Where the candidates stand on homelessness and supportive housing

• Daniel Deal (for mayor) In the middle

  “I would direct people to the property on 39900 Government Road. This should help greatly with supportive housing space. https://squamish.ca/projects-plans-and-initiatives/projects-and-initiatives/supportive-and-affordable-housing-39900-government-road/”

• Sean Easton (for mayor) Somewhat agrees

  “The slated Pioneer Way and Hearth and Home projects must go ahead to meet the need, but they must be designed in partnership with residents in appropriate locations.”

• Jenna Stoner (for mayor) Strongly agrees

  “Squamish is 1 of only 15 communities in the province designated under HEART and HEARTH, and I supported that. I also understand why people worry when a site is proposed near them. Those concerns are usually about safety, about kids walking to school, and about not being told until the decision was made. Most of the time the problem is the process, not the housing. Residents need to be in the conversation early, and the operator has to stay accountable to the neighbourhood long after opening day. We have pushed for this inclusion - and secured it through written agreement - with all new BC Housing projects in Squamish”

• Sean Goodwin Somewhat agrees

  “If the Heart and Hearth is to be for Squamish, I think the best route would be to create a unified complex within the business park. A place that encompasses everything that Under One Roof and Helping Hands provides while keeping it within a reasonable proximity to amenities, the new Walmart now provides clothing food and a pharmacy. Residents of this space would also benefit from a third of the response time from EMT's and RCMP, while also creating a better distance from people's houses and parks.”

• Andrew Hamilton Strongly agrees

  “It is clear that the current number of shelter beds and supportive housing units in Squamish isn't enough to serve the folks who need support. So yes, I believe Squamish needs more shelter and supportive-housing spaces. I also agree with the concerns raised by folks living near shelter spaces. This issue is often framed as support for folks in need OR enforcement of laws and bylaws. Like so many challenging conversations, I believe the best path forward will require both. We need to invest more in preventing street disorder to reduce the impact shelters and supportive housing have on surrounding neighbourhoods.”

• A. John Lowe Somewhat disagrees

  “We cannot simply disregard those people who would be directly affected by the ongoing support that our homeless need. What i don't like to see is any homeless being downloaded to our community from outside our area. Squamish has always looked after its own. Which is evident in the things we have done in the past through church organizations and private business people in the town.”

• Luc Perreault Somewhat disagrees

  “I think we need to find a balance. Supporting the most vulnerable members of our community should always be part of the conversation. Everyone deserves dignity, safety, and access to the services they need to get back on their feet. At the same time, we have a responsibility to residents, families, and businesses who want safe and welcoming neighbourhoods. That's why I believe supportive housing needs to be paired with the right services, support staff, and community safety resources. I support expanding supportive housing, but I also believe location matters and each proposal should be evaluated carefully. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all solution. We need honest conversations with residents, service providers, and the people who will be living in these homes. My goal would be to find solutions that help our most vulnerable residents while maintaining the quality of life that people expect in their neighbourhoods. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do believe we need to keep working together to find solutions that are compassionate, practical, and work for the entire community.”

• Laura Prosko In the middle

  “Our Official Community Plan and land-use priorities must address the need for more shelter and supportive housing while carefully considering locations, neighbourhood impacts and community safety.”

• Chris Ryan Strongly disagrees

  “Take a page from LNG, province should buy one of the floatels to create a instant floating rehab hospital”

• Shaun Veltkamp Somewhat agrees

  “I believe the Provincial and Federal governments need to step in with regards to funding for those that need shelters and supportive housing. With a low taxpayer base and an unsupported Economic Development Department currently, we need to very clear on how our tax dollars are spent to benefit the entire community.”

Comments candidates added when answering our questionnaire, unedited.

• Daniel Deal (for mayor) Didn’t pick an answer

  “This is a mixed government issue. Although, it impacts the community directly, regional, and municipal funding is necessary to make notable change.”

• Sean Easton (for mayor) In the middle

  “This is a complex issue, and any decision should be made in partnership with all the people affected - including service users, social service organizations, and local neighbors - not dictated by Mayor and Council.”

• Jenna Stoner (for mayor) Strongly disagrees

  “Moving services doesn't move need, it makes help harder to reach. What downtown deserves is real support alongside it: outreach, bylaw, cleanliness, and businesses and neighbours to feel supported.”

• Andrew Hamilton Strongly disagrees

  “Moving the challenges elsewhere would simply cost a lot of money. We must find a way to manage street disorder.”

