Colleen James

Other priority not listed abovecandidate's own words

Water is fundamental infrastructure, and we need to plan for both current needs and future growth. My approach has been to support a forward-looking water resiliency strategy rather than making short-term decisions that could leave future residents and communities vulnerable. That means continuing aggressive water conservation and demand management, while also evaluating alternative water sources and larger infrastructure options. At the same time, development approvals need to be tied to realistic water capacity, with a clear and transparent allocation framework. I also recognize that some solutions—particularly major new water infrastructure—are beyond the Region's ability to deliver alone and may require provincial and federal partnership. We should not simply approve growth and hope water supply catches up. We also should not close the door on growth when there are responsible solutions available. The priority should be building resiliency, protecting existing communities, and making evidence-based decisions about how and where we allocate our limited water resources.

Describe your position on how the Region should resolve this issue and what timeline is realistic.candidate's own words

The Region should take a phased, evidence-based approach to resolving the long-term water supply challenge. We need to address the immediate capacity constraints while simultaneously investing in conservation, demand management and the evaluation of additional water sources. I support establishing a clear water resiliency and allocation framework that identifies how much capacity is available, what level of resiliency we need to maintain, and how future development should be phased accordingly. This should include continued exploration of alternative sources and major infrastructure options, with independent technical and financial analysis before committing to significant capital investments. We also need to recognize that the Region cannot resolve every aspect of this issue on its own. Major water infrastructure may require provincial and federal approvals, funding and partnership, so we should be engaging those governments early rather than waiting until capacity becomes critical. A realistic timeline is immediate action on conservation and allocation, with a 1–2 year period to complete the technical work and establish the long-term strategy, followed by phased implementation of the preferred supply and infrastructure solutions over the next 5–10 years. The key is to avoid both extremes: we should not approve growth without a credible water plan, but we also should not assume that the only solution is to stop growth. We need to plan for resiliency, make responsible allocations and invest ahead of the crisis.