Jim Garlick
2026 Election Candidate
Environmental
Coldstream's Official Community Plan focuses on directing growth to designated “growth areas” while limiting development in “rural protection areas.”
a) Under what conditions do you think Council should make exceptions to this growth strategy?
b) Please give local examples of 'good' and 'not good' building development in Coldstream, and state why.
a) In my roll as mayor for 14 years and councillor for 7 years, I have worked towards the directing growth to designated "growth areas" while limiting development in "rural protection areas." There should be no need to make an exception to for Coldstream to make exceptions and stray from our growth strategy. The changes imposed by the provincial government through Bill 44 increased the allowable density on fully serviced single-family and duplex lots to that of four-plex, multifamily, lots across the municipality. Coldstream Council and staff worked to develop a financial and plan to provide sewer servicing to growth areas on east side of Middleton Mountain which will also provide sewer to historic subdivisions now on septic. We have met the required provincial targets for future residential units with or existing infrastructure as well as making these newly sewered growth areas viable for development. We also have sufficient zoned commercial and industrial land to meet the demands for or community in the foreseeable future.
b) Good building development is what I believe Coldstream has undertaken for the most part over the past 20 years. Bad exits but I lack space to expand here.
Coldstream has experienced significant climate impacts for the last few years. How do you propose to address these crises, both in preparing ahead for disasters like drought, wildfires, heat domes and floods, as well as reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that lead to climate change?
As a member of Council over the past 21 years, we are very aware of the impacts climate events will have and already had on our community. A few of these major events that I experienced, dealt with, and learned from while on Council include: unseasonable rainstorms in January on frozen ground that causing flooding and contamination of one of our community water sources, Antwerp Springs; Kalamalka Lake flooding in 2017; a heat doom in 2021 lasting several days; and multiple forest fires at the boundaries of Coldstream in provincial lands that I directed our fire department to engage to prevent escalation and damage to Coldstream.
Major rainstorms have made storm drainage a priority considered as part of our pavement management plan, and projects to divert flood water on roads. I have also lobbied BC Parks to carry out fire mitigation in Kalamala Lake Park.
I worked with partners to lobby Ministry of Forests to secure $15 million towards fire mitigation work on the Aberdeen Plateau.
We built the Coldstream Community Hall with the view that it will serve as a cooling centre, which we lacked previously.
Do you support the use of public funds to contribute to acquiring natural lands for environmental conservation purposes? Under what conditions would the perceived need for more housing, businesses, roads and other infrastructure prompt you to trade away natural lands with high ecological value for urban expansion?
The preservation of natural lands for conservation purposes should be a top priority in community planning. I have supported the use of public funds to buy land for this purpose on Middleton Mountain and Swan Lake. In Coldstream’s case, I can see no need for natural lands of high ecological importance to be traded away for urban expansion. As a community I would like to see the implementation of tax exemptions to promote the preservation of private land of high ecological importance such as land along Coldstream Creek.
Drought, contamination, increasing demand are just some of the water issues. What actions would you prioritise to protect our creeks, lakes, aquifers, and groundwater for home and agricultural water sources, habitat for fish and wildlife, and human recreation?
Water quality and quantity are major issues for the Greater Vernon region. I have worked through Greater Vernon Water (GVW) to make the funding and construction of water quality infrastructure of the water utility a reality and meet provincial water quality standards.
I have supported working to improve the protection of Coldstream Creek with construction of a wetlands in Lavington, plantings in our parks along creeks, and education of landowners on what they can do reduce negative impacts on the creek.
Through GVW I pushed for a study to clarify the supply and demand for water for Greater Vernon and fought to NOT expand the service area to lands beyond the boundary. We should not be looking at expansion until we are sure that we can meet our own needs. I have also supported GVW staff in wanting to protect our water groundwater aquifers from overuse. I share staffs’ concerns that drilling wells my reduce the water supply to Coldstream Creek and Kalamalka Lake. We need to gather more information before we think of groundwater as a new source when in fact we are may already using it through our Kalamalka Lake source.
Social
In smaller communities, we need to be creative in how we help one another; how do you see the role of local government in this?
Helping each other between communities is done through creating relationships at both the political and staff levels. We can than assess our resources, needs and possible improvements we can achieve through cooperation and agreements. I have worked towards supporting this work through mutual aid agreements amongst fire departments, recreation, culture, and water. These relationships need to be revisited on an ongoing bases to keep them fair and healthy.
How do we tackle misinformation and growing distrust in local government as well as uncivil behaviour on social media and in person?
