Sarah Moorhouse
2026 Election Candidate
Environmental
A core principle of Vernon's Official Community Plan is to prevent sprawl and limit growth to within the urban containment boundary.
a) Under what conditions do you think Council should make an exception to this core principle?
b) Please give local examples of existing 'good' and 'not good' building development in Vernon, and explain why.
a)We need to continuously be looking at population numbers and making sure we are continuing to be forward thinking with home and business development to serve our residents. That said, I feel we have land and space that is available for use within these boundaries at this time. Being able to recognize and come back to the table if those lines need to extend is important.
b) A good development that I am hoping to see come fully to fruition soon would be the OK Village Housing Development on Okanagan Landing Rd., a condensed area being able to offer 100+ homes is not only good for the people it will house who require a little income support, but also offers dense housing and close to parks, recreation and transit. I believe we are at a point in Vernon where most, if not all, commercial development needs to take into consideration if housing can be included, I understand this does not work in every situation and developers need to remain mindful of their bottom lines but my preference would be to see any new commercial development also offer apartments above the commercial space or similar options.
Vernon has a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that aims to reduce GHG emissions in transportation, buildings and waste, and prepare for climate impacts like wildfires, heat domes, floods, severe weather events.
a) What aspects of this plan are most important and urgent and how will you ensure implementation?
b) The CAP will undergo a review process in 2027. What would you like to see in a revised CAP?
a) To me the most urgent matters are the ones all citizens can contribute to..........zero-minimal idling in personal and commercial vehicles, composting in our backyards, locating and addressing areas of our homes where heat may be escaping, reducing the amount of items we are buying new and getting delivered with oversized packaging. They are simple changes that implemented overtime, even a couple changes per household each year, will make the differences we're looking for
b) Although there is great information about how citizens can help reduce emissions in the CAP, I'd like to see or be part of a clearer plan for getting that information out to our citizens. Could a committee go around to the elementary and high schools and talk about reducing emissions.....can we educate not only our youth but all ages about simple ways to reduce our impact and emissions of GHG? Can we promote local thrift stores and stores reducing their imprint who order local and reduce packaging? I don't have all the answers but the more I learn the more I want to change!
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?
I support the use of public funds for natural lands. As with everything it is a balancing act. We can't promote tourism and Vernon being a great place to live and not have the proper housing and roadways in place to support that. I am a strong believer in respecting the animals and nature that call natural lands home and I would always support exploring as limited impact possible on those lands.
Our water reservoirs are at critically low levels. No longer can we count on having the water resources we enjoyed even a few years ago. 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?
Although being on Level 3 water restrictions has been a large adjustment for many and the restrictions on agriculture has been devastating, I do think being on these restrictions has shown many residents how small changes can make a big difference and how many of the changes are very doable day to day, year round. I tend to circle back to getting residents involved as the small changes of many can impact all. Offering workshops on rainwater harvesting, continuing to put out information to residents on how to reduce water use, encouraging and educating on zero scape yards. I believe most citizens want to be part of solutions for a strong and healthy community that want water security.
Social
What personal and/or professional experience has most shaped your understanding of Truth and Reconciliation, and how would it influence your decisions as a municipal elected official?
My son is of indigenous heritage that he knows very little about due to the family history not being readily available fora variety of reasons. Acknowledging the absolute horrible ways our indigenous community members were treated for generations and the generational tolls it has taken on families is heartbreaking not only because of the harm it has caused but because it was so incredibly unnecessary. I would like the to see the city and community doing more to honor Truth & Reconciliation, not just on September 30th but always. We cannot change the past but we can certainly do better in the future and I will. Currently the Friendship Centre is planning an event for September 30th and is being charged by the City to close the street....is that necessary? Do we charge for the use of the park for Remembrance Day ceremonies and other similar events? There are always a variety of facts to every question like this and I plan on finding out more.
What is one action the municipality should take to strengthen our local food system and improve access to healthy, affordable food? Why that action?
Improving and protecting our water systems and reservoirs. As seen this past year, many of our residents trying to provide local healthy food options were significantly negatively impacted by the drought and water restrictions and lost crops, which leads to less healthy food offerings to our residents.
What is one specific change you would make to better support local non-profits, and do you have personal experience (e.g. volunteer, board member, staff, and/or passion for a specific issue) that informs that action? Please include one brief example.
I would like to see the charges to non-profits (including sports) for events and tournament spaces be more consistent amongst groups. I seem to hear a lot of conflicting information, and maybe that is not a City issue, but I look forward to learning more and seeing what I can do to make that an easier and more affordable process. Those charges affect the non-profits, and often their supporters (parents of children in sports) greatly when we're speaking about trying to make life more affordable for our residents. I understand the city has to be financially conscious and maybe they are truly doing their best but I am confident we can do more. I have been on numerous boards including a variety of JCI Vernon event boards, the Vernon Winter Carnival, BC & Alberta Relay for Life (Canadian Cancer Society) local committees, a was a Chamber of Commerce liason for JCI for a couple years. In recent years I have volunteered with Sweet Smiles Society, Archway Society for Domestic Peace, Silver Star Elementary PAC, & Funtastic Sports Society to name a few. I love volunteering and giving back in the community, it is truly one of my greatest passions.
Should the municipality continue to secure and provide land for affordable housing projects? Why or why not? If yes, how would you handle any neighbourhood concerns brought forward to Council?
