Mark Leiren-Young
Website: https://www.mlysaanich.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeirenYoung/
Twitter: @leirenyoung
Instagram: leirenyoung
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MarkLeirenYoung
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?
I first lived in Saanich in 1982 as a UVic student. I moved back in 2015 as a UVic professor.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
Professional writer – author/screenwriter/journalist/playwright (over 40 years). Adjunct professor at the University of Victoria Writing Dept. (8 years). I’ve also run a production company since the 1980s.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I recently served on Saanich’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee and I’ve volunteered for - and served on the boards of - various local, provincial and national arts organizations. I’ve spent the last several years doing all I can to save the endangered southern resident orcas and consulted on and wrote the orca exhibit for the Royal BC Museum.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
Local government changes and saves lives and has a huge impact on our quality of life. When the world was in lockdown, I was so grateful for the friends we have here, our neighbours and this community. For most of my life I’ve focussed on provincial, national and global issues. Now I hope the voters of Saanich will give me the opportunity to focus on doing all I can to serve our community.
What are your top three issues?
I’ve written books about orcas, sharks, forests and climate change, so fighting for nature is part of who I am. So is advocating for arts and culture, which is an important part of community-building and the economy. This includes supporting community events and gathering places and the proposed new Camosun film studio. And we have a desperate need for more genuinely affordable housing, so people can live where they work and work where they live.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
First, that it still feels like a community – a green, sustainable, safe and welcoming community that we are all proud of and happy to call home. This means creative, environmentally conscious development, nurturing natural and rural areas and protecting agricultural land. Food security has never been more important, so I’d like to see creative approaches to farming and supporting food growers. As a performer and audience member my favourite island venue is the Winspear Centre. During lockdown we rediscovered the value of connection and I’d love Saanich to have a space like the Winspear to nurture that connection. By 2047, I expect all transit will be non-polluting. And I hope we may even have another decent sidewalk or two.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
As we’ve experienced repeatedly over the last few years, emergencies happen. Not having a fully coordinated and integrated emergency response plan is a recipe for disaster. I will advocate for coordinated emergency services – and coordinated and integrated fire protection – to protect the people of Saanich and the rest of our neighbours. As the biggest municipality on the island, Saanich can lead the way.