I have no answer to how to fix the state of the world as it is today. I only have a roadmap that I try to follow that allows me to take a direction and make a final decision. I do not engage on social media. It is the jungle and ineffective in my opinion. I am happy to meet in person or talk on the phone where we know each other's names and preferably can look each other in the face.
I try to follow: approach each individual realizing that they are unique and will come with their unique perspectives; openly listen to their concerns. Explain your point of view and the basis on which it is set; be willing to explore compromise and adjust where reasonable to your principles and knowledge; make it clear that as the elected official you are the one responsible for the decision and must be able to defend it to the public.; make decisions once everyone has reached some point of comfort (this is not easy for everyone and some will never reach it if if they feel their points were never considered); move forward.
Cultural
Describe what arts and culture are in the Coldstream area from your perspective, and how do you think local government should support these features of our community?
I worked on the restructuring of the cultural service at RDNO through Greater Vernon. It created a separate service unto itself which I believe has allowed several long-strived-for initiatives to advance. I have been involved with the cultural centre project and many of the concerns of rising costs delays that have taken place. I hope that the community can come together to make this facility more that a static display of art and history. The facility has included performance space and infrastructure that a motivated arts and history community can put to used to make it a vibrant centre for that community. This will take community involvement that goes beyond local politicians and staff. It will take engaged creative, board members willing to work with the community. This is an opportunity for Coldstream residents to get involved and work to make this happen.
Is the current structure of funding for arts & culture and recreation, which is currently through the RDNO, working for Coldstream? Why or why not?
This arrangement is working for Coldstream but requires that our politicians work with community members to identify where our parks and facilities can play a larger role. We then need to work with the existing structure to bring these visions to a reality. In other words it requires ongoing outreach and work.
Economic
What is your understanding of how small local governments can support our economic development, including the success of our small local businesses?
We support economic development by keeping the lines of communication open with the business and industry in Coldstream and, through RDNO, Greater Vernon. We have held meetings with business owners to keep up with their plans, hear concerns and provide concerns to them from residents. This has helped build relationships and assisted in how both sides respond when the need arises. Examples of such situations are rezonings applications, capital projects such as roads and water, noise bylaw development, and speeding and dust control issues.
Our direct impact on these businesses are taxes and the services we provide. Coldstream has worked towards keeping these impacts manageable and fair for both sides.
What is one action the municipality should take to strengthen our local food system and improve access to healthy, affordable food? Why that action?
I believe that the only way to actually strengthen our local food system and improve access to healthy, affordable food is to actually encourage an economic and community mindset that supports people wanting to farm the agricultural land in Coldstream. This means supporting policy and bylaws that do not inflate farmland costs. This may include the support of farm uses while discouraging uses that would be best carried out on industrial or commercial lands. We need to look at how Coldstream can promote family farms that operate and sell in the local economy. We need to look at how to avoid farmland becoming estates where the land falls out of farm production. We need to reach out to people in the community that are achieving the aims of producing local food to get a better idea of the challenges they face.
Health
As Mayor / Councilor, how would you work to attract and retain medical professionals in Coldstream?
I believe in continuing to make our community and region a location where medical professionals want to live. This is from a point of view of quality of life in work, play and education. In my experience, medical professionals are looking for a workplace that is well-equipped and managed. I worked with fellow local politicians, our local MLA, Eric Foster, and doctors to lobby the province and the Interior Health to fund and complete the upper floors of the at Vernon General Hospital. We need to continue to this kind of cooperation at the political level to push for a new psychiatric facility and adequate urgent primary care facilities. Local government has representation and contact with Interior Health through the North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District (NOCSRHD) Board. This group needs to communicate our concern and represent our needs.
Many medical professionals who I have come in contact with, like to live in our area because of the outdoor recreation, convenience of transportation (airports, highway connections), proximity to a beautiful part of the world, and educational opportunities for their children. Anything that promotes these is an attractant.
How will you ensure that our planning of our built environment, our programs and our policies support the diverse physical and mental health needs of our population?
Our planning of our built environment, our programs and our policies support the diverse physical and mental health needs of our population by ensuring that we do not lose much of what we already have while looking to make improvements. This would include making sure that as many of our public spaces as possible are accessible to physical challenges. Promoting adequate provincial funding of social programs delivering services for mental health and ensuring that these facilities are located in an east-to access-location for the majority of users. Ensuring that our developments provide access to natural settings through parks and open spaces that most of us need.
