Stephen Hammond
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Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
No, I am 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?
I’ve lived in the City of Victoria for 17 years.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
Lawyer by trade. Professional speaker, consultant & author regarding workplace behaviours for last 30 years.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I ran for mayor in 2018, coming in second to Mayor Helps. I am actively involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, am vice-chair of the Gorge View [Housing] Society, and previously sat on the board of Our Place Society. Over the years I’ve been a board member of the Tenants Rights Action Coalition (under new name) and the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. My partner and I sponsored a couple under the Tibetan Resettlement Project, I hosted a fundraiser for the Anne Frank Exhibit and have been involved with, and contributed to many charities, including, Amnesty International.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
I want to make Victoria a better place to live for everyone. I want a safer and cleaner city. I want to spend taxpayers’ money like it was my own and won’t treat people’s homes and businesses as the city’s ATM. I want to listen to specialists, but not to the exclusion of those affected. I want neighbourhoods to have a say in housing. I want to stop city policies that actually raise the price of land. I want to work with the province and the federal government for real progress on affordable housing and real supports for the homeless.
What are your top three issues?
1. A Safer City for Everyone: We have people saying they won’t go downtown or into other parts of the city. Victoria should be the safest city in Canada and our council needs to support ways to get there.
2. Realistic Support for Housing: Victoria can’t solve the housing crisis on its own. The City should partner with other levels of government to fund affordable housing. New market initiatives should protect tenants and allow neighbourhood input.
3. Focusing on City services: Council should focus on municipal services - spending more time on issues within our mandate, focusing on local solutions.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
My vision is a Victoria that is the safest city in Canada. No one will feel uncomfortable in any part of our city. Instead of comparing ourselves to other cities like Amsterdam or New York, their citizens will compare themselves to us. We will support many modes of active transportation, with more people wanting to walk, cycle and take transit, and not feel bad about using their cars. I envision a city that creates public policy, not by confrontation, but by consensus after community input. Because our city did proper planning, we will have a greater range of housing options and no will need to sleep in parks. I envision a city that works collaboratively with our region, our province and the feds.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
My big idea is a bigger, more efficient city. That is, amalgamation. If the “Citizens Assembly” concludes that amalgamation is a good idea, then I’d encourage other municipalities in the region to join in, finding a way to more effectively meet the needs of our growing region. We could have full amalgamation, or at the very least, start by sharing more services, which will prevent overlaps, lead to taxpayer cost savings, and create a safer city. In our desire to get more people out of cars, or to respond to our aging population, a regional city will be more open to giving better options where it makes sense to take active transportation. I don’t own this big idea, but I share in it with others.
