2026 Charlottetown Municipal Election Questionnaire

No, I don’t believe that the City’s current approach to planning and development adequately considers the capacity of municipal services.  We can see this in other areas as well including parking where we have failed infrastructure. We need to ensure that firefighters get to calls on time and also have access to the water supply/pressure and equipment (hoses and ladders) that they need to access taller buildings.  We also need to ensure that firefighters have adequate training for larger structure fires.  When it comes to the accessory dwelling units, we need to ensure that they are built with proper egress. 

Yes, this is how we ensure we keep pace with growth.  If we were to adopt a mandatory five year review and ten year full update, then we could analyze what capacity of the fire service looks like for the next five and ten years and if it is aligned with the plan.

The City considers municipal capacity in its development decisions, but we can and must continue to improve. As Mayor, I will ensure that major developmental decisions are informed by professional advice on fire-service capacity, including emergency access, water supply, station coverage, equipment and staffing. Charlottetown’s growth must be matched by responsible planning that protects public safety.

I believe this is somewhat case-by-case, but as population density changes, we need to be ready. This means making sure that we do not overburden existing services. We need to build the capacity of our emergency services first, then build within that capacity.

I do not believe municipal-service capacity should be separated from development approvals.

I was recently in a meeting with the entire council of a smaller Island municipality concerning a proposed development that would add a number of rental units. The Fire Chief was sitting at the table with us. He understood the proposal and was able to give immediate, positive feedback about the municipality’s ability to provide fire protection for the development.

I thought that was a very good example of integrated municipal planning.

I recognize that Charlottetown processes far more development applications and it may not be practical for the Fire Chief personally to attend every planning meeting. But the principle is the important part: someone with responsibility and expertise in emergency response should be part of the process whenever a development could materially affect emergency-service requirements.

There are structures, locations and development situations where potential difficulties in emergency access, firefighting, evacuation or service capacity can reasonably be foreseen. I do not always see evidence that those questi ons are being brought to the forefront of Charlottetown’s planning process.

When the City considers significant additional density, taller buildings, large subdivisions, commercial projects or industrial development, Council should understand the resulting demands on fire protection and emergency response before making its decision.

For major developments and significant planning changes, I would require a municipal-services capacity assessment that includes fire and emergency services.

That does not mean elected officials tell the Fire Chief how to deploy firefighters. It means Council needs professional advice about the service implications before it makes land-use decisions.

We should not approve growth first and discover the emergency-service consequences later.

No, I don’t believe it has received enough consideration.
We’ve approved growth without always having an honest discussion about what that growth means for fire protection and other City services. That needs to change.

When major developments come before Council, fire service capacity should be part of the discussion. Can firefighters reach it quickly? Do they have the people and equipment needed? Does the development create new risks?

I support growth, but we have to plan for it properly. Public safety cannot be figured out after the buildings are already there.

To ensure emergency infrastructure keeps pace with growth of Charlottetown, we must embed fire and emergency response requirements directly into statutory (strategic) planning documents and financial frameworks.

I do not agree with the city's current plans of expansion and development and would like to see those plans scaled down as they do not accommodate affordability for most citizens of the city, also I do not believe Charlottetown needs to be like any other token capital city with giant buildings everywhere, pollution brought in by ever expanding industrial spaces. We are a small place that functions better as a large community than a place ruled by companies demanding constant upward growth and profit. As well the charm of the city is the uniqueness of the style of buildings and how well the old aesthetic is maintained, adding tons of new construction to end up looking like one big brutalist hellscape will serve no one that isn’t absurdly rich. I do not think that they factor in for emergency response in general as the city has grown continuously and we have hardly seen an expansion to these services at the municipal or provincial level and it has become a prominent worry of mine given that I along with thousands of members of our community could easily be a victim of insufficient emergency responses as people with physically limiting disabilities like me are almost all but left of out the conversation. Why does our current government not plan for this more I suspect comes down to it not benefiting the people funding their major projects and parties. I believe collecting statistics, referencing functional examples, consulting with experts as well as our current roster of personnel is the best way to keep up with the cities' needs and to plan for the future of the city as the people involved directly in the day-to-day work know it best. Yes, the city should always factor all emergency services into all aspects of development and planning. I believe I have sufficiently covered how that should work in my opinion.