I would like to introduce myself to the Squamish community: I am Chris Ryan. I first

moved to the Sea to Sky Corridor in the summers of 1986, 1987, and 1988 to work and

save money for college, where I studied marketing, retail management, and ski racing

on the Sheridan College ski team. After college, I went straight into the real estate field

for five years, with continued studies in property law, property appraisal, and mortgage

financing.

I moved back full-time in 1993, and for the past 30 years, I have helped small

businesses in the Sea to Sky Corridor achieve their goals through various advertising

mediums like the Whistler Question, Whistler This Week, and Western phone

directories. I also seasonally operated a property maintenance company for 20 years.

My full history is available on LinkedIn.

I met my partner and her two boys 24 years ago, and we raised them in Pemberton. We

moved to Squamish in 2018 and have lived in Garibaldi and downtown. I have had

some work gaps over the past few years due to a bad car accident, and I am now

working in the renewable energy solutions industry while landscaping one day a week in

the summer. My passions lie within the water, the trees, the mountains, the

environment, and cooking for my loved ones with vegetables from my community

garden which we need more of.

Working Together for Our Community Goals

Now, let's talk about you, your town, and how your tax dollars are being used in our

current environment. First of all, we need to address the elephant in the room: we

cannot be fighting the provincial government's projects and expect them to fund our

community projects. We need to work with and advocate to all levels of government to

help achieve our community goals and needs.

Smart Parking Solutions for Loggers Lane

Parking for visitors, employees, and residential overflow is an ongoing problem in all

neighbourhoods. Downtown, we can catch two apples with one hand by addressing

parking and the expansion of the Feather Park bike lane, which currently leads into athe provincial government's BC Rail Corporation and the lessee, CN Rail, to continue

the bike lane down to Hunter Place Road. This would allow us to create angled parking

that is paid for by visitors but available to our residents and employees with a permit.

A Second Downtown Artery and Improved Infrastructure

A bigger need is a second arterial access route for downtown. The increase in condos

and visitors is creating major congestion. One bad accident on Cleveland Avenue and

traffic across the whole town grinds to a halt It would cause a complete shutdown in

and out of downtown. Bailey Street should be paved and opened to the business park

for this purpose. At the same time, we should create paved parking for Bailey Street

residents to replace the overflow parking area that remains a mud pit for most of the

year. Parking is needed in all parts of our community as our housing becomes more

expensive and several incomes are required to support a mortgage or rent.

Adopting the Whistler Housing Authority Model

On the topic of housing, we can adopt the successful model used by the Whistler

Housing Authority for the past 30 years, which will help our seniors, locals, and

employees stay in our community. This model uses covenants regarding room or suite

rental rates and caps on real estate value increases. The model gives local residents

opportunities to get into the housing market and allows seniors to downsize while

staying in the community where their children and friends live, all while contributing to

the tax base. We need to revisit the Cheema land proposal where this could be

possible, incorporating high density, low sprawl family housing for our community. This

will enable our town to grow beyond one- and two bedroom downtown condos. I will

constantly and always advocate to the provincial and federal governments for affordable

and senior housing. Currently, builders are required to include second-level office space

in residential complexes. While most of these are sitting vacant, they could be put to a

better use like affordable and senior housing.

Funding Infrastructure Through Practical Partnerships

Contrary to my beliefs as a renewable energy advocate, we need to work with the LNG

company, which can help financially support various projects in our community. This

includes Brennan Park, reopening the Bailey Street tennis courts, and building a

gravel pit and goes nowhere. The solution: acquire the rail line on Loggers Lane fromskate/bike/ball court in Garibaldi for youth activities. We also need to offset our carbon

footprint with renewable energy on our municipal buildings, school buildings, and new

constructions. The council complains a lot about LNG but does nothing themselves

except switch to LED lights.

Connecting Our Regional Transit Network

For transit, we need to open the Darrell Bay bus route during the winter months perhaps

running three times a day for the community, workers, and citizens so they can enjoy

our parks without having to drive their cars and pay for parking at Darrell Bay. We also

need to collaborate with our neighbouring towns to find a transit solution that connects

all of the communities in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

Protecting Our Streetscapes and Tax Dollars

Streetscape infrastructure is being neglected downtown. There are two-foot weeds

growing on our street curbs and sidewalks, bushes growing out of our storm sewer

grates, and vegetation is only being managed one day a year at 4:00 a.m. right before

the Loggers Sports Festival. As a landscaper, I know the power of a weed; they can pull

up asphalt, split concrete curbs, and break sewer pipes. For a minor maintenance cost

now, we will save the future tax base from the high costs of replacing our roads and

streetscapes, all while beautifying the area for residents and visitors alike.

Addressing Traffic and Commercial Vehicle Costs

Our downtown roads are getting beaten up badly, leaving us with a massive tax bill.

There are hundreds of overweight trucks transporting rolled metal and rebar cargo from

the port through downtown. This cargo was originally intended to be put onto rail cars.

Why isn't it? I was told the builders want their cargo faster in the city. At whose cost?

We also have a half-dozen food trucks downtown taking up to four parking stalls each

while running dirty generators beside our sidewalks, businesses, and residents all day

long. This is happening even though we have a new food truck court with electrical

plug-ins at the corner of Main Street and Cleveland Avenue. Cleveland Avenue. ​

We need to loose the injection site, it's not "safe".

Builders need to maintain vacant lots, and convert to temporary parking solutions.

A new Brennen Park with 2k seating two rink arena, incorporate city Hall and regional offices, air dome for year round ball play. Paid amoratized by a corporate sponsor, sale of city Hall, event and day use pay, and redirect transit budget and fund with a 15% trans link like gas tax to benifits the community, not the station owners. Currently priced match with city gas prices that have a 19.5% trans link tax.

Common sense community governance

Chris Ryan for city council