Oak Bay Heritage Commission chair and former councillor, Cairine Green, announced her intention to seek a seat on Oak Bay council in the October municipal election.
Green served a term as a councillor here from 2011–14.
“Oak Bay has missed some important opportunities over the last four years to be more proactive and more focused on addressing community concerns,” says Green. “Local government works best when residents are engaged and decision-making is timely and fully transparent. Oak Bay deserves a council as smart and hard-working as the people who live here.”
Green brings varied experience, from serving as a municipal councillor in both Oak Bay and North Saanich, and working on the Oak Bay Heritage Commission, the Our Place Society Board and the BC College of Applied Biology Council.
As a former municipal councillor, she represented her communities at the Capital Regional District as alternate director and on committees responsible for housing, labour relations, theatre arts, wastewater and solid waste, the environment and agriculture.
She has been a member of the Oak Bay Heritage Commission since 2015, serving as its chair for the last two years. She plans to step down as chair later this summer in order to contest the fall election.
“There are a host of important challenges in front of us now that will shape Oak Bay’s future for years to come,” said Green. “I care about how well council will deal with them: housing; development practices; proper funding of public infrastructure like water, drainage and sewer systems; environmental protection of urban forests, parks, green spaces and the marine foreshore; transportation planning; and, robust heritage conservation.”
While chair of the Oak Bay Heritage Commission, she supported the sub-committee working with residents to successfully increase the number of heritage registrations and designations and expand Oak Bay’s Heritage Register. The Commission is also actively involved in supporting the Prospect Heritage Conservation Area proposal that is currently being developed by a municipal working committee.
“Oak Bay’s strength lies in the talents of its people and the diversity of its neighbourhoods and natural beauty,” said Green. “I care about our community and know that its future depends on effective local government that actively seeks public input, is proactive, and that plans ahead with a clear vision for the way forward.”
She is the former vice-chair and a current board director and governance committee member of Our Place Society and is lay councillor and sub-committee member of audit, practice and ethics reviews for the BC College of Applied Biology, the provincial regulatory body for BC’s 2,200 professional biologists and biology technicians.
In addition to a Master’s degree in Education focused on counselling and interpersonal communication, Green has extensive professional experience in social, human resources, Indigenous and educational policy.
“Local government requires leadership from a council that has a strong commitment to share information and involve Oak Bay residents early, so that decisions about our future are well informed and strongly supported,” said Green. “Getting council out to talk to and connect with community and neighbourhood organizations and residents where they live would be a good start.”
To learn more, visit Green’s website at wherewelive.cairinegreen.ca