Meet Your Candidate: Chris Stevens
Village Resident seeks Council seat
Editor's Note: The Watershed has contacted all the current candidates running in the upcoming Municipal Election to give them the opportunity to answer a few questions. All the candidates were offered the same questions (apart from those which differ to reflect the experience of candidates who have not held office before). Responses have been edited for brevity, style and clarity.
Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself? How long have you lived in the Village? What's your favourite part of living here?
My name is Chris Stevens. My spouse and I moved to Lions Bay in May 2024. We had
lived in Dollarton for 30 years. With the unwanted spread of large homes into our
neighbourhood, the disruption of privacy, view and culture convinced us it was time to
move. We loved the Lions Bay house we bought from the first time we saw it. We intend be lifelong
residents.
You have never held the position of Councillor before. What made you step forward to take the job on now?
After observing and reading about events including the Council meetings, I decided they
might need the help of a fresh view. I don’t see a good future with some of the issues over the last years.
How many Council meetings have you attended in person or online?
I have observed about eight meetings, including the last All-Candidates meeting in 2022.
Have you volunteered for a Village committee or event? What other volunteer experience do you have?
I have not volunteered yet. The last few years have been occupied with settling in, finding
room in house for our possessions and making some required renovations. Unfortunately,
while vacationing in Europe last spring, I came down with pneumonia, which seriously
weakened me for several months when I returned home. I look forward to the opportunity to look into volunteer activity in 2027.
Should you win your seat, what is the most important challenge facing the Village in the upcoming term?
I won’t address the divisiveness issue here as it relates to the whole governance group. I
am concerned about potable water security. To date we have done well this year. I will
attribute that to community mindfulness and efforts in previous years to increase supply.
But a Super El Nino is growing and there will always be a risk to our water supply.
The most recent term of Council was divided to the point of dysfunction. Do you have any thoughts for a positive change?
It is very hard to address the observed dysfunction once entrenched. The only option I
can see is work to improve communication, targeting the internal and external silos.
In the last term, Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff noted that the Village faces at least $10 million in pending infrastructure upgrades not covered by grant money. How would you prioritize these projects?
As a newcomer, I am struggling to find all this data. I have not seen the report. We have a
committee working on infrastructure. In any infrastructure review you have to prioritize
the urgent, the less urgent and least urgent. Money is allocated according to what best
meets the urgent issues at the best cost. I would like to see this breakdown or pointed to
where I can find it.
What strengths do you bring to the Council table?
I am flexible thinker and a quick learner. In my early years, I worked a wide variety of
jobs which provided some skills and knowledge of many businesses from retail,
mining, mechanical and sales. I have developed budgets, optimized production schedules, and collaborated on logistic improvements with company partners.
I have been covered in used oil. I have an MBA. I can read and understand financial statements. I have provided financial advice to colleagues. I believe I have a broad knowledge that will contribute to the overall depth of the Council.
The recent clear-cutting of a private property on Oceanview Road has prompted a petition and a public outcry. Would you support the creation of bylaws addressing tree-cutting, protection of riparian boundaries and steep slopes?
I do support the creation of bylaws to deal with those issues. We live in generally
unstable topography, where changes need to be monitored.
Many residents along Mountain, Sunset and Bayview have expressed frustration with the vast increase in hiker vehicle parking and traffic. Suggestions have been made to offer alternate parking in the gravel pit or elsewhere on Crown land. How would you respond to resident concerns?
I don’t know if spreading the problem around would have the impact desired. More
parking access would lead to greater traffic. In Deep Cove during Covid, there was so
much traffic that cars could not move down the local roads. I would suggest increasing
parking costs to reduce the number of visitors. Again, as a newbie, have we looked at a
bus service from Park Royal and Squamish? The number of buses could be limited.
The recent trial of public porta-potties positioned near the Village centre has produced calls of concern regarding smell and garbage from nearby homeowners. This is balanced against evidence that visitors are relieving themselves on our local streets. Do you have any thoughts to share?
A question that has many parts. Firstly, why do the potties smell? I have been to many
events where obvious smell is not present. Are they being serviced properly? Secondly, I
don’t think there are many of us who prefer a washroom break in the great outdoors
versus a private potty. Communicating access points to toilets via sign (Beach Park) or
other designated areas would help remove the urgency. Speaking of the gravel pit,
perhaps it would be an alternative site for seasonal portable toilets. Appropriate signage
would be required. Another question is how to recoup the additional costs to the Village to maintain this access.
What else would you like to share with residents today? Where can they reach you? Do you have a website where voters can read your platform online?
My website is www.soapmb.ca. and email is c.e.stevens@me.com.
I urge people to email me with any questions they have about me or the election.
I look forward to this opportunity and will try my best to serve you well.
The Watershed welcomes your thoughts.
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