Peter Rose Gibbs
Council · Victoria
Fernwood 35 yrs
About
Peter is a parent and lifelong Victorian running for Council so their four-year-old can afford to stay in Victoria when they grow up. After 18 years fighting for housing, climate action and democracy, Peter is ready to bring that work to City Hall.
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.
✓
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.
✓
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
✓
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.
✓
Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater.
Supportive
Land Use
We envision vibrant, walkable communities that protect nature and improve food security.
✓
Upgrade critical infrastructure for heat, fire, flood, and storm resilience.
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!).
✓
Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities.
Supportive
Watersheds
Climate change, increasing populations, and overconsumption threaten our water security. Healthy watersheds and forests are critical to support clean drinking water, stormwater management, climate resilience, and biodiversity for future generations.
✓
Protect and restore watersheds as vital municipal infrastructure.
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.
✓
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 been engaged in climate justice organizing for 18 years. I was on the leadership team that launched Dogwood BC’s organizing program in 2013-14 and travelled across B.C. training local organizers to resist pipeline expansion. I co-founded Divest UVic at the University of Victoria, which ultimately succeeded in UVic divesting from fossil fuel investments. In 2016-17, I organized behind the scenes to build a provincewide coalition to resist LNG expansion in the province. In 2021, with my team at Leadnow, we successfully pushed for major amendments to the Climate Accountability Act.
Questions for Victoria
What are Victoria’s three most important environmental priorities for the next four years? What policies and budgets would you advance, and how would you respond when environmental protection is presented as conflicting with housing or economic growth?
Transit/transportation: Expand measures such as dedicated bus lanes, queue-jump lanes, and signal priority in order to make busy bus routes faster, more reliable, and more convenient. Increase transit ridership through improved routes and more frequent service. Expand the AAA bike lane network and CRD connections.
Protect critical infrastructure: Not taking action on the climate crisis only costs us more in the long run. We must invest in shoreline protection and manage our sewer and stormwater assets properly to secure Victoria’s infrastructure for future generations.
Preserve and expand green spaces: Increase the Parks budget to create more green spaces and improve tree canopy, especially in areas lacking in green space. Expand car-free areas, add greenery, and increase the number of community gardens. Plant thousands of street trees in public spaces, including spaces now used for cars, as well as along bike lanes.
Protect critical infrastructure: Not taking action on the climate crisis only costs us more in the long run. We must invest in shoreline protection and manage our sewer and stormwater assets properly to secure Victoria’s infrastructure for future generations.
Preserve and expand green spaces: Increase the Parks budget to create more green spaces and improve tree canopy, especially in areas lacking in green space. Expand car-free areas, add greenery, and increase the number of community gardens. Plant thousands of street trees in public spaces, including spaces now used for cars, as well as along bike lanes.
What policies and investments would you prioritize for the next heat dome to retain mature shade trees, expand canopy in heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods, improve public cooling and drinking-water access, and ensure all at-risk residents receive protection?
Expand public programs that help bring cooling and energy-efficient upgrades to existing rental buildings without passing the cost on to tenants.
Push the Province to set enforceable maximum indoor temperatures for existing rental housing and use the city’s own powers to improve protection from extreme heat wherever possible.
Require heat pumps in all new developments to expand access to affordable heating, cooling, and air filtration.
Require green roofs in all new developments where structurally feasible, to expand access to green space for residents while cooling our city, and reducing load on stormwater systems.
Push the Province to set enforceable maximum indoor temperatures for existing rental housing and use the city’s own powers to improve protection from extreme heat wherever possible.
Require heat pumps in all new developments to expand access to affordable heating, cooling, and air filtration.
Require green roofs in all new developments where structurally feasible, to expand access to green space for residents while cooling our city, and reducing load on stormwater systems.
What changes to bylaws, development standards and approvals would you support to retain mature trees, Garry oak ecosystems, wildlife corridors, adequate soil and permeable ground to measure and enforce progress toward the 40% canopy target?
