Trevor Barry
Website: www.Trevor4saanich.ca
Facebook: fb.me/Trevor4saanich
Twitter: @Trevor4saanich
Instagram: Trevor4saanich
Other: YouTube, snapchat, TikTok = Trevor4saanich
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
No slate. Running independently.
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, Lived here in Saanich for 15 years, over half of this time as a Dad.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
15 years as a public servant (Climate Action Policy Analyst) for the Province of BC
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
Since 2014, I have served on the executive of the North Quadra Community Association, most recently as President. I have also chaired and held other executive officer positions on other local society boards, including founding the Best Coast Big Band.
Over the past 7 years, I have been appointed 5 times to 3 different Saanich Council advisory committees (UptownDouglas, PTR, ATAC) as well as participating in OnePlanet Saanich.
During my undergraduate at UBC, I was also Resident Hall president, and then had an early career managing on-campus Student Housing.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
My kids. If we want to leave our kids with a Saanich that they deserve, then we need to raise our voices today. Climate, Housing, Health; Economics, Asset Management, Sustainability…
As a career expert in the field of Climate Policy, I understand the risks - and also the opportunities - for a better future. And I will do my best to advocate (and govern effectively in the process) for it.
Also: you don’t spend this much time studying municipal affairs, and advising governments, before wishing that politicians actually had policy knowledge. And if not, maybe it’s time to ”be the change”.
What are your top three issues?
1. Hiring a new CAO
- The Bureaucracy may be directed by Council. But civil servant bureaucrats are managed by the CAO alone.
2. Right-sizing Density Planning
- Using standard performance measure KPI metrics, such as WalkScore.
- Because the best transportation plan: is a good land-use plan.
- Because equity AND economic-efficiency (let alone climate resilience and social cohesion) starts with designing accessible complete communities.
- and it has the cobenefit of being great climate policy (avoiding sprawl development)
3. Engaging Local Small Business
- because the economy has changed since 2018.
- Tech industry wants #OpenData
Bonus: Signs Bylaw… #ScanToBan (restrict) election signage. #SignsAreBad
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
Saanich2045 is a different place. There’s mostly electric ‘vehicles’, all shapes, sizes, functions: many autonomous; most shared (not owned); nearly all trips are multimodal. Climate is much worse, but our local economy is fortunate in the world.
So, Question is: how do we build for this?
To start, build up corridors first, emphasising starting nearer Victoria and then E-W along McKenzie/Tillicum starting near UVic; including SmartGrowth (densification exhibiting completeness) in major centres.
Hopefully, the mobility-realm is much safer, slower, yet still more efficient than today. And the resident-realm is comfortable and secure. And the natural-realm - while severely impacted - is also stewarded and adapting well (maintaining liveability we enjoy today).
Very-isolated suburban deadends will look most similarly to their 2022 counterparts.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
SmartCard for “freemium” services. #SmartSaanich.
This card (app) is unique to you, carrying nontransferable annual credits.
You receive new “credits” Jan 1st, just for being a Saanich Resident. Only you can use them, and if you don’t, you lose them.
Credits may be siloed by category of service, or fungible between categories (perhaps at discounted rate).
What are the SERVICES? (This is where the magic happens! Demand-side management, Pigovian Economic efficiency at its finest*)
1. Utilities (10,000L of fresh water, 52 weeks of compost, 20 of garbage…)
2. Transportation (100 trips on transit, 500hr of street parking…)
3. Recreation (12 park picnic bookings, $100 worth of classes…)
4. Property Tax exemption ($100k off assessed value)
…for each human residing.
The list gets updated based on needs and community feedback.
*Excess usage carries higher marginal costs.
