Randy Sunderman

Randy Sunderman Answered

In Kamloops we are facing a critical labour shortage. I feel we, as a City and through Venture Kamloops need to work diligently supporting the attraction of the desired workforce to the community. This would include marketing our community as a desirable place to live and supporting specific attraction efforts. Within this process many of our key employers such as TRU, Interior Health, Highland Valley, Kruger pulp mill, and many of our manufacturers employ unionized a labour force.

Randy Sunderman Answered

The critical issues facing Kamloops include:
1) Shelter - affordability is starting to drift away from many residents;
2) Safety and Security - we lead the province in per capita toxic drug deaths in 2021, we need to change the trajectory;
3) Sustainability - we need to take climate action seriously to protect our environment and community for our children;
4) Spending - I worry a new cycle of inflation will impact the purchasing power of the City and of residents.

Randy Sunderman Answered

I have six strategic focus areas in my platform including: Spending (fiscal responsibility); Safety and Security; Shelter; Supporting Business Success; Sustainability (Climate Action); and Shared Engagement. These are all interconnected and collectively support each other. However, among these, the three that will be priorities for me are:
1) Safety and Security, which includes addressing issues associated with street entrenched people and public safety.
2) Shelter, which is focused on growing and diversifying the housing stock and options that will foster greater affordability for residents and those looking to move to the City.
3) Spending, centred on the City’s focus on ensuring fiscally responsible spending and wise investments are a cornerstone of City budgeting. As the City undertakes new activities such as implementation of the Climate Action Plan or faces headwinds from increased costs such as the increased RCMP budget, carefully considering spending options will be critical.

Randy Sunderman Answered

There are many good models emerging where communities are coming up with innovative approaches to attract and retain health care staff. I like the approach being taken by Quesnel where they not only help the new health professional become familiar with services and welcome in the community but also provide housing solutions. In Quesnel they maintain furnished accommodation so that health professionals can move in and become familiar with the community before setting up their own residents. Not only are they creating a need service sought by health professional they are doing it on a cost recovery basis.

They also work on issues to make sure that if a health professional is coming to the community with a partner that partner is supported in successfully finding suitable employment. This is often critical with retention. These activities can be undertaken with minimal cost to the taxpayers which is also key in exploring approaches.

Randy Sunderman Answered

Firstly, I believe the City and Tk’emlups te Secwepemc should be congratulated on their early work towards reconciliation. Throughout my work career I have had the opportunity to work with numerous Indigenous communities and organizations. Over this time, I have learned that the first thing I need to do is listen. Through respectful dialogue, a path will emerge to continue to work towards reconciliation.

Randy Sunderman Answered

Shelter is one of six strategic focus areas outlined in my platform. The key emphasis of my shelter platform is to grow and diversify the housing stock and to develop policies and initiatives that foster the creation of affordable housing – much of which will benefit the younger generation. I will be focusing on four key actions including:
1) Resourcing and Delivery – Ensure the City’s development services department is fully staffed, new technologies are brought online, and expand upgrading and training opportunities for staff. Ensure that planning and building inspection policies and operating practices are focused on effective, efficient and transparent service delivery.
2) Improve Access to Land: (1) Create an Affordable Housing Task Force to develop recommendations on policy, zoning and regulation changes that accelerate the creation of affordable housing; (2) develop new policies and initiatives for planning and zoning that increase densification and facilitate stratification of lots; (3) undertake a review of current lands within the City to identify potential sites for new affordable housing developments, and (4) work with the provincial government to unlock the land at the Government precinct along Columbia Street to develop a Campus of Care that would accommodate a spectrum of health care services and housing options.
3) Implement Innovative Housing Policy Tools: Use innovative approaches such as the City of Quesnel’s recent acceptance of pre-approval of zoning and building designs for laneway/garden suite buildings. Explore the opportunity to support the creation of a Community Land Trust. Develop new incentives and tools to implement the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy.
4) Establish Performance Metrics & Annual Housing Forum: Develop a dashboard that tracks the diversity of housing being built against specific housing targets. Organize an annual housing forum to discuss innovative affordable housing approaches being used in other communities and have City staff report out on progress in the prior year.

