Eagle Glassheim - 2nd Campaign Letter

Dear fellow UNA members,

 

This is the second of two notes I’ll send you on the election for the UNA Board of Directors.  I’ll outline a few key items from my platform in order to give you an idea of how I would represent you on the Board.

 

If elected, I would work collaboratively with other Board members and the UNA staff to ensure that the UNA delivers services effectively, advocates with UBC and the Province on behalf of residents’ interests, and maintains public spaces and programming that meet the needs of all of our diverse residents and neighbourhoods. 

 

This would include:

 

1. Creating UNA311.ca to give residents a voice and to hold UNA and UBC accountable for services and infrastructure.
   
   UBC neighbourhoods are a tangle of overlapping jurisdictions and responsibilities for what the UNA calls “municipal-like services.”  I’m calling on the UNA and UBC jointly to create an online 311 service (UNA311.ca) to answer questions; address non-emergency concerns about sidewalks, roads, and services; and connect residents to the municipal resources they need.
   
   
2. Using the UNA Board’s democratic legitimacy to press UBC and the Province for safer roads and crossings, fully accessible sidewalks, and environmentally and socially sustainable land-use practices and services.  
   
   

The UNA Board is the only democratically-elected representative of the interests and values of UBC’s close to 15,000 full-time residents.  Our neighbourhoods are owned and governed by UBC.  As residents here, we may share many goals of the University.  But the UNA Board should use its democratic legitimacy to ensure that the University is accountable to residents, and that it upholds its commitments to sustainability, livability, and public safety.

3. Increasing the UNA’s advocacy and information for stratas seeking upgrades to energy efficiency, electric vehicle (EV) charging capacity, sustainable landscaping, and building safety.

 

A sizable proportion of University Neighbourhood residents live in stratas, some built over three decades ago.  Working with UBC, Metro Vancouver, and the Province, the UNA should help guide stratas to available resources and support for sustainability and safety upgrades.  Given our location and climate, this should include earthquake safety and vulnerability to forest fires and wind damage.

 

4. Vigorously representing UNA residents’ interests in UBC’s Campus Vision 2050 land-use planning process.
   
   

We need a UNA Board that will advocate strongly for sustainable, transit-, pedestrian-, and bicycle-oriented neighbourhoods; for the thoughtful and resident-centred integration of new neighbourhoods and the sky-train into the existing fabric of land uses at UBC; and for a healthy balance of academic, residential, recreational, and retail space in future UNA neighbourhoods.  (We need more grocery stores at UBC!)

 

If you have any questions, suggestions, or complaints, please feel free to contact me any time ateagle.glassheim@gmail.com.
  

Eagle Glassheim

Candidate for the UNA Board of Directors

 

As a membership society, the UNA shares members’ contact information with Board candidates for election-related communications.  You can find more information on the UNA’s society status and the member list at: https://www.myuna.ca/society/