Nelson Mayor Janice Morrison is seeking a second term, looking to build on the groundwork laid during her first four years in office.
Morrison has nearly 30 years’ experience in local government. She was first elected to Nelson City Council in 1999, re-elected in 2014 and 2018 and later became the city’s mayor in 2022.
Morrison said she remains passionate about the community she serves and believes there’s still work to do.
“I couldn’t have been more thrilled to have won that last election because of my passion for Nelson,” she said.
“I want to serve another term to look at protecting our environment, keep life more affordable and building reliable infrastructure.”
Morrison said her first term focused in part on resetting how City Hall operates.
She pointed to opening up council agendas, reducing in-camera meetings and strengthening transparency and accountability around the council table.
However, she feels communication remains a challenge, particularly with misinformation and competing voices making it harder for residents to find reliable information.
“I think that’s a struggle not just for our council, but for any local government,” she said. “And often, it makes it difficult for our messages, the city and as councillors to be seen or heard. So I think there’s work there that needs to be done.”
Looking ahead, Morrison said infrastructure and long-term planning will remain a major focus.
She pointed to the city’s asset management planning and several major projects, including the replacement of the city’s sewage treatment plant, building a new fire hall and redesigning the Five Mile water intake.
“There are some really major infrastructure projects that are really, really important to the city for the future long term. I mean, these big projects are, you know, once they’re done, they’re there for another 50 or 60 years.”
Morrison would also like to see the city move forward with a full revitalization of Baker Street, building on underground infrastructure work already completed on nearby side streets.
“I just think it would be exciting to see that facelift for Baker Street,” she said.
Morrison believes managing growth, climate-related risks and the cost of municipal services will be among the challenges facing the next council.
“And while doing all of that, we have to maintain financial accountability. We’re facing these big social and economic pressures, and I think we have to balance the infrastructure demands without letting the cost of living and the municipal inflation spiral unrestrained for our residents.”
She said that means careful budget deliberations, along with continued efforts to secure provincial and federal funding, so the cost of major projects does not fall entirely on taxpayers.
“I’ve been building those relationships with senior levels of government, and hopefully all of that advocacy work will pay off as we go forward trying to get these major projects underway.”
Morrison said she does not see a need to significantly change her leadership style, pointing instead to openness, collaboration and hard work.
She said Nelson needs a mayor who can bring people together while making sure different voices are represented around the council table.
“I think what Nelson needs, particularly in this next four years, is a mayor with proven evidence of getting the job done,” Morrison said. “And over the next four years, I wanna be the leader that can unify a diverse council, which I hope is what is elected.”
She also pointed to her deep roots in the community as an asset.
“I’ve been here for a long, long time, and my family’s been here for over 100 years. I would really like to leverage those deep, local roots that I have to keep Nelson a community that is economically vibrant, socially responsible and environmentally resilient.”
Morrison also spoke on the importance of taking part in the local election, describing voting as an important part of democracy.
She emphasized the role of municipal government, explaining how it has a direct impact on people’s everyday lives, from roads and water to parks and transit.
“Local government is probably, in my mind, the most important level of government in many ways, ’cause we’re the level of government that touches you every day.”
She urged voters not to “get lost in the noise and misinformation” surrounding politics.
“Voting is a privilege. There are many countries where you can’t vote, and even more so if you’re a woman. I think we really need to encourage people to get out and exercise their right to be able to vote.”
Morrison is running against Ramona Faust and Steve Bergevin.
General voting day is Oct. 17. Two advanced voting opportunities will be held on the second floor of City Hall on Oct. 7 and Oct. 14.
More information on where to vote can be found here.
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