Two-time Parksville city councillor hoping to be the next mayor

Having eight years of experience as a Parksville city councillor, which included a liaison role involving business, arts, education and tourism, Beil said it refined what the local issues are to her.

“All of those lenses and those different perspectives brings together a very fulsome picture of the community, of the needs and wants,” the 40-year Parksville resident told NanaimoNewsNOW.

With extended water restrictions and ever-escalating service rates a concern, Beil stated without hesitation that water availability is a top worry people have locally.

She said the City is committed to securing additional supply, pointing to phase one of a water management study completed in response to climate change and population increases.

“It has identified a target, a number of 2.2 million cubic meters of additional water that will be needed to improve reliability rates going into the future, so this is not just short-term, but long-term.”

Beil expanded on other focus areas she hopes the next iteration of Parksville city council tackles.

Continuing with active transportation improvements, such as a pending overhaul of Stanford Ave. East, was mentioned by Beil as a template for other streets when funding and staff time arise.

While she didn’t state specifics, Beil pointed to the need to further invest in recreation amenities to benefit the entire community, including young families.

Expanded non-market housing stock was also mentioned by Beil as a required focus moving forward.

She said numerous local organizations representing a wide variety of interests have a common goal of enhanced affordable housing availability.

“This would really help, in particular young families come into the area, it would help address commercial needs — we have business owners who have difficulty finding and retaining staff, for healthcare workers that might be wanting to come into our area.”

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by Ian Holmes

Two-time Parksville city councillor hoping to be the next mayor

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