Who Is Dave Loewen - My Bio

I was born and raised in Abbotsford; attended South Poplar Elementary, MEI, and Abbotsford Secondary schools. I am a retired educator, having taught two years in Australia, three in Manitoba, and 32 at MEI, including three years as Principal of the secondary school and two years as principal at MEI Chilliwack.

I hold a B.A. (Sociology) from Simon Fraser University, and a M.Ed. (Administration) from the University of Victoria.

   

Following high school, I volunteered two years with MCC in the Democratic Republic of Congo; here I managed of a Guest House for one year (at age 19), and did community development work for one year in a remote part of the Kivu Province, near Bukavu.

I have served on numerous boards and committees over the years:

• ·         MCC BC Board member for 10 years, including vice-chair and chair positions,
• ·         National and local church boards,
• ·         Chair of the Canadian Mennonite University Council, Winnipeg;
• ·         Director on the B.C. Federation of Independent Schools Associations Board;
• ·         Director on the Heart2Heart (Haiti) Board; and
• ·         Director on the Mennonite Historical Society of B.C. Board.

I am a member of Level Ground Mennonite Church, and am proud to serve our community as a member of the Rotary Club of Abbotsford; I am a recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow.

First elected to City Council in 2005, I am now serving in my fourth term. My responsibilities on Council have included most committees including:

• ·         Mission-Abbotsford Transit Committee;
• ·         Abbotsford Social Development Advisory Committee;
• ·         City Industrial Development Advisory Committee;
• ·         City Economic Development Advisory Committee;
• ·         Environmental Advisory Committee;
• ·         Abbotsford Youth Commission;
• ·         Matsqui Dyking, Drainage and Irrigation Committee;
• ·         Audit Committee;
• ·         Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development;
• ·         Business, Innovation, Growth & Attraction Advisory Committee
• ·         Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce (Council Liaison)
• ·         Abbotsford Local Immigration Partnership Council
• ·         Abbotsford Arts Council
• ·         Homelessness Action Advisory Committee, Chair (2014-16)
• ·         Parks, Recreation, and Culture Committee, Chair (2016-18)
• ·         Fraser Valley Regional District Board. 
• ·         Abbotsford’s Canada 150 Community Leader

I am married to Grace, a registered nurse, and we have two married sons and seven grandchildren, all living in Abbotsford. We enjoy traveling, which has taken them to five continents (some with student groups on service assignments), and to many parts of North America.

I have a keen interest in family history and genealogy, both of which occupy some of my leisure time. I enjoy the outdoors (hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing), as well as fitness-related activities (I have competed in Seniors’ Swimming; Sprint-Triathlons, GranFondos, Half-Marathon, numerous 5k & 10k runs, including all Run For Water events.).

Abbotsford's Mountain People

Sumas Mountain is widely-regarded within the mountain-biking community as one of the best. This setting is unique in that the local climate allows for year-round riding and running. When magnet destinations like Whistler and Squamish are under metres of snow, die-hard riders can still find a place to ride.

Not all recreation is equal. If the purpose of recreation is to provide opportunities for as many residents as possible to engage in an active lifestyle that will result in a healthier population, where is it that the City will get the most “bang for its buck”? Recreational assets can be costly; costly to develop, to maintain, and to operate. One of the costliest components of any major asset is the land. The City of Abbotsford is land-poor. That is to say, the city does not possess a large portfolio of land holdings that are available for development. This and the fact that 75% of our municipality lies in the Agricultural Land Reserve means that the challenge of even finding available land will be difficult at best.

If one begins to analyze the cost per user for major recreational facilities, one begins to realize where the “biggest bang for buck” does not lie. Prime examples are ice sheets and ball fields. The sports that use these facilities are age-specific, seasonal, and the numbers involved pale in comparison to some other recreational “user groups”. This is a prime reason why the city chooses to rent ice time at Centre Ice, rather than build another arena. Even pools, which are costly to build and maintain, have a much larger and non-age-specific user group. Additionally, it is not a seasonal facility unless it happens to be an outdoor pool.

I haven’t done the math myself but have borrowed it from someone who has experience working in recreation. His conservative estimates have ice costing $35,000/user for capital alone. Baseball costs about $4,500/user. His research shows that the recreation with the lowest cost per user is disc golf, followed by trails. Based on this very informal analysis, it would appear that a strong case can be made for the funding of trail-related recreation.

