Policies/Priorities

Kim Richter’s priorities have always been sustainable growth, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. People and community always come first. It’s about “Quality of Life” NOT “Quantity of Development”.  

If re-elected, Kim intends to continue to focus on these overall issues plus she will put emphasis this next term on Balanced Decision-Making that ensures 6 priorities of “Community, Preservation, Affordability, Safety, Ethics, and Accountability” are considered equally in any Council decisions made.

Ethics & Accountability on Council

• Transparency: No insider or special deals for any group
• More time needs to be spent in the public doing Council business and less time spent behind “closed doors” where decisions are rarely made public

Affordability

• Reasonable tax and spending increases: Limiting tax increases (and preferably decreasing taxes) – it’s more important to keep people in this community than forcing them out due to an unreasonable tax burden and excessive cost of living increases
• Add a new Auditor General position reporting directly to Council to track costs and eliminate unnecessary expenditures
• New development needs to pay for itself
• Integrated and multi-generational development including homelessness solutions and low-cost housing alternatives to keep families together

Preservation

• Climate Action: climate mitigation and climate resiliency is needed to counter severe weather events; upgrade our 3 local dikes and protect more forested areas as well as mature tree canopy
• Protect green spaces, rivers, streams, and trees
• Preserve agriculture lands and foster young/new farmer use of these lands
• Preserve and protect our water resources (aquifers, groundwater, and streams)
• Protect wildlife corridors and their inhabitants
• Preserve our rich heritage as the “Birthplace of BC”
• Respect our unique relationship with the First Nations and honour their lands, culture, and history

Public Safety

• Protection of homes and properties through comprehensive Fire & Police services: More emphasis on protection against property crime and more training for First Responders
• Security of local water, land, and food resources
• Advocate to the Province for the provision of more health care, education, and infrastructure resources to support our rapidly expanding population

Community

• Foster sustainable growth which focuses on walkable and liveable neighbourhoods including improved parks, playing fields, trails, transit, parking, and roads
• Provide more dog off-leash areas
• Keep families together; Ensure all generations can live and age in place
• Build properly for future generations