The CVCCo has asked the following question of the candidates from Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, and the CVRD.
Question:
Active transportation – including walking, cycling, rolling, and using mobility devices – affects safety, affordability, health, independence, access to services, and community connection.
What role do you believe active transportation should play in improving quality of life in our community and how would you support active transportation in your role as a municipal decision maker?
These are their answers, unedited, as they arrived.
David Frisch – Courtenay – Council
Hi, I sure do. I’m keen to see active transportation mode share double over the next decade. My plan is to see more connections including a pathway behind superstore to Simms park. I see opportunities for improvements in Courtenay as well as the larger regions.
David Frisch (he,him)
Lisa Bourgeois – Comox – Council
I believe active transportation should be a safe and accessible option for everyone, regardless of age or ability. I’d love to see fewer cars on our roads and more people enjoying healthy, active lifestyles, whether walking, cycling, rolling or using mobility devices.
Comox has made progress, including the Lazo Greenway and recent sidewalk and cycling improvements around Aspen, Noel and Bolt. I’d like to build on that work by improving safety and making it easier for people to connect from their neighbourhoods to schools, parks, businesses and services.
If elected, I’d support targeted improvements that strengthen those connections and better link Comox to the broader regional transportation network. For me, that means looking at where the biggest safety and connectivity gaps are, listening to residents, and prioritizing improvements that make sense for our community and budget.
Thanks for your question.
Best,
Lisa
Lisa Bourgeois
We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work in the unceded traditional territory of the K’òmoks First Nation.
John Dacombe – Courtenay – Council
A complete and contiguous active transportation network is a vital piece of any municipality’s infrastructure, and is a fiscally responsible way to improve the quality of life of its residents.
For too many decades, we allowed developers and the politicians they support to drive an agenda that completely ignored active transportation, which is why we still have entire neighbourhoods in the City of Courtenay without adequate sidewalks, bike lanes, or crosswalks.
Let’s be clear: if we are not vigilant, these developers and politicians will regain control, and Courtenay will suffer the same fate as cities in Alberta and Ontario, where active transportation infrastructure is being torn out.
Here is my position regarding active transportation, more of which can be found on my detailed platform at johndacombe.ca:
Our current Council has done an excellent job increasing the number of rapid flashing beacon crosswalks in Courtenay during their term, improving pedestrian safety in these locations by 80-95%.
But even after expensive “upgrades”, kids are still walking to Vanier Secondary on the side of a road with traffic speeding past, protected only by a white line. Peer-reviewed studies show that “Reducing injury risk to vulnerable child road users is as simple as separating children in time and space from speeding motor vehicles.”
And that’s just one location where our kids are unnecessarily exposed to risk because of poor design and speed, the two biggest factors in the death and injury of children from vehicles.
I address enforcement elsewhere in my platform, and design solutions don’t have to be expensive. In fact, in some cases, cement barrier blocks creating walking paths separated from traffic would provide more protection, cost a fraction of sidewalks, and could be installed in days, not months. If elected and if this idea is supported by the parents of Vanier students, I will introduce a motion in the first 100 days to do exactly that along Headquarters Road.
And we need to close the gaps in our pedestrian infrastructure, which is only as good as its weakest link. That’s going to mean being very loud with BC MOTT, who own and control many of the most dangerous locations in Courtenay for both active transportation and vehicle users.
Most importantly, I will listen to the advice of local residents about unsafe pedestrian locations throughout the City. Local residents know best where the unsafe spots are.
Thanks very much.
John Dacombe for Courtenay Council
Norm McPhail – CVRD Area C
Thank you for reaching out on behalf of the Comox Valley Cycling Coalition. I want to acknowledge CVCCo’s vital role in advocating for active transportation—including walking, cycling, rolling, and using mobility devices—and its importance for safety, health, affordability, and community connection across our region.
As candidate for CVRD Electoral Area C (Puntledge–Black Creek), my background directly aligns with delivering practical, multi-agency infrastructure solutions:
- 32 Years with the RCMP (Retiring as Superintendent): With 15 years on the operational front lines, safety and crisis management are central to my decision-making.
- 5 Years as General Manager of Corporate and Community Services for the Resort Municipality of Whistler: Directed multi-million dollar municipal infrastructure, trails, public safety, and community operations.
- 7 Years as a Strategic Consultant with the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General: Specialized in strategic solutions and unlocking provincial resource partnerships.
In my role as Electoral Area C Director, I would support active transportation through three core strategies:
- Practical Infrastructure & MOTI Coordination: Focus on collaborative, multi-agency planning with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) to secure provincial co-funding for gravel turnouts, designated pedestrian paths, and active transportation connections. Priority areas include high-use rural corridors like the Saratoga Beach/Highway 19A coastal corridor and key municipal fringe interfaces such as Lake Trail, Arden, and Webb roads.
