Below are the emails I sent to my list of subscribers during the 2022 election campaign. Sep 21, 2022: The Campaign is Underway! Thank you for supporting my campaign! First, let me express my gratitude to you for subscribing to my campaign newsletter. After sending a personal email to friends and acquaintances letting them know […]
Property Taxes
My wife and I moved from the City of North Van to the District in 2013 when we bought a townhouse here. At that time, the Lynnmour area still had some housing big enough for us and our 2 children that was within financial reach of a family with an income near the Canadian average. […]
Climate Action vs. Equity
A frequent question to candidates for all levels of government office is, “What is your plan for dealing with climate change?” In this post I’ll address the problem of climate action vs. equity. As we all know, the climate is a global system, and insofar as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from humans influence the climate, […]
Voter Apathy – What To Do About It?
Voter turnout in District of North Vancouver elections has ranged between 17% and 36% since 1996. I don’t know if it was any higher prior to that. Though the problem is common across Canadian municipalities (a 2018 study showed the average to be 36%), voter turnout in the DNV appears to be low even by […]
Compensation for the Downsides of Development
There are many benefits that come with development: new shops, restaurants, and commercial services, more housing options, increased vibrancy, and a larger tax base to cover municipal costs. However, there can be downsides as well: increased traffic, lack of parking, strain on local public services and infrastructure, etc. Municipalities have a system in place that […]
How We Can Deal with Traffic
North Vancouver has become infamous for our horrendous afternoon traffic. I see 4 major causes: 1) Natural geography As we all know, the north shore is made up of mountains, valleys, and creeks. The creeks, which run north to south, meaning that east-west traffic must cross bridges. These bridges then become choke points. And of […]
Public or Private? Can’t Be Both.
When it comes to local amenities like parks, we’re used to having them be public. This means both that they are open to everyone, and that they are paid for through taxes. We’re fortunate to have many excellent parks in the District of North Vancouver, offering residents and visitors alike access to nature, open spaces, […]
Political Decentralization in Canada
Originally published Dec 26, 2021 on the BC Libertarian blog The fiscal approach currently taken by the federal and provincial governments is not sustainable. Expenditures far outstrip revenues, and the balance is funded by borrowing and money-printing. In the past, Canadian politicians have been able to reign in spending and avert disaster. However, absent a […]
Development: Who Decides?
While I enjoy the increased vibrancy that has come with population growth and densification in North Vancouver in recent years, I see the downsides as well. The north shore is now infamous for its terrible afternoon traffic, and the steep cost of living is causing long-time residents to seek new homes elsewhere. The truth is, […]
The Inverted Pyramid of Governance
I’m running for Council to promote political decentralization and empower citizens at the local level. In Canada, political power is an inverted pyramid: the federal government takes the lion’s share of the country’s wealth, yet delivers precious few services that citizens need or use regularly. The province takes the next largest share; and while they […]