Where I stand

Stop the revolving door downtown. Four priorities: what council can do on its own, what I'll push Victoria and Ottawa for, and the facts behind each one.

Stop the revolving door downtown

Safety, drugs and homelessness are one problem, and we keep treating them as three. Mental health runs through much of it: what we see downtown is often the after-effect of mental illness and addiction going untreated. I've seen healthy, working people lose a job for reasons beyond their control, turn to drugs and lose everything. Someone who commits a crime shouldn't be back on the street within hours — and someone ready to get well shouldn't have to leave Williams Lake to do it. That's why I'll work toward a mental health services facility right here, so we treat the cause and not only the after-effects.

At the council table

Hold the RCMP and the province to the regular reporting council asked for in June on the prolific-offender initiative, and publish the results so residents can see whether it's working.
Work with downtown businesses on the fixes the City controls: bylaw enforcement, lighting and fast cleanup.
Bring Interior Health, local First Nations, community agencies and people with lived experience to one table to plan a mental health services facility, and have the City's zoning and permits ready for it.

Pushing Victoria and Ottawa

Provincial funding, a timeline and staff for a mental health services facility in Williams Lake: treatment and recovery, voluntary and involuntary care, and job support afterward so recovery holds.
Stronger action against the illicit drug trade, and bail rules that stop repeat offenders walking out within hours.
Staff for the new mental health and substance use unit at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, so its eight beds open and stay open.

The facts

In April 2025, a count found 100 people experiencing homelessness in Williams Lake. Of the 83 who answered a question about health challenges, 69 per cent said they currently have a mental health challenge and 73 per cent a substance use challenge. (Homelessness Services Association of BC, Williams Lake 2025 homeless count)
On September 8, 2026, council endorsed its community safety priorities and resolved to advocate for expanded access to mental health, detox and withdrawal services, additional policing resources and increased complex care housing capacity in Williams Lake. It also directed staff to arrange a meeting with Red Road Recovery and Interior Health about expanded mental health, detox, addictions and involuntary care beds. (City of Williams Lake council highlights, Sept. 8, 2026)
In June 2026, council welcomed the province's expanded initiative on chronic property offenders and asked the RCMP for regular updates on prolific offenders. (City of Williams Lake council highlights, June 23, 2026)
The Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment includes a new mental health and substance use inpatient unit with eight single-occupancy rooms. (Infrastructure BC — Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment)

The water plant, and what it costs you

Clean water isn't optional: the City has to bring manganese down to meet drinking-water standards, and Interior Health wants a compliance plan by December 2029. But the plant's price has climbed from $24.3 million to more than $40 million, and the grants are capped at $21.6 million. Before council borrows, you deserve the real number for your household.

At the council table

No borrowing decision until there's a firm construction price, not an estimate.
Show every household its share, in dollars a year, at a public meeting before any vote to borrow.

Pushing Victoria and Ottawa

More provincial and federal money. A city of about 11,000 people shouldn't carry a $17 million overrun on its own.

The facts

Construction is now estimated at $37.3 million plus $3.4 million for design, against an original budget of $24.3 million. Grants total $21.6 million, and administrators say no more grant money is available. (Williams Lake Tribune, Apr. 9, 2026)
Borrowing the difference through the Municipal Finance Authority would cost about $11 million in interest over 20 years. (Williams Lake Tribune, Apr. 9, 2026)
In March, council used reserves to cover a $2.4 million water and sewer shortfall, leaving less in reserve for the plant. (Williams Lake Tribune, Mar. 17, 2026)

Keep post-secondary in Williams Lake

TRU's board is scheduled to decide on December 4 whether to close the Williams Lake campus — about a month after the new council takes office. The building is badly under-used and needs millions in repairs, so a letter of support won't save it. A campus that trains people for the jobs this region is short on might.

At the council table

Show up for TRU's leadership forum this fall, and get residents out to the community consultation from November to January.
Bring School District 27, local First Nations and employers together on a joint proposal to use more of the building and share its costs.

Pushing Victoria and Ottawa

Programs tied to local jobs: health-care training for the expanded Cariboo Memorial Hospital, and trades for mining, forestry and construction.

The facts

In June 2026, TRU's board postponed its closure decision to December 4, 2026, and approved an engagement plan: a leadership forum in September and October, community consultation from November 2026 to January 2027, and a final report in March 2027. (Williams Lake Tribune, June 19, 2026)
TRU says the campus is losing money every day and needs $5.6 million in maintenance within three years. (Williams Lake Tribune, June 19, 2026)

Seniors on fixed incomes

Many seniors here are getting by on retirement and pension income that doesn't stretch far enough. Council can't raise a pension, but it does control a lot of what seniors pay for and rely on.

At the council table

Phase in any utility increases from the water plant, with relief for low-income seniors.
Use City mailouts to make sure seniors know about help that already exists, like B.C.'s property tax deferment program and SAFER rent assistance.

Pushing Victoria and Ottawa

Better handyDART service from BC Transit for medical appointments and errands.

Questions I get asked

Are you saying the people downtown are mentally ill?

No. Most people living with mental illness are no danger to anyone. My point is narrower: when mental illness and addiction go untreated, people end up in crisis on our streets, and what downtown feels is the after-effect. A mental health services facility here treats it at the source, so we're not just moving the same people around town.

Do you support involuntary care?

Yes, alongside voluntary treatment. Involuntary care is already part of B.C.'s Mental Health Act. It has to come with the safeguards the law requires, and with a real bed and real follow-up at the end of it — otherwise it's just another revolving door.

Isn't restorative justice soft on crime?

No. In a restorative justice session, the person who caused harm has to face the person they hurt and agree to make it right. That's harder than it sounds. But it isn't the right tool for everyone: for the handful of prolific offenders cycling through downtown, we need consequences that stick. I support both, each where it works.

What can one councillor do about things the province controls?

Council votes on the City's budget and bylaws, and that's real power over safety, water and taxes. For everything else, a specific, costed request carries more weight than a letter of support. Council can also take resolutions to the North Central Local Government Association and the Union of BC Municipalities, where B.C. communities press the province together.

Last updated 2026-09-19. A plain-text version of this page is at /platform.md. Join the campaign