Owen Marshall

Council · View Royal

View Royal 10 yrs

About

Born and raised in Victoria, I’ve lived in View Royal for nearly a decade. I work in public-sector HR and am running for Council to bring a practical, collaborative approach to housing, transportation and responsible growth.

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.

✓ Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings. Supportive

✓ 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.

✓ Enact a moratorium on AI data centres to protect our energy and water resources. 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.

✓ Protect and restore ecosystems, which are essential to human survival, health, and economic well-being. Supportive

✓ Prioritize native tree planting in all areas, especially those with low tree cover, higher population densities, and more vulnerable residents. 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.

✓ Implement water conservation plans and educate the public to conserve drinking water. Supportive

✓ 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.

✓ Support the development of a circular economy to eliminate waste and improve resilience. 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 haven't had a formal role in climate advocacy, advisory committees or volunteer organizations, so I don't want to overstate my experience in this area.

I do think climate considerations are becoming increasingly important for municipalities, particularly when it comes to infrastructure, emergency preparedness and the decisions we make about how our communities grow.

As a councillor, I would want to look at practical opportunities where View Royal can make a difference, while also being realistic about cost, effectiveness and what is actually within the Town's control.

Questions for View Royal

What would you do to alleviate the traffic congestion throughout View Royal?

I don’t think View Royal can solve congestion on its own. A lot of the traffic passing through our community starts or ends somewhere else, so I would focus on working with the Province and neighbouring municipalities on practical improvements.

One example I have already raised is asking the Province to review whether the new bus-on-shoulder lanes between McKenzie and Helmcken could also function as exit-only lanes for drivers taking the next interchange, if it can be done safely and without negatively affecting transit.

I also want to see continued improvements to the E&N and Galloping Goose, especially where they intersect, and better planning for incidents that divert highway traffic onto local roads.

There isn’t one solution to congestion. We need to address existing bottlenecks while also giving people realistic alternatives to driving.

Have you actively participated in any of the Town's surveys, workshops, etc on the OCP, the Urban Forest Strategy, Climate Action Plan, Active Transportation Plan, Strategic Plan? How important are these subjects to you?

Yes. I participated in the Western Gateway Community Corridor Workshop as part of the View Royal 2050 OCP process. I found it valuable to hear directly from other residents and discuss how that part of View Royal could grow and change over the coming years.

These planning processes are important to me because decisions around housing, transportation, infrastructure and our natural environment are all connected. I think residents need meaningful opportunities to participate before major decisions are made, and Council needs to take that feedback seriously.

If elected, I would continue participating in these discussions from the Council table while making sure residents have opportunities to be involved as well.

To what degree would you support the recovery of climate-change-related costs from polluters, to lessen the related burden on View Royal taxpayers?

I support identifying and reporting the costs that climate change is creating for View Royal, and I support efforts to recover an appropriate share of those costs from major polluters rather than placing the entire burden on local taxpayers.

Compiled & presented by

Vote4Tomorrow is an independent voter guide to evaluate where local candidates stand on climate and environmental policies that will affect our future.

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