My ten priorities for the District of North Vancouver

Every promise on this page, tracked in public from day 100.

• Within 100 days of taking office, I will publish a personal commitment tracker and seek Council support for an official municipal delivery dashboard.
• The tracker will show original deadlines, Council decisions, outside dependencies, progress and evidence of completion. Proposed budgets and Council-approved budgets will be shown separately.
• Updates will be published every quarter. Delays, revised targets and commitments that do not proceed will be explained openly.
• Within six months of taking office, I will bring forward an initial implementation plan covering every priority and neighbourhood commitment. It will show existing District work that already meets part of each one, the extra staff time and spending needed, first-year actions versus later-term projects, and which items depend on funding or Council decisions.

The estimated program cost has grown from about $700 million to $3.86 billion. I believe North Shore ratepayers should not carry that increase alone.

• Settlement money: Metro Vancouver received a $235 million settlement from the original contractor in May 2026. I will press for the largest possible share of those funds to benefit North Shore ratepayers, and for a public accounting of how the settlement is allocated.
• Independent inquiry: I will support a full, independent inquiry into the cost overruns, and push for the fullest lawful public release of Metro Vancouver’s review and government responses.
• Fair cost-sharing: I will seek Council’s appointment as the District’s representative on the Metro Vancouver board, and advocate for fairer regional cost-sharing. I will ask Victoria and Ottawa for capital funding, debt-servicing help and targeted ratepayer relief.
• Resident petition: I will launch a North Shore wastewater fairness petition, open to residents, businesses and neighbouring councils.
• Quarterly reports: I will report every quarter on advocacy, government responses and funding decisions, including what any relief means for a typical household bill.

See the full wastewater plan

Every dollar justified before Council asks residents for more.

• In my first year, I will propose a core service review to find savings, duplication and services that could be delivered better.
• I will seek Council support to set an annual budget target that holds the increase in the municipal property-tax levy on existing properties at or below inflation, measured by the previous year’s B.C. all-items Consumer Price Index. Any proposed increase above that benchmark will come with a public explanation of its causes, alternatives and effect on services. Utility fees, and costs set by Metro Vancouver, the Province or TransLink, will be shown separately.
• Each budget will include a plain-language breakdown: what the District controls, what it does not, and what a typical homeowner and business will pay.
• New spending in this platform will be funded from savings or partner contributions wherever possible. Grants will not be counted until approved, and any tax impact will be stated before Council votes.

The tax record: eight budgets, 2019 to 2026

A first-term target of securing sites, approvals and funding partnerships for 1,000 affordable rental and co-op homes.

• I will work with non-profit, co-operative and other qualified housing partners on suitable District-owned and partner lands. The focus is rental and co-op housing, where affordability can be protected long-term.
• What “secured” means: progress will be tracked at each stage: site identified, site secured, project approved, financing committed, under construction and occupied. A home will count toward the 1,000 target only once its site is secured, the project is approved and its financing is committed.
• Affordability will be defined before any project is approved: income bands by household size, maximum rents (and whether utilities are included), and how long the affordability terms last, with a goal of at least 60 years.
• Within my first year, I will bring forward a feasibility and financing plan naming available sites, realistic capacity, affordability levels and milestones. It will pursue provincial programs through BC Housing, including BC Builds for middle-income homes, and federal programs. Because BC Builds does not provide the ongoing subsidies lower-income households need, the plan will show separately how deeper affordability would be funded. No funding will be counted until committed.
• If the evidence requires changes to the target, I will explain them publicly.
• Where the law and funding agreements allow, I will support transparent local-connection criteria for residents facing displacement and people who work in our community, considered alongside income and housing need.

Read the full plan: who decides, what Max proposes, the trade-offs

A public list of District bottlenecks within 100 days, better coordination to reduce avoidable overlapping closures, and simpler resident parking at parks.

• Within my first 100 days, I will seek Council support to publish an initial ranking of ten priority District traffic bottlenecks, using available delay, safety and traffic data, and flag where more study is needed before work can be designed.
• I will bring forward a phased improvement plan with estimated costs, funding options and early actions.
• I will propose a shared construction calendar that coordinates municipal, utility and development roadwork. Emergency work and projects controlled by others will be clearly marked.
• On Highway 1, the bridges and the Ironworkers approach, which the Province controls, I will press the Province and TransLink for timelines and for coordination with District roadwork.
• Park parking: I will propose simpler annual registration for the resident parking pass at parks including Deep Cove, Panorama and Whey-ah-Wichen / Cates, an option for people without smartphones, and fewer unnecessary repeat check-ins. A lot-by-lot review will balance turnover, accessible spaces and longer stays. Some changes may depend on the operator contract and technology, and any change will state its cost and effect on availability.

