September 7th — 9am Hosted by Healthy Active Living Peninsula

Thank you John and HALP, for having us here this morning. With 21 candidates and even the Mayor here campaigning for next year, I know it’s a challenge to stand out, but I hope when it comes time to mark your ballot, you’ll remember my name. Hi I’m Phillip Warner.

As a long-time White Rock resident raising two young boys here, I’m committed to ensuring our city remains a community, not a overcrowded concrete skyline. Two key experiences motivated me to run in this by-election.

Firstly, affordability. Rising property taxes, utility bills, and service fees are making it harder for families like mine to stay in White Rock. When I learned the city had already spent significant money exploring the sale of public land and design for a costly vanity city hall, I was deeply concerned. While council has said that is no longer the way forward, I believe they are likely to backtrack when public attention is elsewhere. We must hold the line and invest in infrastructure responsibly, with a focus on long-term community needs and future tax burden.

Secondly, accountability. I built my own home in East Beach, doing 99% of the work myself, from design to finishing. Dealing with City Hall was extremely frustrating, lack or misleading guidance, duplication of work, and unnecessary challenges despite having over eight engineers and other certified professionals on my project. We need a streamlined permitting process for single-family homes, gentle density, and businesses. City Hall should focus on core responsibilities instead of duplicating professional oversight. Faster approvals will cut costs, making housing more attainable, and support local businesses that too often wait a year or more before opening — while still paying for a lease on a space they can’t use.

I’m a centralist who believes in practical, easy-to-implement, and straightforward solutions that reduce tax increases and preserve White Rock’s character. Making our city more welcoming by focusing on gentle density, increased green canopy, and well thought out designs from streets to parks.

If what I’ve said resonates with you, I’ll be here after the meeting to chat, and I invite you to visit my website to learn more about my platform.