Thanks again for signing our petition to Prioritize Affordable Housing Squamish. We - DWIFT Housing Society - started this petition to demonstrate to the District that residents want better solutions to our housing problems. We're doing that work - we're a non-profit founded by community members that is securing land, funding, and partners to create Squamish's first affordable home ownership program. At this moment, DWIFT Housing is negotiating to purchase a large piece of land to build an affordable home ownership community.
Throughout the process of creating our first affordable, resident-restricted housing, we've struggled to have meaningful collaboration with the District. And the more we've spoken with residents, the more we've seen how the local government is getting in the way of potential creative solutions to our housing and affordability challenges.
So, to give residents a real alternative, one of our founders, Sean Easton, is running for Mayor!
Sean is a youth worker and advocate, with a long career as a non-profit leader and voice for people who haven't been heard. Instead of waiting and hoping that the District changes their approach, Sean has chosen to stand because he believes that residents of Squamish deserve a leader who will actually represent them and move forward innovative and creative solutions to our biggest problems.
We're sharing this with you because we know you care about the future of Squamish, and you want a say over the future of our town. Municipal elections are our biggest chance to shape the District's priorities for the next four years.
Over the next few weeks, Sean will be taking part in community events where you'll get the chance to hear about his plans and vision for Squamish. We hope you'll come out to get to know him and decide whether he's earned your vote on October 17th.
You can learn more about his campaign on his campaign website, Facebook, and Instagram - or you can reach out directly to Sean via email with questions and ideas.
While we were not successful in acquiring public land to build housing for our community, we are not stopping our efforts to better serve Squamish residents. Thank you all for your support and your efforts to make Squamish better for the people who live here.