I feel these key actions will help ensure that the housing unit targets outlined in the Kamloops Housing Needs Assessment (2021) are achieved, which project a need for over 1,000 units to be built annually in coming years. Achieving this pace will be critical if we are to ensure affordability in the Kamloops housing market.

Randy Sunderman Answered

It is my understanding that our contracts describe what is to be undertaken by our unionized labour force. There is no reason to contract out this agreed to work activities.

On public/private partnerships there may be opportunities on capital projects where this may be considered. However, I don't see these impacting existing jobs in the City.

Randy Sunderman Answered

With drug toxicity deaths having gone from 26 (2019) to 77 (2021), Kamloops ranks among the highest per capita death rates of municipalities in British Columbia. In an effort to reverse this trajectory, we need to start formulating our own vision. I propose four specific steps as a starting point, including:
1) Working with the community to ensure we have adequate housing for those that need it. The City needs to accelerate its partnerships and play a more direct role with provincial and federal governments, proactively leveraging the resources for the housing we need.
2) Ensuring supports are adequately resourced and can be accessed in a timely manner – too many people are falling through the cracks. The City needs to advocate more specifically for those missing pieces.
3) Pushing for consequences for bad behaviour connected to services along the line of models used in Europe, which connects housing, justice, mental health, and addiction services to address street entrenched persons. Perhaps leverage the justice approach being piloted in Kelowna. Kamloops needs to advocate for a pilot project to test and refine a model like this in Canada. This pilot also needs to include efforts to more actively address property crime and criminal activity with resources the City controls. Acting on crime is an important step for all residents specifically for street entrenched persons as they are often the ones who are the victims of those that choose to break the law.
4) Finally, establishing clear performance measures, working with service organizations and the province to demonstrate progress and value for investments in Kamloops.

Randy Sunderman Answered

The Living Wage for Families BC encourages employers to pay a living wage as well as advocates for government policies that would help families make ends meet. I support this.

This is becoming a more important discussion topic as rents and housing rise and inflation begins to accelerate in our community. Moving forward, a living wage will be important if we want families, our children, and workers to continue to enjoy living in our community or are forced to relocate elsewhere. If you look at my platform focus area on SHELTER (housing affordability and diversity) at my website: www.sunderman-for-council.com you will see how quickly accommodation only is rising above income.

Randy Sunderman Answered

An important part of ethical purchasing is understanding where and how a product is made or sourced. When we buy and purchase local products we are best able to understand where and goods and services come from. Therefore a general campaign of supporting local businesses and workers is an important step in my view to promoting ethical purchasing.

At the City, procurement processes should continue to reflect local content in their evaluation process scoring that recognizes local businesses and content. In addition, the City procurement policy should be revisited from time to time to reflect on our values of ethical sources.

Randy Sunderman Answered

There is a wide range of things local governments can do and are doing to foster green jobs, in Kamloops we have three key opportunities:
1) Venture Kamloops - which is the City's economic development arm, and among other things, is focused on investment and business attraction. Based on the BC government's own projects we will see a fundamental shift in the provincial economy over the next decade. We need to target those green opportunities that have a bright future to locate in Kamloops.
2) Business retention and expansion (BRE) - BRE is fundamental to economic development and we need to ensure we understand the changes that the green economy will bring and support our local business to be leaders in the transition. Among others, already the Kruger pulp mill here in Kamloops is a leader in alternative energy generator.
3) City Climate Action Plan - the City recently completed its climate action plan, many of the bold moves in this plan lend themselves well to fostering new business activities. Instead of seeing just the costs associated with the Climate Action Plan we need to apply a business lens to this plan ensuring that it is also a catalyst for new revenue and wealth creation for and in the City.

