A Fresh Voice.
Real Action.
Dedicated to sustainable local forestry, strong community infrastructure, Indigenous business partnerships, and transparent council governance.
Vote Oct 17!
General Local Election Day across British Columbia & Port Alberni.
Fuel The Campaign
Grassroots powered. Help print lawn signs and reach voters across our neighborhoods.
Alternative Revenue & Forestry
What We Need to Do:
Expand non-tax municipal revenue streams to fund legacy capital investments—specifically the pool renovation/replacement and expanded community clean-up—without placing the financial burden on local homeowners.
How I Will Deliver:
- Maximize the Alberni Valley Community Forest tenure and partner with BC Timber Sales (BCTS) to increase timber revenue and annual dividends back to City Hall.
- Aggressively pursue provincial and federal capital grants to ensure outside funding carries the majority of major recreational upgrades.
- Review underutilized city-owned parcels for long-term commercial lease opportunities that expand our non-residential tax base.
Fixing The Basics
What We Need to Do:
Refocus municipal spending on essential services and core physical infrastructure to protect our existing assets before taking on speculative new commitments.
How I Will Deliver:
- Implement a public, multi-year Asset Management Schedule showing clear timelines for priority road repaving, sewer main replacements, and storm drainage fixes.
- Target pedestrian safety investments on high-traffic neighbourhood corridors, school routes, and the Argyle/Uptown connector.
- Work collaboratively with community caretakers, including the Alberni Pacific Railway, to support industrial and heritage assets sustainably.
Clean & Safe Neighbourhoods
What We Need to Do:
Ensure every resident and business owner feels safe and proud of their street through rapid municipal upkeep and balanced public safety.
How I Will Deliver:
- Establish rapid-response cleanup and routine maintenance schedules for parks, downtown alleys, and commercial corridors.
- Align municipal bylaw enforcement directly with the local RCMP detachment's operational priorities to coordinate resources efficiently.
- Implement Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards to improve sight-lines, public lighting, and accessibility across key community spaces.
Youth Opportunity & Senior Living
What We Need to Do:
Invest upstream in our youth to prevent crises before they start, while giving our seniors accessible, affordable options to stay in their community.
How I Will Deliver:
- Coordinate with regional service tables, schools, and non-profits to expand after-school sports, recreation, and early-intervention youth programming.
- Streamline municipal zoning and development approvals for accessible ground-floor ranchers, patio homes, and universal-design apartments tailored for aging in place.
- Facilitate partnerships between non-profit housing providers and regional health agencies to secure land and permits for youth-focused shelter and support facilities.
Commercial Vibrancy & Small Business
What We Need to Do:
Create a predictable, business-friendly environment that fills empty storefronts and keeps local dollars circulating in our economy.
How I Will Deliver:
- Cut red tape with a streamlined municipal permitting path for commercial renovations, storefront signage, and outdoor seating.
- Execute a targeted vacancy recruitment strategy along 3rd Avenue and Argyle Street to attract small enterprises and creative trades.
- Prioritize local suppliers, catering, and service vendors for municipal contracts and city-run events.
Parks & Community Recreation
What We Need to Do:
Restore and maintain our public recreation spaces so local families and sports leagues have dependable, well-kept facilities.
How I Will Deliver:
- Partner directly with local sports user groups to conduct an immediate condition audit on our fields, tackling turf drainage and regular upkeep.
- Improve trail access, signage, and maintenance across local waterfronts and recreational green spaces.
- Add practical, low-cost park amenities—including shaded seating, accessible playground equipment, and clean public washrooms—in residential neighbourhoods.
Sam Atwal
Candidate for Council
Executive leadership rooted in natural resources, community service, and local collaboration.
I have always believed that real leadership starts with showing up and listening with an open mind, and earning trust through honest, hard work.
I’m running for Port Alberni City Council because I care deeply about the future of the place my family calls home. As a husband, father, and community advocate, like so many of you, I want our town to be a place where our streets feel safe. For our kids to have positive opportunities and to stay out of trouble. For our seniors to have accessible options to age comfortably in place, and for our local businesses to be able to genuinely thrive.
During my four years serving on the municipal council in Sparwood, I saw firsthand that local government isn’t just about bylaws and line-item spreadsheets, what it's really about is people. About listening to differing viewpoints. About making transparent decisions. And doing the hard work and making the hard choices when they serve the long-term good of the community.
Professionally, I’ve spent over a decade in senior leadership and strategic consulting across resource stewardship, forestry operations, economic development, and Indigenous partnerships. I know it's a mouthful but that background taught me how to break down silos, negotiate strong agreements, and bring people together to solve complex problems. At City Hall, I want to apply that experience to do things like maximize our Community Forest partnerships with BCTS. And to unlock alternative revenue for major projects like the pool, without overburdening residential taxpayers. All while delivering a clear, data-driven plan to fix our basic infrastructure. From our roads and water mains to our ballfields and public parks.
I’m not interested in politics for the sake of politics. I believe in people, and that belief means not backing away from candid conversations, disciplined fiscal oversight, and getting the basics right for the good of our community.
That means I won’t always tell you what’s easiest to hear. But I will always listen, I will always be transparent, and I will always work hard to do what’s right for Port Alberni.
In the end leadership isn't about taking the easy road, it’s about rolling up our sleeves and using our love of our community and passion for people to show up and do the work.
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