• A. John Lowe Somewhat disagrees

  “under one roof can be better utilized in my mind for a variety of local needs more suitable to the area. Those people wo have purchased homes in the are are feeling the pressure on a daily basis. We need areas for our seniors and possible this might be an option . The homeless are a needy group that we can best serve be finding or building a better location that suites their need. The downtown core does not lend itself to their needs or those of the local residents. The homeless by their own require space to be themselves and be given the ability to get back to a better life. There are areas which surround Squamish that can be made available to take into account their special needs. I believe we can make this work for their best interest .”

• Anders Ourom Strongly disagrees

  “It is unclear how this facility could be "moved" out of downtown, or how that would be paid for.”

• Luc Perreault Somewhat agrees

  “I believe we need to take a serious look at how supportive housing and related services are distributed throughout the community. I fully support helping vulnerable people and ensuring they have access to shelter, housing, and the services they need. At the same time, I think we need to be honest about the challenges that residents, businesses, and visitors have raised regarding the concentration of services in the downtown core. Downtown is where a lot of the community comes together. It's home to Municipal Hall, the library, local businesses, restaurants, community events, and many of the places we encourage visitors to explore. It's also an area where residents should feel comfortable living, working, and spending time. My concern is not with the people who need help. My concern is whether we have the right balance and the right support systems in place. I think it's reasonable to review whether our current approach is working for everyone and whether services could be delivered more effectively. I would support a community discussion that includes residents, businesses, service providers, and the people using these services. The goal should be finding solutions that support vulnerable individuals while also maintaining a safe, welcoming, and vibrant downtown. I also believe supportive housing needs to be paired with appropriate supports, community safety measures, and enforcement when necessary. Housing alone is not enough. At the end of the day, I want a compassionate community that helps those in need, but I also want a downtown that residents can be proud of, businesses can thrive in, and visitors want to return to. I believe we can achieve both if we're willing to have honest conversations and work together on practical solutions.”

• Laura Prosko In the middle

  “The OCP and land use planning (and vision for our community) has to come first and I believe more community engagement to see what the community and residents would like to see.”

• Chris Ryan Strongly disagrees

  “I experienced first hand the good this project does for people like my late friend from the mount curry band, Curtis Loy. The program works, and the tenent there are good people whom I have met. Now the encampment beside and arond under one roof needs to be moved. Also, a injection site beside our library, day care, park and residents of under one roof who are not the cliental”

• Shaun Veltkamp Somewhat agrees

  “This is another item that needs to be addressed in a respectful and efficient manner. Moving them away from businesses does not 'just move the problem', it moves some of the negative impacts of the problem. Businesses should not have to suffer unfair consequences.”

Comments candidates added when answering our questionnaire, unedited.

• Daniel Deal (for mayor) Strongly disagrees

  “No, the unhoused, are a vulnerable group. Clearing and removing encampments without the proper social structure, will just lead to another encampment elsewhere.”

• Sean Easton (for mayor) Strongly disagrees

  “Clearing an encampment with nowhere for people to go just moves the problem down the street — the real fix is the housing and services that prevent it in the first place, while enforcement should focus on illegal and antisocial behaviour.”

• Jenna Stoner (for mayor) Strongly disagrees

  “The courts have been clear that encampments can't be cleared unless sufficient shelter and supportive housing exist. Beyond the law, clearing a camp with nowhere to send people just moves it down the block.”

• Andrew Hamilton In the middle

  “We need both shelter and enforcement.”

• A. John Lowe Strongly agrees

  “Encampments of this type help no one it encourages theft and vandalism. Help is not allowing this situation to grow. Work with what we can do help those who seek assistance and be prepared as a community to help those we can.”

• Luc Perreault Somewhat disagrees

  “This is one of the toughest challenges facing our community. I understand why people want encampments cleared. They can create safety concerns for the people living there, nearby residents, businesses, and the environment. But simply clearing an encampment without another option usually just moves the problem somewhere else. I believe we need an immediate solution that balances compassion with accountability, while working toward a long-term solution that improves safety and helps restore prosperity in our downtown. We need to support people who are struggling, but we also need to make sure residents, businesses, and visitors feel safe in our community. I want to see stronger community policing and more support for the RCMP in dealing with repeat offenders who are creating safety concerns. We need to help people who want help, but there also need to be consequences for those who continue to harm the community. If there were an easy solution, we would have found it already. My focus will be on improving public safety, increasing accountability, supporting local businesses, and working toward long-term housing and support solutions that treat people with dignity and respect.”

• Laura Prosko In the middle

  “I address this in my Five Point Plan.”

• Chris Ryan Strongly agrees

  “We need the provincial government to supply a parcel of land and funding for the mess they created the last 10 years”

• Shaun Veltkamp In the middle

  “Encampments need to be moved when they become dangerous. Why are we not leveraging under utilized District property to support those who need it with a safe space and specific services?”

