Sean MacKenzie

Council · View Royal

View Royal 4 yrs

About

I’m a View Royal resident, former railroader and technology professional with over 30 years of experience. My kids attend our local school, and I’m passionate about community, sustainable transportation, and the environment.

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. Neutral

✓ 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?

Climate action has been part of my everyday choices for many years. I’m a longtime supporter of the David Suzuki Foundation, and I regularly cycle about 8 km each way to work rather than drive. My family purposely chose to live in a walkable community where many everyday trips can be made on foot or by bike.

I also believe that environmental responsibility starts with what we teach the next generation. I’ve tried to give my kids an appreciation for nature, an understanding of our impact on the environment, and the importance of making thoughtful choices about how we live and travel.

For me, climate action is not only about large policies. It’s also about creating communities where lower-impact choices — walking, cycling, transit, living close to services and enjoying and protecting natural spaces — are practical parts of everyday life.

Questions for View Royal

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

We cannot solve congestion simply by adding more road capacity. I would focus on giving people practical alternatives to driving, including better regional transit, completing safe walking and cycling connections, and strongly advocating for restoration of passenger rail on the E&N corridor between the West Shore and Victoria. View Royal sits between growing West Shore communities and Victoria, so much of our traffic is regional. We need to work with neighbouring municipalities and the Province on solutions that move more people efficiently while keeping View Royal a livable community rather than simply a corridor people drive through.

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?

My wife and I both take an interest in these issues and regularly research local planning, transportation and environmental topics, although I have not participated in every Town survey or workshop. I have specifically reviewed the Active Transportation Plan because I regularly cycle from View Royal to downtown Victoria and into Saanich, so the quality and connectivity of the regional cycling network directly affects my daily life. These plans are important because they shape how View Royal grows over many years, and I believe Council should understand them, listen to residents who participated in their development, and use them as practical guides when making decisions.

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 transparently reporting the costs that climate change places on View Royal taxpayers. As a small municipality carrying significant regional transportation through our community, understanding where those costs originate could also help us advocate for a fair share of regional and senior-government funding. Where practical and legally sound mechanisms exist to recover costs from major polluters, I would be open to considering them while carefully weighing the costs and risks to the Town.

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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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