Bridget Burns
Council · Vancouver
Gastown 1 yr
About
Bridget Burns is a renter, hospitality worker and community organizer running for Vancouver City Council. She’s fighting for a city where workers can afford to stay, communities can thrive, and everyone can build a future here.
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?
Since 2018, I have either volunteered on a Green campaign, ran as a candidate or worked on Green campaign, at all levels of government, because I believe in the core six principles of the Greens - a global network, working to achieve climate justice. In my personal life, I have been vegan for 17 years, and had a long standing blog and business that promoted a plant-based lifestyle and practiced zero waste initiatives whenever possible. I am also a life long transit user who does not own a car, nor do I have a driver's license.
Questions for Vancouver
What is your position on gas hookups for new buildings?
I support moving away from fossil gas in new buildings, particularly for heating and hot water. We should build cleaner, more energy-efficient homes from the start while keeping housing affordable. The goal is to reduce emissions, improve indoor comfort, and prepare Vancouver for a cleaner energy future.
Will you vote to restore full funding for the Sustainability Office? In your view, what is the role of the Sustainability Office?
Yes. I would vote to restore full funding for a dedicated Sustainability and Climate Office. Its role should be to lead and coordinate climate action across City Hall, make sure sustainability is built into every major decision, and keep Vancouver focused on clean energy, climate resilience, emissions reduction, and environmental stewardship. It should also help measure progress and keep the City accountable for delivering on its climate commitments.
What is your view on a moratorium on AI data centres, given the natural resources they require?
I don’t think Vancouver should give hyper scale AI data centres a blank cheque. We need stronger zoning rules and tougher conditions for facilities with extraordinary demands on electricity, water, land and infrastructure. Vancouver should welcome innovation, but not at the expense of our natural resources or the people who live here.
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 controversy around the Villages Plan shows why Vancouver needs a thoughtful approach to growth. I don’t think the answer is to stop building housing. We need to add homes, but we also need to make sure new growth comes with the infrastructure, services and amenities that communities need. My approach would be to build complete, walkable neighbourhoods with more housing near transit and services, while protecting trees and green space and investing in infrastructure that can handle heat, flooding and sea-level rise. We can accommodate growth and address climate change at the same time. But we have to plan for the city we want to live in, not just the number of homes.
What is your plan to create climate safeguards for all of Vancouver’s inhabitants, including the unhoused population?
I’d make climate resilience a basic part of how Vancouver plans and delivers services. That means investing in cooling and clean-air spaces, shade, trees, resilient infrastructure, and protection from flooding and extreme weather. We also need specific supports for people experiencing homelessness, including more low-barrier daytime spaces, secure storage, shelter and pathways to permanent housing. No one should be left without a safe place during a climate emergency.
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