Let’s be clear, I’m not about to advocate for diversion of funds from the above-mentioned recreational pursuits. Abbotsford needs more playing fields (baseball, field hockey, soccer, rugby, etc.) and pools, but I am saying that there is a case to be made for funding mountain-based recreation as well. As one mountain-biker told me, “the mountain is my gym”. He chooses not to use our recreational centre for his fitness-related activities; he chooses the mountain. It’s a personal choice that allows him to include his children in year-round outdoor activities, as well as developing in them an appreciation for this beautiful environment we call Sumas Mtn.

Then there are the runners. Formed in 2016, the Abbotsford Trail Running Club has as its mission, “To promote fitness and community through trail running and to advocate for our local nature trails.” Together, these two recreational communities were instrumental in halting the commencement of gravel mining on one of the Fraser Valley’s most pristine mountain environments. I’ve written about this elsewhere (see Article). This user group advocates for mountain trails and the preservation of this beautiful resource in much the same way as the mountain bikers do. Together, they represent a significant group of residents whose dream is to enjoy our mountains, with the support of local government.

At this point, the Recreation budget has no line item for trail riders and runners. Several months ago, Metro Vancouver transferred a large parcel of land on Sumas Mtn to the City of Abbotsford, which will be under the management of the Fraser Valley Regional District. City staff are presently engaged in negotiations with their staff and with the Sumas First Nations to work out a mutually-beneficial plan for its maintenance and development. Following that, we will be in a better position to consider the needs of the mountain-biker and trail-running communities, to consider options for resourcing this recreational pursuit.

It is my understanding that at present, Sumas Mountain sees thousands of riders on an annual basis riding its trails. Furthermore, all construction and maintenance of trails is done by an army of volunteer mountain bikers. The Fraser Valley Mountain Bikers Association has been formed to organize and direct the activities and use of trails in the Fraser Valley. In short, this non-profit association acts as the voice of the mountain-biking community. The trails referred to are used by runners and hikers as well, although those numbers are not clear to this writer.

So, while I believe that mountain recreation could provide more “bang for our buck”, and that these user groups need to be included at our Parks & Recreation table, I am not suggesting that other recreational pursuits are less important, nor that their resources are in any way in jeopardy.

I’ve been to the mountain; I’ve seen the results of their volunteer labour, and I’ve heard their appeal for modest assistance. I don’t think their ask is unreasonable, and I’m excited about the potential of this natural capital asset we have in our backyard called Sumas Mountain.

Homelessness in Abbotsford, Four Years Later

Since the fall of 2014, significant progress has taken place in this city’s efforts to address homelessness. The memories of the years just prior to 2014 would recall several unpleasant and confrontational exchanges between the homeless, their advocates, and the City, culminating in a court challenge that wound its way to the Supreme Court, concluding during this term.

As the result of recommendations from the Task Force on Homelessness, 2014, an Action Plan with Five Strategic Directions resulted. The first and most important step was the hiring of a full-time Coordinator of Homelessness (Housing added later to her portfolio), and together with a newly-created Homelessness Action Advisory Committee, launched an ambitious program to address homelessness. A critical factor in determining the effectiveness of this committee was the invitation to key players to sit at this table – Fraser Health, BC Housing, Salvation Army, MCC, Abbotsford Community Services, and several local service providers. I was honoured to chair this committee for the first two years, and I’m sure I speak for Councillor Siemens in saying he too considered it an honour to chair it in the last two years.

The federal government granted the city $400K to apply towards research and development of a Homelessness Prevention and Response System for addressing homelessness, which will be a pilot for eventual application across Canada. This system “…is not solely owned, managed or funded by one level of Government, one agency, or sector. The System is a community resource system comprised of the collaborative efforts, projects, initiatives and programs with aligned purpose to respond to and prevent homelessness.”

Collaborative Stakeholder mapping for the Homelessness Prevention and Response System

Since the fall of 2014, the collaborative impact has provided for the following changes through policy advocacy, collaboration, alignment of activities across sectors, shared funding, and coordination:

System Component	2014	2018
Extreme Weather Mat	-20	-175 -We succeeded in having the definition of extreme weather changed to include cold wet weather
Outreach Services	-Salvation Army – Homelessness Prevention Program (HOP)	-Salvation Army -HOP -ACS – Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) -Look Out Society – HPP -Ministry of Social Development – Integration Workers Inter-Agency Care Team supporting Integrated Outreach activities
Integrated Health and Housing Outreach and Wrap-Around Support		-Assertive Community Treatment -Inter-Agency Care Team (Fraser Health Authority, City of Abbotsford (Service Canada funded)
Enhanced Health Linkages	-Abbotsford Hospital -Primary Health Services -Abbotsford Mental Health and Substance Use -Home Health Care	-Abbotsford Hospital -Primary Health Services -Abbotsford Community Hub Centre (feasibility study nearing completion) -Integrated health services and linkages across divisions -Opioid response activities (Community Action Team, Project Angel Initiative, Peer Network and Engagement activities
Housing	-70 units of supportive housing	-100 units of supportive housing -80+ units now in City review process -60 units in process (First Nations project) -Housing with Abbotsford Rental Connect (securing rental units in the private market) Additional rent subsidies from BC Housing
System Sustainability		Collaborative Stakeholder mapping for the Homelessness Prevention and Response System; -Harm Reduction Strategy -Affordable Housing Strategy update -Exploring Abbotsford Housing Foundation -Affordable Housing Strategy Update -Shared Outcome and Measurement and Data Management
Community Capacity Building		-Community of Integrated Practice -Curriculum development -Virtual Platform Development

40-Bed Emergency Shelter on Riverside Road.

Announcing 80 Modular Housing units for Abbotsford, 2018

Councillor Loewen, Shane Williams (Ex. Director, Lookout Society), & Minister Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.  

The following is taken from a recent report tabled by the City’s Coordinator of Housing and Homelessness.

The Abbotsford Homelessness Prevention and Response System pilot is continuing.

1)      Housing with Abbotsford Rental Connect has fully launched and has completed 20 pre-screens for housing applicants, 3 intakes and the age of participants ranges from the majority being below 50 years of age to the oldest participant being 80 years old.

2)      The Inter-Agency Care Team/Intake Function are currently providing intensive support for 37 participants,

3)      The Intake Function for the Coordinated Intake and Referral for housing, health, income assistance, and community support has received close to 256 referrals into the system since September 1, 2017, and are working closely with the inter-agency outreach collaborative, Ministry of Social Development, health service networks, and local agencies to support individuals who may be experiencing homelessness to strive towards accessing services, wellness, and housing readiness;

4)      Twelve of the 37 individuals receiving intensive support from the Team are currently housed and others are working towards housing readiness and individual wellness goals.

5)      Abbotsford Housing Endowment Fund/Foundation exploration is continuing.

6)      The Civic Mobile Application is being reviewed for potential to be utilized as a virtual platform for public and stakeholder communications and the City’s web-page is being updated to include a resource repository.

Hearthstone Place, Gladys Ave.
31-Unit, Long-term Housing

An “Abbotsford Stories Project” is underway, which will produce video-based, personal stories and resources for workers in this field. In addition, the City is collaborating with University of Fraser Valley to develop on-line, web-based curriculum for the Community of Practice resources. Annual community forums are held for a wide variety of stakeholders and people working in the field, for professional development in this field of work. The most recent one was attended by over 140 participants, and the major focus was on peer voice and engagement.

The task of addressing homelessness is complex with multiple facets. The increasing number of those who find themselves homeless in our community can be discouraging, and it is certainly cause for concern. The city is in a much better position today than it was four years ago. The city and its partner organizations have accomplished more than all previous councils combined and have laid a solid foundation for continued work at addressing homelessness, notwithstanding the growth in homeless numbers. Today, Abbotsford is regarded as a leader within the municipal community across BC. I believe that momentum is now in our favour in the goal of providing a home for everyone.

The Power of Community

It is well-known that one of the roles a politician plays is to lobby – in the case of local governments, it would be to lobby our provincial and federal levels of government. One thing I’ve learned is that personal relationships and direct contact are more effective than written requests. It is also clear that the voice of non-political, community interests coalescing around a single issue and infused with deep, emotional attachments, is even more effective.

This was the case with respect to the recent campaign to prevent this pristine area from open-pit gravel mining. The #SaveSumas campaign brought the trail-riding & trail-running communities together in a massive media campaign, capped with a personal visit by a key Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources decision-maker. The City of Abbotsford, Sumas First Nations, the Fraser Valley Regional Government, and Metro Vancouver had all made their opposition known, but it is safe to say that without the voice of the trail-riding and running communities, the voices of local governments may well have fallen on deaf ears.

The proposal to establish a quarry was denied and the proponent relinquished his mineral rights on Sumas Mountain. Furthermore, the Ministry is initiating a process to ensure that this area of Sumas Mountain is permanently protected from future mining claims.

The future of this mountain looks bright for all parties with an interest – First Nations, the City of Abbotsford, the Fraser Valley Regional Government, and especially, the trail riding and running communities. The combined dedicated park lands on the mountain exceed the area of Stanley Park by three times. Together, all stakeholders now need to develop this area as a recreational destination for hikers, runners, and riders, from throughout the Valley and beyond. It truly is a jewel to be protected and shared.