylaw be returned to Vancouver city hall.
Will you vote to restore full funding for the Sustainability Office? In your view, what is the role of the Sustainability Office?
Yes, absolutely! The role of the Sustainability Office is to develop tools, policies, programs and plans across Vancouver to ensure we're minimizing the city's carbon footprint and working towards meeting the Greenest City standards. The support local food systems, helped to develop unique rain water systems, protect our urban forest and biodiversity.
What is your view on a moratorium on AI data centres, given the natural resources they require?
Vancouver is already home to several small to medium AI data centres. The city's current zoning and bylaws allow for data centres to exist here. However, they're not designed to support maga data centres that are on the rise. I don't support a moratorium, however, I do believe the city should design new policies, bylaws, and requirements for larger data centres to be located in areas that wouldn't have an impact on the daily lives of residents and would be required to meet several ethical, safey and climate action standards in order to locate in Vancouver.
Given the “controversy” of the Villages Plan, how do you envision accommodating the population growth of the City while dealing with the impacts of climate change?
Vancouver needs to accomodate population growth, but we cannot do so by treating growth and climate action as competing priorities. We need thoughtful, climate-resilient growth that creates complete, affordable and connected neighbourhoods.
I support adding housing in areas well served by transit, while ensuring growth is matched with the infrastructure, parks, schools, community amenities and public spaces that make neighbourhoods livable. We should prioritize more non-market, rental and family-sized housing, and ensure new development does not displace existing residents or small businesses.
Climate resilience must be built into how and where we grow. That means protecting trees and natural ecosystems, expanding green space, improving walking, cycling and transit connections, reducing emissions from buildings and transportation, and preparing neighbourhoods for extreme heat, flooding and other climate impacts.
The controversy surrounding the Villages Plan also demonstrates the importance of meaningful community engagement. We need transparent planning processes where residents, businesses, Indigenous Nations and communities can help shape growth, and where the City clearly demonstrates how public feedback is reflected in decisions.
I support adding housing in areas well served by transit, while ensuring growth is matched with the infrastructure, parks, schools, community amenities and public spaces that make neighbourhoods livable. We should prioritize more non-market, rental and family-sized housing, and ensure new development does not displace existing residents or small businesses.
Climate resilience must be built into how and where we grow. That means protecting trees and natural ecosystems, expanding green space, improving walking, cycling and transit connections, reducing emissions from buildings and transportation, and preparing neighbourhoods for extreme heat, flooding and other climate impacts.
The controversy surrounding the Villages Plan also demonstrates the importance of meaningful community engagement. We need transparent planning processes where residents, businesses, Indigenous Nations and communities can help shape growth, and where the City clearly demonstrates how public feedback is reflected in decisions.
What is your plan to create climate safeguards for all of Vancouver’s inhabitants, including the unhoused population?
Climate change is not experienced equally. People who are unhoused, living in poverty, seniors, children, people with disabilities, and others who are already vulnerable often face the greatest impacts from extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding and other climate emergencies.
Climate resilience should be a core part of how Vancouver plans and delivers housing, public spaces and essential services. This means expanding access to cooling and clean-air spaces, drinking water, public washrooms, shade and tree canopy, and ensuring these resources are accessible to people who are unhoused and people living in encampments.
We also need stronger coordination between the City, community organizations, Indigenous partners and senior governments so that emergency responses are proactive rather than reactive. During extreme weather events, people should not have to navigate multiple systems to find somewhere safe to go.
Longer term, climate protection must include housing. Permanent, affordable and supportive housing is an essential climate safeguard for people experiencing homelessness. We need to invest in housing and services that are energy-efficient, accessible and resilient to extreme weather, while protecting existing affordable housing from displacement.
Most importantly, people with lived experience, including people who are currently or have previously been unhoused, must have a meaningful voice in designing these solutions. Climate resilience should mean that everyone in Vancouver has a safe place to live and the resources they need to stay safe, regardless of their income or housing status.
Climate resilience should be a core part of how Vancouver plans and delivers housing, public spaces and essential services. This means expanding access to cooling and clean-air spaces, drinking water, public washrooms, shade and tree canopy, and ensuring these resources are accessible to people who are unhoused and people living in encampments.
We also need stronger coordination between the City, community organizations, Indigenous partners and senior governments so that emergency responses are proactive rather than reactive. During extreme weather events, people should not have to navigate multiple systems to find somewhere safe to go.
Longer term, climate protection must include housing. Permanent, affordable and supportive housing is an essential climate safeguard for people experiencing homelessness. We need to invest in housing and services that are energy-efficient, accessible and resilient to extreme weather, while protecting existing affordable housing from displacement.
Most importantly, people with lived experience, including people who are currently or have previously been unhoused, must have a meaningful voice in designing these solutions. Climate resilience should mean that everyone in Vancouver has a safe place to live and the resources they need to stay safe, regardless of their income or housing status.
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