Rob Douglas
Website: www.robdouglas.ca
Facebook: Rob Douglas for North Cowichan Mayor
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?
Yes. I am born and raised in North Cowichan and have lived here for almost 40 years. My family has deep roots in the Cowichan valley that go back five generations.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
I am a Director of post-secondary education and skills training with the Province, where I have been employed for almost 14 years.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I currently serve as a Councillor for North Cowichan, having been elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. During this time, I have also served a Director with the Cowichan Valley Regional District. Prior to my involvement in municipal politics, I served on a wide range of community organizations including the boards for the Cowichan Land Trust and Volunteer Cowichan. In addition, for several years he wrote for the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial. For more than a decade, I have been employed by the Province of British Columbia, currently as a director in the area of post-secondary education and skills training. I previously worked in the pulp & paper, forestry, and construction industries.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
We are facing a number of growing challenges in North Cowichan, from a lack of affordable housing and homelessness, to environmental degradation and the effects of climate change, to a loss of high-paying jobs and a rising cost of living. Local government can’t solve all these problems on its own, but we can certainly do more. As a life-long resident with a strong track record as a municipal councillor and community volunteer, I can provide the strong leadership and new ideas that the municipality will need to work with local residents to address the big issues facing the community.
What are your top three issues?
For housing, North Cowichan needs a new affordable housing strategy that includes concrete actions to expand the affordable housing supply while also lobbying the Province for supportive housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
For the environment, North Cowichan needs to implement actions to reduce our local emissions, develop a climate change adaptation strategy, continue initiatives to restore our watersheds, and introduce a biodiversity protection policy.
For the local economy, North Cowichan needs to encourage a regional approach focused on the manufacturing, agricultural, tech, tourism and arts & culture sectors; continue to revitalize our town centres through infrastructure investments; and minimize the tax burden on local residents.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
Twenty-five years from now, North Cowichan is taking an active role in ensuring working people, seniors and the most vulnerable members of the community are able to secure affordable housing that includes a mix of market, co-op and non-profit housing; the municipality has taken steps to protect sensitive environmental areas and wildlife corridors while establishing a reputation as a provincial leader in responding to climate change; residents feel they live in safe neighbourhoods where the most vulnerable are housed, streets are designed for all forms of transportation, and crime rates are on a steady decline; we have a strong regional economy where local businesses are prospering and workers are able to find good paying jobs close to home; and finally, North Cowichan has accommodated new growth and development while maintaining our rural character and preventing sprawl.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
Adopt a new affordable housing strategy for North Cowichan that includes concrete actions to expand the affordable housing supply, including requiring all major housing developments to include a minimum percentage of units affordable for low and moderate income households; introducing land use policies and bylaws to encourage affordable housing, such as rental-only zoning, density bonusing, and infill development; fast-tracking the approval process for garden suites and coach houses by providing pre-approved designs not requiring individual form and character review; and encouraging non-profit housing developments by fast-tracking applications, providing municipal land, and waiving development cost charges and building fees.