Establish an Urban Tree Advisory Committee (UTAC) to create partners in all neighbourhoods and business sectors to improve our urban forests. Work with the UTAC to modernize outdated plans and bylaws, including the Urban Forest Master Plan (last updated 13 years ago) and the Tree Protection Bylaw, to address conflicts with new provincial housing regulations.
Expand the City’s tree nursery production of local tree species that are currently underproduced locally to sell to developers and the general public and adorn public green spaces.
Require all new development proposals to highlight their plans to incorporate Garry oak trees and native plant species in their landscaping. Ensure developments have appropriate soil cells to support mature tree growth, where possible. Invite representatives from the Songhees and Kosapsum Nations to participate in the UTAC to help locate and care for more remaining Garry oak ecosystems.
More dense housing options in Victoria protects forests and remaining Garry oak ecosystems in CRD. Better transit options means fewer ecosystems destroyed for highway expansion and active transportation greenways can also serve as critical wildlife corridors.
Expand the City’s tree nursery production of local tree species that are currently underproduced locally to sell to developers and the general public and adorn public green spaces.
Require all new development proposals to highlight their plans to incorporate Garry oak trees and native plant species in their landscaping. Ensure developments have appropriate soil cells to support mature tree growth, where possible. Invite representatives from the Songhees and Kosapsum Nations to participate in the UTAC to help locate and care for more remaining Garry oak ecosystems.
More dense housing options in Victoria protects forests and remaining Garry oak ecosystems in CRD. Better transit options means fewer ecosystems destroyed for highway expansion and active transportation greenways can also serve as critical wildlife corridors.
Which municipal actions would you prioritize to close Victoria’s 2030 emissions gap? What improvements would you require or incentivize, how would you make them affordable and accessible, and what measurable results would you deliver during your term?
Transportation
Victoria needs to continue modeshift from personal cars to sustainable transportation options. That includes accessible and reliable transit. Transit should be free not only for youth but also for seniors.
Fare-free youth transit should be rolled out across the CRD, and the province should be encouraged to eliminate fares for all youth, seniors, and people receiving income or disability assistance.
Public transit service must be more frequent and reliable, with more capacity and better evening and late-night service, as well as stronger connections between neighbourhoods and communities.
These measures will reduce emissions while promoting public health and wellness.
Buildings
Expand public retrofit programs that make existing rental buildings more energy efficient without passing the cost on to tenants.
Discourage demolitions of viable rental buildings, with emphasis put on retrofitting to reduce energy consumption while maintaining housing supply. Require heat pumps in all new developments to expand access to affordable heating, cooling, and air filtration.
Require green roofs in all new developments where structurally feasible to expand access to green space for residents while cooling our city, and reducing load on stormwater systems.
Maintain and expand Zero Waste Victoria funding for construction materials and waste collection for multi-unit residential buildings.
Lead by example on climate action
Ban fossil fuel advertising on city property and advocate for similar policies at BC Transit and other public agencies.
Victoria needs to continue modeshift from personal cars to sustainable transportation options. That includes accessible and reliable transit. Transit should be free not only for youth but also for seniors.
Fare-free youth transit should be rolled out across the CRD, and the province should be encouraged to eliminate fares for all youth, seniors, and people receiving income or disability assistance.
Public transit service must be more frequent and reliable, with more capacity and better evening and late-night service, as well as stronger connections between neighbourhoods and communities.
These measures will reduce emissions while promoting public health and wellness.
Buildings
Expand public retrofit programs that make existing rental buildings more energy efficient without passing the cost on to tenants.
Discourage demolitions of viable rental buildings, with emphasis put on retrofitting to reduce energy consumption while maintaining housing supply. Require heat pumps in all new developments to expand access to affordable heating, cooling, and air filtration.
Require green roofs in all new developments where structurally feasible to expand access to green space for residents while cooling our city, and reducing load on stormwater systems.
Maintain and expand Zero Waste Victoria funding for construction materials and waste collection for multi-unit residential buildings.
Lead by example on climate action
Ban fossil fuel advertising on city property and advocate for similar policies at BC Transit and other public agencies.
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