Voters in Area C of the Comox Valley Regional District will see three names on the ballot for director on Oct. 17.
Norm McPhail
Norm McPhail is one of three people competing to become the next director for Area C in the Comox Valley Regional District.
McPhail has lived in Saratoga Beach for about 10 years. He served for 32 years with the RCMP, retiring at the rank of superintendent, and spent five years working with the Resort Municipality of Whistler. He has since been doing consulting work with the Ministry of Public Safety.
“All of those experiences has taught me a lot about leadership, public service and managing complex organizations, and more importantly, listening to our community,” McPhail said.
He said he enjoys the outdoor lifestyle that comes with living in the Comox Valley.
McPhail said he is happy with some of the work the CVRD has done with fire protection services in Merville and with the new Mount Washington Fire Hall.
“Those are very practical community public safety initiatives,” McPhail said.
He would like to see the CVRD do a better job of managing population growth and improving communication with residents and businesses in Area C.
“The needs of a farmer might be quite different than those of a resident from Saratoga Beach, a business owner or somebody living or operating a business in Mount Washington perhaps is another perspective,” said McPhail. “Good representation has to recognize those differences rather than assuming one solution works everywhere.”
If elected, he said he would focus on practical needs such as road safety, transportation, protecting agricultural lands and greater collaboration with other electoral areas within the Comox Valley Regional District.
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson is one of three people competing to become the next director for Electoral Area C in the Comox Valley Regional District.
Anderson has lived in the Comox Valley for 20 years and said she loves the region’s natural beauty. She is particularly passionate about issues involving wildlife and the environment.
“I spend a lot of my time on environmental issues and wildlife because they can’t speak for themselves, so we have to kind of speak for them and keep them in mind,” said Anderson.
She said some of the biggest highlights from the last CVRD term include breaking ground on the new Mount Washington Fire Hall and the purchase of the Oyster River Recycling Depot.
Anderson said she is also happy with some of the work the CVRD has done to protect and preserve local parks, beaches and ecosystems.
She said the area faces cost-of-living challenges seen in many regions of Vancouver Island, as well as impacts from climate change.
One of her main priorities would be developing water protection plans to ensure farmers, salmon and residents have enough water.
“I’ve been following the water sales issue and the aquifer protection issue for several years now,” Anderson said. “I would like to see it resolved.”
Other focuses include maintaining parks and beaches, improving highway safety and ensuring infrastructure keeps up with growth.
“If we want to encourage more tourism and there’s more people living out here, the infrastructure has to keep pace with that.”
Anderson added that she would like to see more localized health-care options for rural residents come to fruition over the next four years.
Ariel Becherer
A longtime Comox Valley resident is hoping to become the next Area C director for the Comox Valley Regional District.
Ariel Becherer grew up in Black Creek near Merville and has deep family ties to the Comox Valley. She has spent the last five years working as a teaching assistant while earning a master’s degree in political economy.
“Four times I was elected to be a rep for more than 2,000 teaching assistants who lived and worked in the poverty line, built an emergency fund for those who couldn’t afford rent and groceries, I led a negotiations team that won them one of their best pay raises this century,” said Becherer. “I have a proven track record of putting more money and resources into the hands of those I was elected to serve.”
Becherer said she is happy to see progress on the Mount Washington Fire Hall and praised the CVRD for conducting a thorough review of its assets.
She said she is happy that CVRD property taxes are largely allocated to support local fire halls and parks maintenance.
Becherer said the area faces issues related to cost-of-living challenges, climate change and infrastructure not keeping up with growth.
“We’ve been seeing increasing density and not having the infrastructure to deal with it, a lot of talk about road safety,” Becherer said.
She said the taxation system for local government established by the province has not been working and local governments are expected to carry a much heavier load.
Becherer added that the CVRD’s new housing authority must work with senior levels of government to provide more housing options in the area.
“The regional district has just set up a housing authority, and we really need to push hard on federal and provincial funding on affordable housing in urban areas,” Becherer said.
One of the reasons she decided to run in the election was to help move Area C toward a community where everyone can afford essentials while preparing for extreme weather events and climate change.
