Morgan Mikkelsen
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
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’ve lived in North Saanich since I was 4 years old, so 24 years.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
I have been working as sales staff at Memory Express in Victoria since June of 2021. Before that, I was a contractor for the Ministry of Forests working on various projects for 3 years.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
As a fresh political participant, I only really have community experience to talk about. I was very involved with the hockey community of North Saanich through the Peninsula Eagles, where I played from the age of 13, and through various hockey camps that I coached it over the summers, such as the Victoria Hockey School. Through this, I got to know the youth in the area very well and some of their parents and hear their opinions and issues on local politics.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
During the pandemic, I watched the social fabric of our community start to fray due to lockdowns and restrictions. After a few months of this tense environment, when people started working from home more and not going “downtown” (Saanich and Victoria), I noticed that more people were getting to know each other through dog walking, bike rides, hiking, and hosting events with other neighbours (when restrictions allowed it, or course). I am so happy that this was the response to a very uncertain situation, and I look forward to helping this energy thrive in the district for years to come.
What are your top three issues?
My top three issues are housing, amenities, and job opportunities within the district. We as a community do not have enough access to housing for people that want to move here. We also have very limited rental opportunities to allow for young workers or families to live closer to their work. This also is due to the fact we don’t have many job opportunities that are within the boundaries of our district. We need to address all these issues in order to keep our neighbourhood viable.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
I want the community to be welcoming, resilient, and self-sufficient. I want people who move here to feel like they are a part of the neighbourhood, not just living in it. I want people to feel free to chat with anyone, share ideas, work together, participate in local events, and to allow people to fully embrace what it is to live in North Saanich. I feel that in order to do this, we must both keep the energy and identity of North Saanich consistent and also allow the district to grow and change in ways that will help the residents of the district and newcomers to thrive.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
My big idea for the community is to allow people from inside the district to have places to meet up with neighbours and other residents, while also bringing in people from other areas that want to see what makes North Saanich so special and experience it together with people that live here. This could be done with small neighbourhood hubs, which could include a small collection of shops, coffee spots, restaurants, and possibly some office spaces would be some of the ways that we could bring together neighbours without them having to go to Sidney or into Victoria to eat or meet up.