Randy Sunderman Answered

Pay equity policy is an important tool in recruiting and retaining a diverse, qualified and committed workforce. I suggest two key steps: 1) A collaborative relation with the City's unionized workforce focused specifically on the challenges of pay equity. 2) However, I also feel, we need to have a broader discussion around other approaches and tools that foster a more flexible and collaborative work environment recognizing the value and needs of a diverse workforce.

Randy Sunderman Answered

In the City of Kamloops I have been involved with:
1) Community Futures Thompson Country (board member for 9 years with 6 years as Treasurer and 1 year as Vice-Chair) - Community Futures has and continues to provide business loans, business support, and economic development support in Kamloops and area. It also manages the employment services in the Merritt area. It has played a key role in many business successes in the region.
2)Venture Kamloops (VK) Business Care Program (board member for 5 years) - Originally started by the North Shore BIA, this program worked continuously in supporting business facing specific challenges and new business start-ups across the City. Over the life of the program many local businesses where provide advice or guidance that helped them survive or expand. While the program has changed, VK along with its partners continues to support business development and retention in the City.
3) Aberdeen Neigbhourhood Association (ANA) (board member 7 years, current President) - ANA focuses on connecting and supporting resident in Aberdeen. Current projects include the Bee Friendly garden development, Adopt-a-Road program, and establishment of a community Forest - all in the West Highlands Park. Past projects include the Winter Carnivals, Coffee Houses, Fire Smart workshop, community garden development, lighting walkways for safety, spring flower give-away, and the odd Neighbourhood Garage Sales. In addition, the ANA has spoken and continues to speak on neighbourhood issues such as ground water, street safety, emergency fire exits, major project development, new residential development and OCP updates.
4) City of Kamloops Revitalization Tax Exemption (RTE) Committee (Community representative, 1 year) - working with business representatives and City staff updated the RTE bylaw which brought in changes for the North Shore and Downtown along with a new hotel revitalization. Key outcomes are efforts to support new daycare development and foster new affordable housing units in the City.
5) Kamloops Voters Society (Board member 9 years, President for 2 years) - this organization speaks to issues of good governance, local government transparency and building community through resident engagement. Recent work includes dialogue with the City on establishing a new heavy industrial, investigating and advocating for change to TNRD spending and governance approaches, and undertaking larger community resident surveys on the implication of street issues in the City and TNRD spending concerns.
5) Kamloops Area Preservation Association (Board member 5 years) - this organizations speaks to issues associated with the Kamloops area environment.
6) Kamloops Kiwanis Club (member 3 years) - this organization raises funding for residents undergoing hardship and children's programming. Involved in fund raising for the NorKam Key Club, A Way Home Kamloops and many others.
7) Kamloops Chamber of Commerce ( member 3 years) - A key business support organization in Kamloops that does advocacy and research on many City issues impact business locally.

Outside the City I have been involved in:
8) BC Economic Development Association (Board member for 5 years of which 3 years as Treasurer) - this organization focused on supporting economic development officers across the province and advocated for local economic development approaches.
9) FORREX's (Forest Research Extension Partnership), socio-economic advisory committee (Committee member 3 years) - this committee focused on ensuring research of major industries, better understood Indigenous values in land management, and rural communities involvement in land use decisions was recognized in FORREX research.
10) BC Government's Inland Port Steering Committee (served as interior economic development representative for Ministry (2 years) - This project has led to one of the development of the Inland Port in Ashcroft which is now one of the largest employers in the Ashcroft and Cache Creek area.

Randy Sunderman Answered

I am self-employed so not a part of a union. However, I am previously a member of both the BCGEU and IWA.

Randy Sunderman Answered

I have been a financial agent for three different candidates in past municipal elections. I have worked on campaigns for several quality candidates running both provincially and federally over the years.