Townsite · The mill era
Powell River Peak · August 16, 2023Powell River · 2026
Practical leadershipAndA City that listens.
Powell River is a beautiful place with good people and real challenges. Families and seniors are feeling repeated tax increases. People need confidence that they can build a life and a future here. Our public spaces need care.
Together, we can focus City Hall on the basics, rebuild our economic strength and create opportunity for the next generation.
Coast. Community. Home.
Jim Palm for Mayor
Teacher. Councillor. Neighbour.Powell River has been home since 1984.
1984The year I came home
5 termsThank you for your trust
40 yearsWorking with local students
The work in front of us
Clear priorities. Honest trade-offs.
I believe Powell River can be caring, ambitious and responsible at the same time. I will make sure decisions are fully informed and serve the best interests of the City, the wider community and its citizens.
01
A city people can afford
With the mill down, residents and businesses are carrying too much of the load. We need to review City lands and rebuild our tax base.
Read my position 02Safe, clean public spaces
Public safety should be a top priority of elected officials. Joyce Avenue and the forest around our Recreation Complex need attention, and service operators need to be accountable.
Read my position 03A place people invest in
Our doors should be open. At the mill site and across Powell River, I want City departments working together to help people get good projects moving.
Read my position 04A City Hall that listens
Make room for residents at Committee of the Whole, meet over coffee and talk openly about the issues affecting their neighbourhoods.
Read my positionA place where people invest
Powell River is worth investing in.
With the mill down, we need more investment and work coming into Powell River. At the mill site and across town, people need to know what they are facing when they bring a project to City Hall. I want our departments working together, helping them through the requirements and cutting out unnecessary delays. Our doors should be open.
How we attract investment here
Clear answers at the start. Tell people what is required, who they need to talk to and what happens next.
Departments working together. Bring planning, engineering and economic development into the same conversation early.
Less unnecessary delay. At the mill site and elsewhere, look at where qualified engineering work can satisfy City requirements and help a project move ahead.
Work and opportunity here. Work with Tla’amin, employers, trades, training programs and local suppliers so people can build their future in Powell River.
“We need to work with people directly and make investment easier. I want them to know our doors are open.”
Home since 1984.
The mountains, the coast and the people are why the work matters.A clear view of where we stand
Pressure is real. Powell River’s future is worth protecting.
I trust residents with the full picture. These three conclusions explain why experienced, practical leadership matters now.
Household pressure
Four budgets changed what families carry.
Municipal property tax on the average single-family home rose 34.5% from 2023 through 2026. Every decision must respect the people who pay the bill.
Community capacity
Police workload remains higher than in 2018.
The 2025 decline is welcome. Regional calls were still 10.1% above 2018, while mental-health-related demand is consuming more of the local capacity residents rely on.
Public confidence
The whole picture should be understandable.
Taxes, services and City finances belong in one honest account. Clear numbers build the trust needed to make difficult choices and move Powell River forward.
Explore the evidenceThree choices that define this election
JIM PALMOPPOSED.
I opposed additional costs for residents and Council, and I opposed advancing a second supportive-housing and shelter site before its operating model, neighbourhood impacts and safeguards were properly addressed. These are the dividing lines I will bring to the mayor's office.
01 · Household costs
Jim Palm opposed
Higher taxes and more benefits for Council.
The dividing line: residents were being asked to pay more while Council expanded benefits and expenses for future elected officials.
02 · Proof before commitment
Jim Palm opposed
A second site before the first was evaluated.
The dividing line: evaluate the existing site, address its impacts and explain the management model before committing to another one.
03 · Safety and accountability
Jim Palm opposed
Shelter approvals after four safeguards were rejected.
The dividing line: require clear operating and neighbourhood protections before giving final approval.
A life in Powell River40
years working with local students and helping young people see a path forward.
Rooted here
I learned to listen first, then do the work.
I was born and raised in Nanaimo and studied Education at the University of Victoria, where I played varsity soccer. I moved to Powell River in 1984 to teach with School District 47 and later served as Career Coordinator at Brooks Secondary School.
My work helped students connect their interests to real options, including Coast Mountain Academy, the Powell River Digital Film School, and dual-credit trades and academic programs. I also helped students prepare for provincial wildfire work through local training, required certifications and physical preparation so they could compete for positions locally and elsewhere in B.C. At my final provincial career-education conference in 2021, Powell River was recognized as first in B.C. for trades training per capita, with Brooks Secondary at the centre of that work.
From 2024 to 2026, I served as Chair of the City of Powell River Harbour Users Advisory Committee. I have tried to bring that same practical approach to Council: understand the problem, ask direct questions, and help people find a workable path.
