Jerry Garcia

My approach to climate action is practical: reduce emissions, deliver projects and measure results.

As a mechanical engineer, business leader and project manager, I have spent decades improving the efficiency of organizations, facilities and operations. I also founded a community solar-energy business to help advance locally produced renewable power. That experience taught me that successful climate projects require more than ambition, they need sound engineering, financing, permits, community support and accountable execution.

As a small-business instructor at Camosun College, I encouraged entrepreneurs to consider sustainability, operating efficiency and long-term risk when building their businesses. Through approximately 15 years of service on condominium and strata councils, I have also contributed to decisions involving building systems, maintenance, capital planning and responsible use of owners’ money.

I chose compact downtown living, where many daily destinations can be reached on foot and services can be shared efficiently. I support practical choices that reduce energy and resource use without making life less affordable. I drive an EV but mostly walk and bike.

At City Hall, I would bring the same approach: establish measurable targets, evaluate investments by their cost and emissions impact, secure outside funding, assign accountability and report results publicly. Climate action succeeds when it improves affordability, health, resilience and quality of life, not when it remains a collection of plans.

Victoria’s three most important environmental priorities are:

Close the 2030 emissions gap by reducing fossil-fuel use in buildings and transportation and diverting more organic and construction waste from landfill.

Protect residents from heat, flooding and other climate impacts through trees, shade, green infrastructure, resilient buildings and upgraded stormwater systems.

Restore urban nature by protecting mature trees, Garry oak ecosystems, shorelines, habitat corridors and permeable land.

I would reflect these priorities in a funded four-year implementation plan, not leave them as aspirations. Budgets should include building-retrofit incentives, expanded public charging, reliable transit and active transportation, accelerated tree planting, natural stormwater infrastructure and measurable ecosystem restoration. Every major initiative should identify cost, external funding, expected emissions reductions, milestones and the person accountable.

I reject the idea that environmental protection, housing and prosperity must compete. Compact housing near services can reduce transportation emissions and household costs. Efficient buildings cost less to operate. Trees, shade and attractive public spaces strengthen neighbourhoods and commercial areas.

However, environmental requirements must be incorporated before a project’s siting and design are effectively fixed. I would support predictable standards, early environmental review and faster approvals for projects that meet them. Where genuine trade-offs remain, Council should disclose them publicly and select the option that delivers the strongest combined housing, economic and environmental outcome.

Before the next heat dome, Victoria needs a funded Heat Resilience Plan with clear responsibilities, activation thresholds and neighbourhood-level targets.

First, I would map heat exposure against tree canopy, age, disability, income, rental housing and social isolation. Tree planting, shade structures and cooling investments should be directed first to the highest-risk blocks, while stronger protections and construction practices retain mature trees already providing substantial cooling.

Second, every resident should be able to reach a cooling space and drinking water. I would expand accessible cooling centres in libraries, recreation facilities and partner buildings; extend hours during emergencies; install permanent fountains and bottle-filling stations; and deploy temporary water and misting stations where needed. Locations, hours, accessibility and pet policies should be communicated before heat warnings begin.

Third, the City should establish coordinated outreach with Island Health, housing providers, Indigenous organizations and community agencies. A voluntary wellness-check system should identify isolated residents, provide transportation and distribute fans or portable cooling equipment where safe and appropriate.

For buildings, I would support incentives for heat pumps, exterior shading, reflective roofs, ventilation and passive cooling, prioritizing older rental and non-market housing.

Progress would be reported annually: canopy added in heat-vulnerable areas, mature trees retained, cooling-space capacity, water access, buildings retrofitted, outreach contacts and heat-related medical incidents. Protection must be operational before extreme heat arrives, not improvised during the emergency.

I would require environmental conditions to shape development from the beginning, rather than trying to replace trees and habitat after the building has been designed.

Applications should begin with an independent inventory of mature trees, Garry oaks, root zones, habitat, permeable ground and potential wildlife connections. Designs would follow a clear hierarchy: avoid loss first, minimize unavoidable impacts and replace only as a last resort.

I would support bylaw and development standard changes that:

Protect healthy mature trees based on ecological and cooling value, not diameter alone.

Establish Garry oak ecosystem and wildlife-corridor protection areas.

Set minimum soil volumes, rootable soil depth and permeable-area requirements.

Measure projected canopy at maturity, not merely the number of small replacement trees.

Require security deposits and five-year survival monitoring for replacement trees.

Prevent sequential removals that individually appear minor but cumulatively eliminate canopy.

Allow design flexibility, transfers of density or other incentives when they secure meaningful tree and habitat retention.

The City should publish a neighbourhood-level canopy dashboard showing removals, retained trees, plantings, survival rates, permeable area and progress toward the 40% target. Development approvals should identify their expected net canopy effect.

Victoria needs housing, but poorly designed growth can permanently remove the mature trees that cool and protect future residents. Clear requirements applied early can support both housing and urban nature while giving applicants greater certainty.

Victoria must close a 19-percentage-point emissions gap by 2030. I would concentrate municipal authority and funding where results can be measured: buildings, transportation and waste.

For existing buildings, I would create a one-stop retrofit service that helps homeowners, stratas, landlords and non-profits obtain energy assessments, permits, contractors, grants and affordable financing. Priorities would include heat pumps, insulation, air sealing, efficient hot-water systems and removal of fossil-fuel equipment. Assistance should be income-tested and structured so renters benefit without displacement.

For new construction, I would require the strongest low-carbon and energy-efficiency standards legally available, while offering faster approvals for projects that exceed them. Large buildings should benchmark and disclose energy performance.

Transportation investments would prioritize reliable transit, RapidBus corridors, safer walking and cycling, car-sharing, public charging and conversion of municipal vehicles. I would also strengthen organics diversion, building-material reuse and construction-waste requirements.

My four-year targets would be:

Reach Victoria’s commitment of emissions 50% below 2007 levels by 2030.

Complete or initiate energy improvements covering at least 2,000 homes and rental units.

Publish annual building, transportation and waste emissions.

Set yearly retrofit, charging, transit-use and waste-diversion targets.

Report the cost and emissions reduction of every major climate program.

If a program cannot demonstrate results, it should be redesigned. Climate policy must reduce emissions while lowering energy costs, improving comfort and protecting affordability.