Breanne Smart
Park Board · Vancouver
East Vancouver 2 yrs
About
East Van mom, vegan chef, athlete, and community board member running for Vancouver Park Board with the Green Party. A decade in our community centres, pools, and parks — now fighting to protect them for the next generation.
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
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Incentivize electric heat pumps and air filtration systems.
Supportive
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Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings.
Supportive
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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
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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've been a massive advocate for plant-based eating and reducing our carbon footprint through our dietary choices. Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. My family has been vegan for ten years and I've managed a company of vegan restaurants for 7 years. I've volunteered to teach vegan cooking classes in high schools in the Metro Vancouver area to encourage students to integrate plant-based recipes into their every day lunches and dinners. I'm also an active transit, bike, and scooter user, having never owned a car.
Questions for Vancouver
What is your position on gas hookups for new buildings?
I do not support gas hookups in new buildings. We are situated in a very fortunate geographical location as Vancouverites, with access to some of the most affordable hydro in the country. We should be leading the way in renewable resources to heat and power our homes, instead of continuing to rely on fossil fuels.
Will you vote to restore full funding for the Sustainability Office? In your view, what is the role of the Sustainability Office?
Yes, if I was on City Council, I would vote to restore full funding for the Sustainability Office. As a Park Board Commissioner, I'd be a direct partner to that office. Gutting the office in the current budget reflects short-term thinking that is ultimately going to cost us more in the future. The Sustainability Office is the climate backbone for City Hall. It ensures that we have consistency and coherency in our strategy to protect our city during climate events and plan for long term improvement. I'd use my position as a Park Board Commissioner to advise Council and the Sustainability Office on the integration and protection of green spaces as the city grows.
What is your view on a moratorium on AI data centres, given the natural resources they require?
I am in support of a moratorium on AI data centres. Introducing AI into our everyday use as a city cannot be done without strict regulation on user privacy, and resource allocation.
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?
The Villages Plan ultimately suffered from lack of public engagement prior to council vote. It didn't take into consideration of parks and recreation, and resident pushed back. As we grow, we need to stop treating housing and access to green space as separate decisions and ensure that all housing that's created is housing people actually want to live in, surrounded by access to city facilities and frontline climate infrastructure. This infrastructure includes tree canopy to reduce heat, permeable ground for stormwater, and green corridors that filter our air. If the Villages Plan or a similar plan comes around again, I'd advocate strongly for the Park Board to have a seat at the table in design and implementation to ensure that housing and green space grow together.
What is your plan to create climate safeguards for all of Vancouver’s inhabitants, including the unhoused population?
Sadly, we've gone backwards on protection of our most vulnerable during climate events like heat waves by cutting access to cooling kits. The Greens would put Park Board facilities as the front line infrastructure to keep people cool during extreme heat and smoke events, as 24 hour refuges. In parks themselves, expanding misting stations, public washrooms, and drinking fountains, and keeping them clean and maintained 24 hours, year round, would be a priority of mine on Park Board. In order to ensure use of these resources and protection for all residents, coordination and communication with health authorities and DTES-based organizations is vital.
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