Yes, where it is reasonably possible. The city has an excellent Official Community Plan. To follow through on that promise of support then securing and providing land needs to at minimum be considered when the opportunity arises. In regard to addressing neighborhood concerns I believe each concern needs to be addressed individually. I live in a neighborhood that recently saw some light density housing go up and some neighbors simply didn't like the way it looked and although I understand that is there opinion, we can't choose cosmetic appearance preferences over providing housing options for our residents. If we want to have housing for employees of businesses, our young people etc. we have to provide more options. Having honest conversations providing factual education can also be helpful to ease concerns. Some people hear affordable housing and think shelters or wet facility housing and that is absolutely not the case, many neighbors you have now may be subsidized by BC housing but just aren't living in a specific affordable housing development. We live in an expensive area and again, if we want to support all residents, then we have to be open to different housing options.
Cultural
Vernon does not have a dedicated public art policy to guide how public art is selected, funded, maintained, or removed, while regional cultural direction sits with the RDNO through the Greater Vernon Cultural Plan. Do you support developing a public art policy for Vernon, and how would you coordinate the City's role with the Plan?
Yes I support developing a public art policy for Vernon and truly hope this is something we can get in place sooner than later. I would be honored to be on a committee to move this forward.
With more than 75 arts and culture groups active in the region, how would you work to remove barriers and strengthen City partnerships so that public spaces and facilities are accessible and equipped for community programming and gatherings?
I believe our public spaces and facilities need to be more accessible to all community groups. There seems to be some inconsistency on pricing and availability made to different groups. There has been a study done in the last few years about comparing our pricing and availability to other communities however I don't feel the comparisons were made to communities that were truly similar to Vernon. I do not want more money spent on studies but I do think with a little effort and cooperation we can make the spaces and facilities more financially workable for arts and cultural and all groups.
Arts and culture help shape who we are as a community. As Vernon continues to grow, how do you see our identity changing, and what kinds of arts and culture initiatives would you support to strengthen that future?
With our new Arts & Cultural center getting closer and closer to opening I believe we will see arts and culture shaping us as a community more and more. I would have to have to refer to the experts in this area a bit more before committing to specific initiatives but am always ready and excited to learn and support.
Artists make up as much as 12% of the North Okanagan population and the sector generates over $126 million in direct economic activity and $46 million in GDP, how will you strengthen the role arts and culture play in our local economy, tourism, and community wellbeing?
I believe the new Cultural Centre will strengthen the role arts & culture play in the local economy. Also making sure the City keeps facilities like Polson Park and other facilities affordable and available to arts, music and other arts and culturally diverse groups
Economic
The business tax base is critical to the provision of services at the municipal level. How would you support business retention and expansion in the City of Vernon?
Our business owners need to feel supported and wanted by the city and community. Streamlining basic things like Business Licensing and Permitting is essential and there has been quite a bit of improvement in those areas in recent years, one to note is building permits etc can now be done online after only being able to do them via paperwork. Supporting housing and small density developments also plays a key role because it is hard to retain or expand a business without employees and it's hard to keep employees if they don't have affordable housing.
Finding employees has consistently been identified as a top challenge by Vernon businesses in the City of Vernon Business Walks surveys. How should the City support businesses in meeting their workforce needs?
As noted above housing is key in my opinion but transit also plays a key role. Our transit options have improved but still don't cover some key areas sch as public transit up to Silver Star mountain. If we are committing to helping business find and retain employees as well as committing to our Award Winning Climate Action Plan then transit options need to be top of mind in addition to affordable housing.
What role does the City have with supporting growth-oriented sectors like manufacturing and agricultural processing?
The Official Community Plan addresses these areas well. Growth has to always be weighed with climate impact, water availability, and staffing amongst other things. If we are following our plan and doing what is outlined there supporting these sectors should be very manageable for the City but does come down to actions, not just words on paper
Considering the recent water and fire crisis, how should the City assist businesses to become more resilient to future risk?
We have to continue to advocate to the province for water solutions like reclaimed water use. We were granted temporary use but we need to be able to have that option permanently. The province and RDNO play large roles in how we get our water, we can always advocate for better options to support our residents, businesses and agriculture. Our recent water restrictions forced citizens to think about how they were using water and the restrictions worked, we greatly reduced our use. By no means do I want to see us on these restrictions permanently but I think it is important for residents to recognize that some of the habits adopted during these restrictions need to remain top of mind if we don't want to end up here again.
Health
As Mayor / Councilor, how would you work to attract and retain medical professionals in Vernon?
This is an initiative I greatly support. I think similar to retaining employees of other industries a lot of this comes back to housing availability.
If elected, what specific actions would you take within the authority of your municipal office to improve access to in-person mental health supports and services in our community, and how would you work with other levels of government to strengthen support for those services?
CMHA is currently in their campaign to build The Foundry and I think supporting this initiative is key to supporting mental health in our community. Having a a hub where Youth can access a variety of resources and agencies all in one place is amazing. Addressing our youths mental health makes us a stronger community in the future. In an ideal situation our community would have a resource like The Foundry for all ages.
How will you ensure that our planning of our built environment, our programs and our policies are accessible, and support the physical and mental health needs of our population?
We have to say engaged with those working in the mental health fields and listen to what they are saying in regard to where the wants and needs really are. I personally do hold a diploma in applied Psychology & Counselling but don't necessarily know where support is always needed most. Having strong relationships with our mental and physical health non-profits and experts is key to planning.
What would you do to support the physical and mental health of members of our community against the effects of climate change, especially those who are most vulnerable?
Some things that have been done already are opening cooling shelters and opening spaces such as Kal Tire Place to people during especially hot times. Offering warming and cooling buses via city transit and offering extra beds during particularly cold months. Supporting non-profits trying to move Affordable housing forward such as OK Village Housing and Turning Points is also imperative. These are our neighbors, our seniors, our youth, we need to keep them safe.