Read the full plan: who decides, what Max proposes, the trade-offs

No major rezoning or District growth plan without a clear public answer on District infrastructure, who pays, and what depends on schools and transit.

I am not anti-housing. I am pro-infrastructure: new homes need the water, sewer, roads, schools and transit to support them.

• I will propose public infrastructure-capacity and financing statements for major discretionary rezonings and District-led growth plans, consistent with provincial law. “Major” will be defined by Council using clear thresholds, such as the number of homes or floor area.
• Each statement will show existing District capacity for water, sewer, drainage and roads, required upgrades, expected timing and who is expected to pay. It will separate confirmed funding from proposed contributions.
• Schools, transit and other services controlled by partner agencies will be reported separately, as dependencies the District cannot guarantee.
• The process will build on existing engineering work, with independent review where a project’s scale or risk warrants it.

One coordinating contact at Municipal Hall for your business, and a pilot for livelier evenings in our town centres.

• I will propose a business concierge: one coordinating contact for commercial applications, expansions and small-business renovations.
• I will ask for current processing times to be reported publicly, then propose realistic service targets based on that data, including a coordinated first response and a target time to decision for defined categories of complete applications. Reports will separate District review time from time waiting on applicants or outside agencies, and the proposal will include a staffing and cost assessment.
• Processing times, missed targets and fixes will be reported publicly every quarter.
• I will seek Council approval for a one-year evening activity pilot with businesses and community groups: food vendors, small live performances, community talent nights and voluntary extended hours. It will have a set budget, accessibility and operating conditions, and will be judged on attendance, neighbourhood impacts, safety and business results.
• Investment outreach will focus on film, digital production and clean technology, while supporting the businesses already here.

Faster municipal reviews and an assessment of District spaces for childcare.

• I will propose a priority review stream for new and expanding childcare facilities, with early coordination between applicants, District staff and Vancouver Coastal Health.
• I will seek an assessment of underused District-owned spaces that could host childcare, including conversion costs, accessibility and operating viability. Where feasible, operators will be chosen through a transparent process. Provincial capital funding will be pursued, but no space or grant will be counted until it is confirmed.
• Success will be measured by licensed spaces that actually open. Provincial licensing and safety rules remain in full effect.

Students deserve safe schools, safe routes home and protection from drug trafficking and exploitation.

• I will seek a coordinated school-safety plan with North Vancouver RCMP, the North Vancouver School District and community partners to assess reported drug activity near schools and identify where more prevention and enforcement resources are needed.
• I will advocate for visible patrols and focused enforcement where police evidence identifies trafficking or threats to students, while respecting the RCMP’s responsibility for operational decisions.
• I will support clear reporting channels for students, parents and school staff, alongside drug education, early intervention and access to youth support services.
• The District’s draft 2026–2030 financial plan shows RCMP staffing at 119 members, unchanged from 2025 and down from 129 in 2022, and anticipates a return to historical levels by 2030. I will request a public explanation of both the reduction and the restoration schedule, including whether it can be accelerated, separating authorized positions, funded positions, vacancies and officers available for duty.
• Where the assessment identifies staffing gaps affecting public safety, I will bring forward a costed proposal with Council and the RCMP.
• I will seek regular public progress reports that protect students’ privacy and ongoing investigations.

A risk-ranked plan with real targets, and a plan for residents who can’t simply drive away.

• I will seek a risk-ranked prevention and preparedness work plan that first sets out current fuel-treatment and FireSmart property-assessment capacity, then sets measurable targets matched to available resources.
• Working with North Shore Emergency Management, and seeking collaboration with neighbouring First Nations, I will support alert tests, tabletop exercises and voluntary community drills.
• Plans will address people without vehicles, residents who need assistance and accessible emergency communication.
• Preparedness will cover wildfire, smoke, extreme heat, flooding, earthquakes and power outages. Public guidance will make clear that real-time emergency instructions always come first.

Read the full plan: who decides, what Max proposes, the trade-offs