John Koury
Website: johnkoury.ca
Facebook: @johnkouryformayor
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
NO
Do you live in the municipality where you are running, and if so, for how long? If not, what is your connection to that community?
We moved from North Cowichan in May, 2022, to Lake Cowichan until our new home is built in Maple Bay (North Cowichan) and we will move back again.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
Business Consultant 15years and caregiver for life to my adult son with special needs.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I am a former 2 term councillor, Mayoral candidate 2014, Chair, North Cowichan Economic Development Committee 2008-2014
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
I am running to restore proper fiscal and managerial oversight to control costs, cut regulation, reduce residential tax burden and restore the confidence of citizens and business. Progressive Mayor and council have shaken the fiscal foundation with high spending, anti development decisions and has let crime and vagrancy run out of control. Business leaders and the sole common sense councillor asked me to run and I accepted.
What are your top three issues?
1. Opportunity: Encourage and promote business investment and development in our growth areas to create more jobs. Ramp up our once profitable municipal forest operations again.
2. Affordability: Control costs, increase business revenues and reduce residential property tax burden. Legalize secondary suites in residential zones. Cut regulatory delays and build more homes faster.
3. Security: Get tough on deadly drug dealers. Strengthen local economy and lower taxes to secure financial future for youth and pensioners. Promote conservation of resources and natural spaces and manage our forest reserve from fire risk.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
My vision is to ensure that North Cowichan citizens have opportunity to live, work, raise families and succeed in a stable economy. To ensure that strong competition in the local market place keep the cost of living under control and modern infrastructure and beautiful building schemes come as result. Vibrant communities each with its own unique character and diversity energized with bustling commercial trade, entertainment, food and depth in residential choices. A safe community where crime and vagrancy is not the norm and public spaces are beautified and well attended to. Where public access to our forest for tourism and enjoyment connects our communities and strengthens our stewardship to the natural environment.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
Whereas North Cowichan Municipality is one of the oldest (1873) in Canada and geographically largest municipality in BC (3rd largest I think). There is much to do but the biggest thing I hope to achieve is to provide leadership to facilitate unanimous decision making by council every time and put an end to the split vote characteristic of councils past. This means honouring the minority view to the extent that it is reflected in part in the final outcome of the work of the majority.
