Musqueam Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP) - Other Key Areas

I do want to acknowledge there are plenty of things I must learn about our community as I seek a council position. Through the guidance of our elders and respected leaders, I would be excited, eager and more than willing to learn more about issues such as our housing situation and about our elder care services. 40% of our membership lives off reserve due to our long waitlists for housing, lack of land to build on and funding issues. Housing issues do not stop with the aspect that people cannot live on our Reserve #2, but the CCP also goes on to share common issues such as the deterioration of older homes within the reserve. I believe, my prospective job, as a councillor with Musqueam, is to go above and beyond reading about our members concerns within the CCP, but to continue to consult and listen to their feedback on their concerns, issues and questions.

Housing development, while being a small cog within my entire planning degree, has been addressed within my studies. Through consultation with our respected leaders, they've brought to my attention that different councillors have specialized knowledge in different areas. While I am no "housing expert" I have a willingness to learn and grow in areas that I am not too familiar with.

Beyond my key concerns addressed on my website's main page, as a youth and avid athlete myself, I am also interested to see how my experiences can make an impact on Musqueam's Youth Engagement and Community Recreational Needs objectives within our CCP. I want to expand a little more on my excitement about Youth Engagement.

Youth Engagement: With nearly 50% of our membership under 29 years old, it is critically important to engage and support our youth as they inch closer to becoming the future leaders of our community but just as importantly, to ensure their personal and professional development is supported. Programming, support services and educational opportunities pertaining to youth well-being, socio-political education, and cultural learning are all key actions noted within our CCP. The opportunity and vision of our community to bring both our youth and elders together (as stated in the CCP) is another key area I would push forward. I have spoken to both our youth and elders, both groups agree we are in need of revitalizing the idea of a Youth Council. While living in the Okanagan, I had the opportunity to learn from the Osoyoos' Indian Band Youth Council on how they operate, how they're held accountable through their terms of reference, and what duties are delegated to them. Regardless of how the vote goes on Nov 30th, this is an issue our youth are organizing together to bring forward to council.

I remember a short time ago, in my late teenage years, how little interest I had in the political process not only in our community but in our country. Socio-political education brings us together as a society. It brings us together as a community to talk about constructive debates and dialogue on the various differences in our opinions on issues within our community. This Youth Council idea is just one of the many things we can accomplish together to push forward socio-political education.

Supporting Our Elders: I wholeheartedly want to acknowledge our elders. Our matriarchs, our knowledge-keepers. Without our elders and those who have come before us, the "Musqueam Way" would be lost. It is crucially important to our community to continue to develop programming and service to our elders. One note I made about our community's demographic profile in the CCP, is that 16% of our membership is within the 50-59 age category. These percentages mean our seniors (65 and over) within our membership will double in size in the the next 10-15 years. It is important we continue to support our elders now, and in the foreseeable future.