Volker Dammann

Mayor · View Royal

View Royal / Harbour 5 yrs

About

Volker brings independent, evidence-based leadership to View Royal, drawing on postgraduate education in experimental physics and global business experience. A listener, team builder, and mentor, he brings people together to deliver results.

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?

We changed our cars from regular petrol-burning models to fully electric;
All of our tools (gardening and others) are 100% electric;
Our house uses a heat pump for heating and cooling;
We do use natural-gas-powered on-demand water heaters that came with the house when we purchased it. Due to the high cost of replacing (almost new) units they will live out their useful/legal lives.

Questions for View Royal

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

mostly walk and bike when possible. Both my wife and I had hip replacements so that we are somewhat reliant on our EV to get around due to lack of and infrequent availability of public transport.
To address the congestion problem, attempt to direct thru-traffic to use via HWY 1 instead of VR roads, synchronize traffic lights for better flow, and actively discourage thru-traffic to avoid main corridors, except for VR residents that have no other choice.

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, all of the above, as and when they became available during the past 4 years.
All of these subjects have their role to play as they address specific issues pertinent to our daily lives in VR and the region in general.

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 would support the effort to recover climate-change-related cost from polluters, to lessen the burden from VR taxpayers.
This being said, VR is not alone in this. Our neighbouring communities (and to that extent the whole Region...) would need to follow suit to maximize the benefit by pulling in the same direction.
As mayor I'd try to find common grounds with our neighbors (and First Nations) to address this issue together and in unison.

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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