Protecting salmon-bearing streams requires us to think about pollution at the watershed level. Recent research from Simon Fraser University and Fisheries and Oceans Canada found hundreds of contaminants in Lower Fraser River water and juvenile Chinook salmon tissue, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals  and flame retardants. Sixteen contaminants were identified as having the potential for adverse effects on salmon and other aquatic life. This matters to Coquitlam. We have more than 300 kilometres of creeks and streams, and

what enters our stormwater system can ultimately enter local waterways. In fact, the City specifically warns residents that material entering storm drains can flow directly into our creeks and streams.

As a City Councillor, I would support building on Coquitlam's existing water-quality monitoring and watershed-management programs, particularly as our population and development increase. I would support rigorous enforcement of erosion, sediment and pollution controls at development sites, continued and expanded real-time water-quality monitoring where evidence shows it is needed, and infrastructure that reduces polluted

stormwater runoff before it reaches our waterways.

I would also prioritize stronger stewardship partnerships with Kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation. Protecting salmon in Coquitlam should include Indigenous leadership, knowledge and stewardship, particularly given the Nation’s longstanding work to restore sockeye salmon to the Coquitlam Watershed. I would support greater collaboration on water-quality monitoring, habitat restoration, watershed planning and salmon recovery, including opportunities

to work alongside the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Guardian Program.

Coquitlam has already demonstrated that prevention can work. After introducing real-time monitoring at construction sites in the Stoney Creek watershed, monitoring systems prevented more than 2,300 non-compliant discharges and diverted almost 4.7 million gallons of non-compliant wastewater from local creeks in a 12-month period. The City subsequently expanded the requirement to major development sites citywide. I would also support stronger public education around what enters our storm drains, including pesticides, oils, paints, cleaning chemicals and other pollutants, and make protecting salmon habitat part of how we evaluate

development and infrastructure decisions. Salmon protection should not begin after contamination occurs. Our goal should be preventing pollutants from reaching our streams in the first place.

I view protecting Coquitlam's natural assets as both an environmental issue and a public health issue.  Forests, streams, wetlands, tree canopy and wildlife habitat are part of the infrastructure that makes a community healthy and resilient. They provide shade during extreme heat, help manage stormwater and flooding, support clean air and water, provide opportunities for physical activity and connection with nature, and protect biodiversity. This is particularly important as Coquitlam continues to grow. I support development and the creation

of more housing, but I do not believe growth should mean treating our natural assets as  e xpendable. Coquitlam’s Official Community Plan already identifies Environmentally Sensitive Areas and provides mechanisms to protect and expand them, connect natural areas, acquire environmentally valuable land, and mitigate the impacts of development. I would support using these tools proactively as development occurs.

I would place particular emphasis on protecting existing ecosystems before relying on replacement or restoration afterward. For forests, that means prioritizing mature-tree retention and implementing Coquitlam’s new Urban Forest Management Strategy, with measurable outcomes and transparent reporting. For streams and wetlands, it means maintaining strong riparian protections, preventing polluted stormwater and construction runoff from entering waterways, and ensuring development respects watercourse setbacks. Coquitlam already requires Watercourse Protection Development Permits in areas near watercourses, including within 30 metres in  most of the city, giving us an existing framework to build upon. I also want us to think about ecological connectivity rather than protecting isolated pockets of green

space. The proposed Partington Creek Wildlife Corridor is a good Coquitlam example. Wildlife monitoring documented 57 species in the area, and the proposed corridor would maintain a connection between Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, Minnekhada Regional Park and surrounding green spaces while development proceeds nearby. I would support using ecological data and wildlife monitoring early in the development process to identify where similar connections need to be preserved.

My public-health perspective ultimately changes the question I would ask when considering development. Rather than asking only, “How much can we build here?”, I also want us to ask, “What natural systems are keeping this community healthy, safe and resilient, and how do we grow without losing them?” Development and  environmental protection should not be planned separately. A healthy city needs both housing and healthy ecosystems.

One of the things I value most about Coquitlam is how closely our communities are connected to nature. Our forests, trails, creeks, parks and mountains are not simply amenities, they are actually a part of our daily lives.

From a public-health perspective, access to nature is part of creating a healthy community, and I believe that access should remain a priority as Coquitlam grows.

My own commitment to this has included environmental advocacy, participating in environmental cleanups, and  focusing much of my academic work on issues including sustainability, food systems, ocean acidification and the relationship between environmental conditions and human well-being.

As a Councillor, I would focus not only on protecting natural areas, but on making sure people can actually  access and experience them. Coquitlam already has an extensive trail network, and I would support improving connections between neighbourhoods, trails, parks and natural areas, particularly as new neighbourhoods are developed. I would also want access to nature considered alongside transportation and neighbourhood planning, so that experiencing nature does not always require getting into a car. Coquitlam’s Urban Forest Management

Strategy specifically calls for maintaining a safe trail system that improves connectivity and access to nature across the city.

Equitable access matters to me as well. A connection to nature should not depend on which

neighbourhood you live in. I support neighbourhood-level tree-canopy monitoring, protecting mature trees, expanding shade and greenery in areas that need it, and ensuring new development includes meaningful connections to parks, trails and natural spaces. Coquitlam’s current Official Community Plan similarly calls for equitable access to green spaces, trails and urban forests in response to health and climate risks. I would also support expanding opportunities for residents to participate directly in stewardship, including tree planting,

habitat restoration, invasive-species removal, stream stewardship and environmental education.

Ultimately, I want children growing up in a denser Coquitlam to have the same opportunity to know their local creek, walk beneath mature trees, encounter wildlife responsibly, explore a trail and develop a relationship with the natural environment around them. I have an 11 month old son, so I understand the importance of accessible nature, and a flourishing ecosystem.

My approach to climate policy is that mitigation, adaptation and public health should not be treated as separate issues. The same investments that reduce emissions can often make Coquitlam healthier and less vulnerable to climate-related disasters. I would prioritize three policies:

1. Establish dedicated climate-resilience and prevention funding. I would support incorporating climate risk into long-term capital planning and creating predictable funding for preventative infrastructure, rather than waiting to  pay for damage after disasters occur. This should include aggressively pursuing provincial and federal climate-resilience funding and ensuring growth contributes appropriately to the infrastructure it requires. In line with

climate-resilience, I would advocate for zero data centres being built in Coquitlam and its surrounding areas.

2. Expand green rainwater and natural infrastructure. I would like Coquitlam to examine successful policies from  other municipalities, including Vancouver's Rain City Strategy, and determine which approaches can be adapted locally. Rain gardens, permeable surfaces, trees, wetlands, green roofs and infiltration systems can help manage extreme rainfall and flooding while filtering polluted runoff, protecting salmon-bearing streams, reducing urban heat and supporting biodiversity. Coquitlam’s own climate projections anticipate a 17% increase in total storm and rain events, making stormwater management and flood prevention increasingly important as our city grows.

3. Build low-carbon, climate-ready neighbourhoods. As Coquitlam grows, new housing should be planned alongside transit, safe walking and cycling infrastructure, tree canopy, green space, energy-efficient buildings and access to everyday services. I support advancing low-carbon building standards and Coquitlam’s Vision Zero direction while creating complete communities where residents have realistic alternatives to driving for every trip.

From a public-health perspective, I believe prevention matters. Climate resilience is ultimately about protecting people’s health, homes and communities before disaster occurs. The question should not only be what climate disasters will cost Coquitlam, but what we can invest today to prevent those costs in the first place.