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City Hall deals with complicated projects: Budgets Development Utilities Roads Permits Major projects While the work may be complicated, the experience residents have with it doesn't need to be. That's the idea behind my third priority: A City Hall That Listens, Explains & Delivers. For me, those three words each mean something specific. Listen Earlier I want residents involved while there's still something to shape. Most planning and development-permit applications already b

A city can look good on a map and still be frustrating to move through. You feel the difference at street level. Can a child get to school safely? Can a senior cross the street comfortably? Can someone using a wheelchair move through the neighbourhood? Can you get to work without sitting in avoidable congestion? Is the park comfortable on a hot afternoon? Can a business receive a delivery? Can you find a parking space when you need one? That's what Safe & Welcoming Neighbourh

North Vancouver is going to keep changing. For me, the real question is whether that change leaves us with a city that works better for the people who live here. As we build more homes, we need to pay attention to what kinds of homes we're getting, and plan infrastructure and services alongside growth. And make the approval system clear enough that good projects can actually move. Start With the Homes People Need North Vancouver has a provincial target of 3,320 net new homes

At Saturday's all-candidates meeting, several of us talked about the need for more essential and workforce housing in North Vancouver. The City has several tools to help. One of the most important is City-owned land. The remaining Harry Jerome lands give us a real opportunity to use that tool. My proposal for the Harry Jerome Lands Keep the land in City ownership. Use long-term market leases on most of the site to help repay the City’s $109 million recreation centre loan. And

Good public engagement has a pretty simple test: Can the input still change something? What Happens Today Most planning and development-permit applications in North Vancouver begin with a formal pre-consultation with City staff. That's when the applicant gets early feedback before preparing the full application. Major planning applications can also involve Developer Information Sessions, where the community learns about a proposal and provides early input. The City says thos

North Vancouver is growing, and we're going to have some big decisions in front of us. When those decisions come to Council, I want us asking the same tough questions every time. I've put together twelve. They don't automatically produce a yes or a no. They're a standard for the information I think we should have before making a major decision. Part 1: Growth & Daily Life 1. Are We Getting the Right Housing? How many homes is one question, but what kind matters too. Rental or

If Council makes a commitment to residents, residents should be able to see whether we're actually delivering it. That's the basic idea behind a public City Hall scorecard. I've spent much of my career working with budgets, forecasts and performance measures. One lesson carries over pretty well to government: Setting the target is the easy part. You also need to know whether you're hitting it. Keep It Simple I wouldn't build a dashboard with hundreds of measures that nobody

A permit shouldn't feel like a scavenger hunt through City Hall. I've heard enough examples from residents and businesses to think we can make the process clearer and more predictable. My approach is pretty simple: One file. One answer. One clock. One File For a complex application, there should be one accountable City contact helping coordinate the file. That doesn't mean one person does every technical review. Building, planning, engineering, fire and other departments s

I recently chatted with Laurie Parkinson, a retired biologist with an MSc from UBC, and years of volunteer leadership with Force of Nature and the BC Climate Hub. We talked about practical climate action for North Vancouver. The City has been a leader in many areas of new home construction. Over the past decade, we’ve seen better building efficiency, lower-carbon standards and strong EV-ready infrastructure. We’ve done a lot really well. Build it right the first time Building

Pay parking came in for a reason. Before the changes, City parking counts found that occupancy exceeded 85% across much of Lower and Central Lonsdale during busy periods. Once parking gets that full, people start circling the block or give up on finding a space altogether. So I understand the goal: make it easier to find a space when you need one. Now we need to look honestly at how the system is working. What I'm Hearing I've heard from people who say finding a space is easi

Every year, the City of North Vancouver publishes an annual report covering its finances, major projects, services, and progress. The 2025 report runs more than 90 pages. There is useful information in it, but most residents will not have time to work through the full document. Here are the numbers and developments that stood out to me. The financial picture The City reported total revenue of $199.5 million in 2025, an increase of 9.6% from the previous year. Total expenses w

Inclusionary zoning is a way for cities to secure affordable homes as new housing is built. The basic idea is simple. When a new development is approved, a share of its homes must be offered at rents below a defined benchmark. The details matter because the percentage, depth of affordability, and length of the commitment determine what the policy actually delivers. North Vancouver has an inclusionary requirement for new secured-rental developments. Here is how it works, where

In Part 1, I looked at some of the permit timelines in North Vancouver’s own public records. A $20,000 commercial tenant improvement took 259 days from received to issued. A $10,000 tenant improvement took 150 days. And the records don’t tell us where all that time went. That’s part of what needs to change. The answer isn’t weaker standards or simply telling staff to work faster. The answer is simply a better process. 1. Fast-track simple projects A small shop renovation shou

Over the past few months, I’ve been talking with local businesses, builders and residents about what it’s like to navigate City Hall. One issue keeps coming up: permitting. Strong standards matter, alongside building safety, fire safety, accessibility and good planning. However, time matters too. For a small business, homeowner or builder, an unpredictable process can mean more rent, financing costs, contractor delays and uncertainty. So I looked through the City of North Van

North Vancouver’s seniors want to stay in the community they know. The housing market does not make that easy. For many people, ageing in place is assumed to mean remaining in the same house forever. Sometimes that works. A home can be renovated, support can be brought in, and family may live nearby. For others, the house itself becomes the problem. There may be too many stairs, too much maintenance, or more space than one or two people need. Property taxes, utilities, repair

North Vancouver is a wonderful place to raise a family. The hard part comes when that family needs more room. The problem often arrives gradually. A couple rents a one-bedroom apartment. A first child comes along and they make it work. Then there is another child, more furniture, strollers, bikes, school supplies, and the need for a little privacy. The home that once felt comfortable starts to feel temporary. Finding the next home is where many families get stuck. Larger rent

A laneway home sounds like one of the simplest ways to add housing in an established neighbourhood. The land is already there. The main house is already connected to a street and community services. A new home at the back of the lot can provide a long-term rental, a place for an adult child, or a smaller home for an older family member. Then the homeowner starts adding up the costs. Before a single board is cut, there may be architectural and design fees, permit charges, deve

BC now permits certain residential buildings to use one protected staircase. With the right local zoning and permitting, this change could support smaller apartment buildings and more family-sized homes. Building codes rarely become dinner-table conversation. They can sound technical and remote, but a single line in a code can determine what kind of homes get built, how large they are, and whether a project works financially. The rules around staircases are a good example. Fo

The North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant isn't a City of North Vancouver project. It's owned and managed by Metro Vancouver. That distinction matters, but so does the fact that Metro Vancouver's decisions directly affect what North Shore residents pay on their utility bills. When the project was announced, it was expected to cost approximately $700 million and be completed in 2020. Today, the projected cost has grown to $3.86 billion, with completion now expected in 2030. B

Public hearings or input sessions matter, but they can happen late in the development process. Understanding what takes place before Council votes can help residents get involved when their input has the greatest effect. A development sign goes up near your home. It may feel like the beginning of the process, but the project has often been taking shape for months. That gap causes a lot of frustration. Residents feel they are being invited into a conversation after the importa