Nick Greer
Website: www.nick4nanaimo.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nick-4-Nanaimo-Council-100545836152466
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
Nil. Independent.
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?
Nick is a former Chair of Destination-Nanaimo, and runs a downtown Nanaimo law and mediation business.
Nick has lived in Nanaimo since 2017.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
Nick is a downtown Nanaimo business owner, Solicitor, Chartered Mediator, Arbitrator, and former Chair of Destination-Nanaimo.
Nick runs the Collaborative Law and Mediation Centre in downtown Nanaimo, and has worked as a lawyer since 2002 - initially in Australia before marrying a local and transferring to British Columbia.
Nick was also a Councillor in Australia for 7 years before moving to Canada.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
Prior to moving to Nanaimo, Nick was a City Councillor in Australia for 7 years and co-led the successful renewal of the neglected city centre of Blackwood, Australia through creative public and private partnerships. While on Council, Nick championed the Blackwood Activity Centre and renewal project for many years, being the first Councillor to get plans for a new city hub on its final determined site. Nick focused heavily on reducing waste and keeping Council taxes as low as possible, appearing regularly in local media in his campaign against excessive tax increases.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
I want to transform downtown Nanaimo into an exciting place to live, take visitors, and a safe place to bring our kids. I also want to get city expenditure, taxation and cost of living back under control. To do my part, I will not claim any
personal expenses when I’m on Council - but I will also work tirelessly to find efficiency, cut waste, and reduce taxation across Council.
What are your top three issues?
* Property Tax rates in Nanaimo are out of control. Nanaimo’s tax take increased by a massive $18M between 2018 and 2021 during the term of the current Council. Residents can’t afford these taxes.
* Council has not been doing its part to reign in expenses. The number of managers on the payroll earning over $150,000 has ballooned. Some Councillor’s personal expense charges to council have been significant, sometimes exceeding $10,000 in one year. I won’t claim any expenses, and I’ll work to bring salary and wage expenditure back under control.
* And, as a downtown Nanaimo business owner, downtown Nanaimo needs a complete transformation into an exciting, vibrant, and safe community hub.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
I want to see Nanaimo as an exciting place to live, take visitors, and a safe place to bring our kids. Downtown Nanaimo in particular needs to be transformed and revitalised.
I want to see a City that runs efficiently, with reasonable taxation rates and strict controls on expenditure.
I believe that Nanaimo is the best place in Canada to live, work and raise a family - but it can be better - downtown Nanaimo needs nothing less than a transformation.
And while we do that, residents deserve an efficient, honest, and responsible local government.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
Nanaimo has an enviable location with two ferry terminals to Vancouver, easy access to Victoria, and is a stepping stone to the entire Island, with a beautiful harbor and stunning natural amenity.
But instead of being a destination that is enjoyed, Nanaimo is a location that is passed through, feels unsafe for many residents, and lacks the vibrancy and attraction of other cities. While other cities like Kelowna have dramatically enhanced their downtown centres in recent years, Nanaimo has been left behind.
I see Nanaimo downtown transformed into an exciting and vibrant hub of the city - and I have the experience and record to make that happen.
