Nick Dickinson-Wilde
https://nick4sooke.ca
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
Entirely independent
Do you live in the municipality where you are running, and if so, for how long? If not, what is your connection to that community?
I live in East Sooke currently - I have lived in the Sooke area most of my life including Sooke, Otter Point, Shirley and East Sooke. Sooke is my home town… where I learned to drive; where my wife grew up, where we had our first date, and where we got engaged; where she works; where we teach karate; and where we spend most of our time when not at home.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
I have been a web development professional for more than a decade and currently work from home as a manager with Taoti Creative. I am also a small business owner and run a karate school (Sooke Shukokai Karate) with my wife, currently out of the Fred Milne clubhouse.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I have served my community in a wide variety of elected and non-elected community roles. I started volunteering while very young (PICA & PECK - Pender Island Conservancy Association & Pender Environmentally Conscious Kids) and have continued to dedicate my time and energy to my community: from working on the Agricultural Advisory Commission to organizing teams for Drupal Con (Global & Portland) to serving as treasurer for riding associations. And in general, I’m easy to rope into pitching tents and tables wherever I am - most recently, I helped with set-up at the Sooke Fall Fair.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
I am at a point in my career where I have the time and energy and I want to help Sooke navigate a successful path forward. I see a lot of fighting along the lines of ‘all development and growth is good’ vs ‘small town must stay the same’; neither of which are possible or sustainable. I believe I can bring a third option to the table - balance! My wife and I are thinking about kids so that really motivates me to work toward the future I want to see for my potential kids and my current niece and nephew.
What are your top three issues?
My top three issues are: lack of commercial space, road safety, and sustainability. Currently 70% of Sooke’s employed population work outside of our community. Long commutes mean increased pollution and decreased quality of life. To give our residents the opportunities we all deserve, we need to grow. We need to increase density within the core of Sooke to create sustainable growth and a vibrant community, instead of a highway taking dollars out of our community. The next generation needs housing and simultaneously increasing commercial density provides jobs and increases our core tax base to fund the infrastructure we need to keep our community safe without draining individual residents’ pockets.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
Our community could be so much more self-sustaining, safe, and fun! I envision a thriving town core with plenty of commercial space for small businesses, providing jobs for residents. Affordable housing including mixed use small towers, thoughtfully planned to maintain views of the harbour, provide homes for young families and seniors. I see roads - lined with cool, shade-giving trees - designed to manage traffic and create walkable and accessible neighbourhoods, where children can safely play. I love Sooke and I am ready to work towards this vision for our home. I hope to be part of a council that prioritizes the incremental changes necessary to build a community that works better for everyone.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community? https://nick4sooke.ca
Sooke needs to embrace the concept of Vision Zero! Over the last 5 years, excluding Highway 14 which is MoT jurisdiction, Sooke has averaged 300 reported motor vehicle collisions per year, with around 40 of those causing injuries. Children aren’t safe to walk or bike to school or their friends’ homes. Family pets are killed needlessly. Driving is the default and other options are made unsafe and inaccessible to most. We can redesign our residential areas to make walking and cycling viable options for far more people. We may not have the funds to install sidewalks and bike lanes everywhere yet, but we can reduce speed limits and add strategically located speed bumps, crosswalks and planters. We can create a safer and more appealing town core!
