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Iona Bonamis (陶思穎)

My vision is to create a city where everyone is welcome and thriving, regardless of gender, income level, age, and physical ability. Communities are complete with schools, parks, community centres, shops, services, and green spaces, and residents can get around without a car.

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Biography

submitted by the candidate or their team
Iona is a City of Vancouver senior transportation planner, with a M.Sc. in Community and Regional Programming from UBC and more than 13 years experience as an urban planner. She is a small business owner and Vancouver-born Chinese-Canadian who speaks fluent Cantonese.

Iona started her career in urban planning, with a focus on transportation planning, because she wanted to help make communities safer, more resilient, and more sustainable. Over her career she has worked on projects across Canada, with non-profit, for-profit and government organizations.

Some of her most memorable projects include leading a study on how to reduce exposure to traffic emissions, as well as developing the future transportation network for the Broadway Plan area.

Iona is used to juggling multiple balls in the air. In addition to being a parent to two young kids, for the last 5 years Iona has also managed her own small business (where she helps people reduce toxins in their home and offers a line of handmade, natural skincare products), while working full-time.

Reason for running

submitted by the candidate or their team
To push Vancouver to take more meaningful, effective action on housing affordability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and creating complete communities where everyone is welcome and can easily and safely access jobs, food, community services, and green spaces.

As an urban planner, Iona knows how the City is run and how decisions are made. She understands what is within the City's responsibilities and sphere of influence, as well as where there are opportunities for change.

She wants to use her knowledge and experience in municipal planning to help Council be efficient and enact progressive policies that lead to concrete actions, and that are inclusive of those often under-represented.

Iona believes that we need to rethink how we plan and design our neighbourhoods, and build trust within communities so that the voices and experiences of under-represented groups, including women, LGBTQ2S+ communities, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, people with disabilities, and low-income households, shape the future of Vancouver.

ionabonamis.ca www.ionabonamis.ca