- Neighborhood Safety & Emergency Routes: Integrate active transportation paths with local traffic management and emergency access routes. Protecting pedestrians, cyclists, and families requires clear sightlines, safe shoulder clearance, and coordinated road safety parameters.
- Fiscal Responsibility & Grant Alignment: Leverage my senior administrative and provincial consulting experience to align rural infrastructure priorities with senior-government funding programs, ensuring active transportation investments are delivered efficiently, transparently, and responsibly.
I believe local government works best when representatives listen first and focus on practical, collaborative solutions. I appreciate CVCCo’s efforts in promoting active transportation across the Comox Valley.
Regards,
Norm McPhail
Candidate for CVRD Electoral Area C (Puntledge–Black Creek)
NormMcPhailAreaC@gmail.com | 250-985-9454
NB – I have copied my Agent and Manager for the Campaign
Trish McPail – Courtenay – Mayor
Thank you for your email, I am happy to answer this.
I believe active people lead healthier lives, accessable options throughout our Valley is very important and we all know that our health is our wealth. Being active and healthy benefits everyone. We have the privilege of living in a recreational paradise and we should highlight this and ensure that recreational space (in many forms) is built into our growth plan, that those investments are maintained, and that replacement costs are also included in the budget.
Thank you for taking time to ask, please reach out if you have further questions.
Warmest Wishes,
Trish
Vote Trish
Mission Statement
Johnathan Kerr – Comox – Council
Active transportation plays an important role in fostering a Healthy Community, Healthy People, and a Healthy Environment.
I have a 100% voting record in favour of more bike lanes and active transportation routes, both on Comox Council and on the Comox Valley Regional District board. You can view my voting record at www.healthycomox.ca
For example, I championed the addition of new bike lanes along Aspen and Noel in Comox, the new Lazo Greenway multi-use path, and more regional connectivity via bike lanes and trails. If I am re-elected, I will continue to advocate for continued expansion of active transportation options in Comox and the Valley.
As a member of the Comox Nautical Days Committee, I would like to thank the CV Cycling Coalition for assisting with our bike lock-up again, which was used by a record number of cyclists this year.
Thanks also for your ongoing advocacy, education, and leadership in our community!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jonathan Kerr
Councillor, Town of Comox
Vice-Chair, Comox Valley Regional District
Jonathan Kerr, MD, CCFP, FCFP
(He/Him)
healthycomox@gmail.com
www.healthycomox.ca
Healthy Community, Healthy People, Healthy Environment
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I respectfully acknowledge that I live, work, and play on the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation.
Vickey Brown – Mayor – Cumberland
I believe streets are for people, pedestrians in all of their forms should take priority over vehicles on most streets they are vulnerable and in order to be safe we need to prioritize them. Absolutely we need to move traffic as efficiently as possible and yes, our transit service in the Valley (and especially in the Village) is very infrequent and does not attract a lot of ridership because of that and every bicycle/scooter etc is one less car on our streets making that possible.
I will continue to advocate for Transit improvements at the regional level, I will continue to plan active travel in all of our road improvements, including our shared streets model, bike lanes and more sidewalks. And I will continue to work with regional partners and the Province on safe cycling routes between our communities in the Valley.
Vickey Brown, (she/her) Mayor
p: 250.218.0321 | e: mayor.brown@cumberland.ca
Village of Cumberland
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES: Diverse and Healthy Community | Sustainable Service Delivery | Community Planning
The Village of Cumberland respectfully acknowledges that the land we gather on is on the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of this land.
Gila ‘kasla…Hay ch q’ a’
Evan Jolicoeur – Courtenay – Council
Active transportation is a crucial component to building towards a more healthy, liveable and inclusive community for all. The role of local government is to advance the vision set out in the 2022 OCP, which articulates clear direction on roads, infrastructure, climate, active transportation, affordability, and zoning, among other items. Active transportation and the infrastructure improvements it brings across the community support reducing the risks and harms related to shared spaces including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. It is an equalizer for community members facing affordability challenges or who are unable to drive vehicles (for various reasons), and it supports a reduction in traffic, CO2 emissions, and safety issues. The City of Courtenay has a robust Cycling Network Plan (CNP), a recent transportation master plan, and the Safe & Active Schools Program, which in combination support a comprehensive approach to advancing active transportation infrastructure. More specifically, during this last term, I was one of the only councillors that voted in favour of advancing the Fitzgerald to Cliffe Street project, which included an active transportation component – this work did not pass in the end. I would continue to support the trajectory of the CNP and other plans to address the remaining gaps in the active transportation network. I would continue to advocate to other levels of government to reinstate previous funds for active transportation, as well as seek other funding sources that could leverage Courtenay funding to advance the CNP. I would share the good news of our collective efforts to advance active transportation in the Comox Valley and Courtenay with my contacts among provincial and federal political and Ministerial actors.