Age/occupation: 25, special assistant to an MP
The city of Coquitlam is spending too much time accommodating housing developments and has not put enough effort into attracting jobs for its new residents.
That's the message Andy Shen has been pushing throughout his campaign, telling voters that council needs to find a better balance between commercial, industrial and residential zoning.
"I don't think we should just focus on the residential, as the current council is doing," said the Westwood Plateau resident. "There is not enough office space in Coquitlam. Businesses don't want to come here."
He also said entrepreneurs are staying away from Coquitlam because property taxes are too high, although he is not sure that a tax rate cut is possible. Shen said he would like to see the rate of annual increases slow and believes that some of the property tax rates can be offset by the increase in home value assessments.
"I want to focus on bringing that increase down and reducing the overall tax the city brings in," he said. "It has to be sustainable long term."
If council is successful at attracting more jobs to Coquitlam, Shen believes it will lead to a decrease in regional traffic congestion. Right now, he said, too many residents are driving west to Vancouver and Burnaby for work, a problem that could be mitigated if there was better employment opportunities closer to home.
