Chloe Leslie

Climate action has been a central part of my professional work for years, with a focus on practical solutions that reduce emissions while strengthening our local economy.

For four years, I worked with Vancouver Food Runners, helping build and manage a network of businesses and community organizations that recovered more than 1.2 million pounds of surplus food annually. By keeping good food out of the waste stream and redirecting it to people who needed it, this work mitigated approximately 2.35 million pounds of CO₂ equivalent each year while addressing food insecurity across Vancouver.

I have also worked with BC Green Business, supporting local businesses to reduce their environmental impact and meet their sustainability goals. This included conducting sustainability and retrofit assessments, identifying opportunities to improve energy and water efficiency, reduce waste, strengthen recycling and composting practices, and make operations more sustainable and cost-effective.

These experiences have shaped how I approach climate action. I believe the transition to a low-carbon city needs to be practical, equitable, and accessible to everyone. Climate policy should not download costs onto workers and small businesses. We should use public investment, incentives, and strong standards to help communities reduce emissions while lowering costs and creating good green jobs.

My work has shown me that ambitious climate action can also reduce waste, improve affordability, support local businesses, and build a more resilient city.

I oppose expanding gas hookups for space and water heating in new buildings. Buildings are Vancouver’s largest source of carbon pollution, with burning natural gas for heating and hot water responsible for nearly 60% of the city’s emissions.

COPE has been consistent on this. Councillor Sean Orr opposed the ABC majority’s 2026 motion that opened the door to reversing Vancouver’s previous restrictions on gas heating in new construction. That decision put Vancouver’s progress toward zero-emissions buildings at risk and moved us in the wrong direction on climate action.

We should be building for the future, not locking new buildings into fossil-fuel infrastructure that will last for decades. I support maintaining strong zero-emissions standards for new construction while ensuring the transition is affordable and supported by investments that help residents, workers, and local businesses move toward cleaner, more efficient energy.

Yes. I will vote to restore full funding for Vancouver’s Sustainability Office.

The City has described its sustainability team’s role as providing advice, research, and project leadership to achieve Vancouver’s climate goals, while leading climate action across both the community and City operations.

I see its role as making sure climate action is embedded across City Hall, from buildings and transportation to land-use planning and infrastructure, and ensuring we track progress and remain accountable to our climate targets.

We cannot declare a climate emergency and then cut the staff responsible for delivering the response.

I am in favour of a moratorium on AI data centres. Myself and the entire COPE team have been vocal about this throughout our entire campaign and have supported No AI Vancouver in their organizing efforts. COPE recebtly organized a townhall, that was open to the public, to educate about the dangers posed by AI data centres, and we recently held a press conference to announce our full platform surrounding AI.

COPE opposes the creation and operation of large scale data centers for Artificial Intelligence in Vancouver.

COPE opposes corporations using “AI” to push a privatization agenda, and stands for freedom of information, and a public internet.

COPE opposes the integration of AI large language models in schools.

COPE opposes the use of automation and AI to lay off workers and undermine labour rights.

I don’t see opposition to the Villages Plan as opposition to growth or climate action. Vancouver needs more housing and more density, but where and how we build it matters.

The Villages Plan proposed needed density, but without strong enough protections for tenants facing displacement, adequate community-led planning, or sufficient alignment between growth and existing transit infrastructure. If new development displaces lower-income tenants and pushes people farther from jobs, services, and transit, we risk increasing car dependence while making the affordability crisis worse.

I support climate-resilient density with strong anti-displacement protections. That means protecting existing affordable rental housing, ensuring tenants have meaningful rights and protections when redevelopment occurs, and concentrating growth alongside the transit, public services, green space, and amenities needed to support it.

We can accommodate population growth while cutting emissions and adapting to climate change. But density alone isn’t climate policy. We need to build complete, transit-connected communities without displacing the people who already call them home.

Climate safeguards have to protect everyone, including people who don’t have a safe home to retreat to. Unhoused residents and outdoor workers are among the most exposed to extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and flooding, so cooling and clean-air spaces need to be accessible, adequately staffed, and available where people actually need them.

COPE will restore funding for cooling kits and invest equitably in community centres so every neighbourhood has safe, accessible spaces during climate emergencies. We’ll also expand Vancouver’s tree canopy, prioritizing East and South Vancouver and other neighbourhoods with less shade and greater exposure to extreme heat.

But the most important climate safeguard is a safe, stable, climate-resilient home. We will fight for 20,000 new affordable homes, including supportive and shelter-rate housing, while supporting retrofits of older rental buildings and SROs so residents aren’t left in dangerous conditions during heat waves.

We also need long-term adaptation, including green infrastructure, flood protection, expanded tree canopy, and cooling infrastructure across the city.

Climate safety cannot depend on your income, postal code, or whether you have a roof over your head.