Comments candidates added when answering our questionnaire, unedited.

• Sean Easton (for mayor) Strongly agrees

  “Yes - both safe spaces and a permit system for vehicle residents, built together with the people it affects, will give everyone a safe place to sleep and the right to quiet enjoyment.”

• Jenna Stoner (for mayor) Somewhat agrees

  “The District owns lots that could work, and vehicle residents have brought forward their own ideas about what that could look like. It's important to be clear that a safe-lot program doesn't make bylaw requirements disappear, and that doing it properly takes time and resources.”

• Andrew Hamilton In the middle

  “People needing social assistance should receive it. But that is a provincial jurisdiction. People who don't need social assistance should contribute to municipal infrastructure costs, after all, "Everybody Poops" [Taro Gomi].”

• A. John Lowe Somewhat agrees

  “With limits this can be a helpful situation for the district and businesses. It would help to control wandering units and give certainty to those that need it either in short term or long term. The areas that can support this should be identified and possible allowed p to establish a business”

• Laura Prosko In the middle

  “The Tourism Master Plan needs to get completed - it was suppose to be complete in 2025 and it has not and campaign / vehicle usage is addressed in there.”

• Chris Ryan Strongly agrees

  “There needs include outhouses and garbage bin, but needs a daily fee to pay for the maintanence”

• Shaun Veltkamp Strongly agrees

  “This can very easily be pilot programmed by the DOS to create a safe, clean space for those living in vehicles to stay, while also collecting a fair price for that space. Everyone else who lives and owns in Squamish pays taxes to keep our community amazing, why shouldn't these individuals?”

Comments candidates added when answering our questionnaire, unedited.

• Sean Easton (for mayor) Somewhat disagrees

  “These two things should not be pitted against each other: our approach should ensure the safety of all residents - those facing homelessness and their neighbors.”

• Jenna Stoner (for mayor) In the middle

  “I don't accept that these are opposites. Everyone deserves to feel safe walking to work or opening their business, and downtown is safer for everyone when people have stable housing and support. Treating it as a choice is how we end up doing neither well.”

• Andrew Hamilton Strongly agrees

  “Safety for everyone. Encampments are not safe for the folks living in them.”

• A. John Lowe Somewhat agrees

  “Homeless need their own space and not where it interferes with the general public .”

• Laura Prosko Strongly agrees

  “We need safety for our residents, guests and our vulnerable population.”

• Chris Ryan Strongly agrees

  “Public safety involves the air we breath, and it's not safe downtown with non filtered or mufflered exhust from a dozen dirty generators running all day on our side walks, in front of businesses and below housing from the 6 permitted trucks. They have a food truck park where they can plug into 120/240v outlets. And we complain about LNG, and we banned natural gas fireplaces to heat our homes. We need a greater foot patrol presence with RCMP and bylaw”

• Shaun Veltkamp Strongly agrees

  “No one should be put in harms way. People who need support should receive those services. Once again, we need to leverage provincial and federal funding for creating and maintaining those services so safety doesn't become an issue”

Comments candidates added when answering our questionnaire, unedited.

• Sean Easton (for mayor) In the middle

  “Locations should be chosen based on what makes sense for the project, which should be designed alongside both future and current residents.”

• Jenna Stoner (for mayor) Somewhat agrees

  “Supportive housing comes in many shapes, forms, and levels of support. Supportive housing of some type already exists in almost every neighbourhood in town - most people just don't know about it. While downtown has carried all of our community's shelter spaces and is the main location for supportive services, locating supportive housing depends on the type and need levels of the housing being considered.”

• Andrew Hamilton Somewhat disagrees

  “Low income, yes. Supportive, no. Supportive (as the name suggests) requires a support system. Spreading that support to many locations would cost more than hosting it in one place; thus, we would provide less support in a distributed model. Low-income housing does not require continued support; thus, it can be mixed throughout the town.”

• A. John Lowe Somewhat agrees

  “Where there is opportunity i think mixed use is preferred we are work and live together”

• Laura Prosko In the middle

  “This is an OCP and vision for our community question.”

• Chris Ryan Strongly agrees

  “We can adopt the Whistler houseing authority model at the Cheema land. This model allows mixed housing and has covenants that creates rent control on suites and bedroom rentals, as well, the real estate value increases by the inflation rate, rather than market rate value.This enebles seniors to downsize in thier community freeing up retirement funds. young families to enter into home ownership instead of renting, keeps seniors and employees at a affordable rent price”

Comments candidates added when answering our questionnaire, unedited.