Max Zahedi on Facebook 
Max Zahedi
Independent for District of North Vancouver Mayor
Accountability you can check: every promise tracked in public, a target to keep property taxes at or below inflation, a fight for fair wastewater costs and infrastructure before growth. I say what I will propose, what Council must decide and what other governments control.
Businesses & Jobs
Business Permitting
Problem: Businesses often deal with several departments and no single contact at Municipal Hall.
Promise: I will bring a proposal to Council for one coordinating contact for business permits and renovations.
Problem: The District does not publish how long business permits take.
Promise: I will ask for current processing times to be reported publicly, then propose realistic service targets based on that data.
Economic Growth
Problem: Once employment and industrial land is rezoned, the jobs it supports are hard to bring back.
Promise: I will vote to keep the employment land that adopted plans set aside in Maplewood and Lynnmour.
Problem: Local jobs depend on attracting new employers while keeping the businesses we already have.
Promise: I will focus investment outreach on film, digital production and clean technology.
Climate Change, Heat, Fires, & the Environment
Flooding
Problem: Low-lying areas such as Norgate and Deep Cove face flooding and drainage risks.
Promise: I will ask for updated flood-hazard information and a public, ranked list of drainage and coastal fixes.
Green Space
Problem: Residents worry about losing healthy trees to construction, and it is unclear how well our tree bylaws work.
Promise: I will ask for a public review of how well the bylaws protect healthy trees.
Problem: Development near the Maplewood foreshore and conservation areas can harm sensitive habitat.
Promise: Where the District has authority, I will seek proper studies, safeguards and monitoring.
Problem: Neighbours of Eastview Park have documented noise, trail damage and parking problems.
Promise: I will ask for action through restoration, routing and enforcement, while keeping the park open to all.
Private Vehicles & Parking
Problem: Drivers lose time at the same bottlenecks every day, with no public plan for which get fixed first.
Promise: In my first 100 days I will ask Council to publish a ranked list of ten top bottlenecks.
Problem: Overlapping road closures from municipal, utility and development work make getting around harder than it needs to be.
Promise: I will propose a shared public construction calendar to coordinate them.
Problem: Highway 1, the bridges and the Ironworkers approach are run by the Province, not the District.
Promise: I will press the Province and TransLink for timelines and coordination with District roadwork.
Problem: Residents find park parking passes confusing, with repeat check-ins and no option without a smartphone.
Promise: I will propose simpler annual registration and a non-smartphone option.
Walking & Cycling
Problem: Residents on Kilmer Road and Delbrook Avenue cannot see whether past safety changes worked.
Promise: I will ask for the speed, crossing and collision data to be published, and act on the evidence.
Wildfire & Emergency Preparedness
Problem: Much of the District borders forest, and residents cannot see how wildfire prevention work is prioritized.
Promise: I will ask for a risk-ranked prevention plan with measurable FireSmart targets.
Problem: In an emergency, residents need to know alerts and evacuation plans actually work.
Promise: I will support alert tests, tabletop exercises and voluntary drills with North Shore Emergency Management.
Problem: Not everyone can simply drive away in an emergency.
Promise: I will ask that emergency plans address people without vehicles, residents who need assistance and accessible communication.
Problem: Wildfire is not our only risk. Smoke, extreme heat, flooding, earthquakes and power outages also threaten residents.
Promise: I will ask that preparedness planning covers all of them.
Community Centres, Libraries, Parks, and Other Public Spaces
Green Space
Problem: Residents worry about losing healthy trees to construction, and it is unclear how well our tree bylaws work.
Promise: I will ask for a public review of how well the bylaws protect healthy trees.
Problem: Development near the Maplewood foreshore and conservation areas can harm sensitive habitat.
Promise: Where the District has authority, I will seek proper studies, safeguards and monitoring.
Problem: Neighbours of Eastview Park have documented noise, trail damage and parking problems.
Promise: I will ask for action through restoration, routing and enforcement, while keeping the park open to all.
Childcare
Problem: Families struggle to find childcare, and new facilities need approvals from several agencies.
Promise: I will propose a priority review stream for new and expanding childcare facilities.
Problem: Finding suitable space is one of the biggest barriers to opening childcare.
Promise: I will ask for an assessment of underused District-owned spaces that could host it, counting none until confirmed.
Culture & Events
Festivals & Events
Problem: Our town centres could be livelier in the evening, and local businesses and performers have few chances to draw people in.
Promise: I will ask Council to approve a one-year evening activity pilot.
Problem: Pilot projects can continue or end without anyone checking if they worked.
Promise: I will propose a set budget and a public review of attendance, neighbourhood impacts, safety and business results.
Housing & Homelessness
Affordability
Problem: High rents are pushing workers, young families and seniors out of the District.
Promise: I will pursue a first-term target of securing sites and funding for 1,000 affordable rental and co-op homes.
Problem: Housing targets are easy to announce and hard to verify.
Promise: I will count a home toward the target only once its site is secured, the project is approved and its financing is committed.
Problem: "Affordable" housing often goes undefined.
Promise: I will ask that every project define it up front
Public & Assistive Housing
Problem: The District cannot build affordable housing alone.
Promise: I will work with non-profit, co-op and other qualified housing partners on suitable District-owned and partner lands.
Problem: Housing promises often come without a funding plan.
Promise: In my first year I will bring forward a plan naming sites, realistic capacity and funding sources, counting no money until it is committed.
Rent & Rental Stock
Problem: Residents facing displacement and people who work here often cannot find a home in the District.
Promise: Where the law allows, I will support fair local-connection criteria for new affordable homes.
Local Government, Planning, & Democracy
Budgeting
Problem: Residents are asked to pay more each year without a clear look at whether every service delivers value.
Promise: In my first year I will propose a core service review to find savings and duplication.
Problem: Property tax increases are hard for households to plan around.
Promise: I will ask Council to target tax levy increases at or below B.C. inflation, and to explain publicly any increase above that.
Problem: Tax bills mix District costs with regional and provincial costs, so it is unclear who is responsible.
Promise: I will ask for a plain-language breakdown in every budget of what the District controls.
Good Governance
Problem: Campaign promises are easy to make and hard for residents to check.
Promise: Within my first 100 days in office I will publish a public tracker of every commitment, updated every quarter.
Problem: Platforms rarely say what each promise costs or when it will happen.
Promise: Within six months I will bring forward a plan showing costs, staff time and what depends on Council or outside funding.
Problem: New programs are often announced before the money exists.
Promise: I will propose funding new work only from verified savings and confirmed partner money, and say publicly when a project must wait.
Long-Term Plan
Problem: Growth is sometimes approved before the pipes, roads and services are ready.
Promise: I will propose public infrastructure and financing statements for major rezonings, showing upgrades and who pays.
Problem: Schools and transit are run by other agencies, yet growth decisions depend on them.
Promise: I will ask that they be reported separately, as dependencies the District cannot guarantee.
Problem: Lions Gate residents were told growth would come with public spaces and transportation improvements.
Promise: I will ask for a public list of what is secured, what is missing and who is responsible.
Wastewater Plant Accountability
Problem: The plant's cost grew from an estimated $700 million to $3.86 billion, and North Shore ratepayers carry much of it.
Promise: I will press for the largest possible share of the $235 million settlement.
Problem: Residents still have no full public account of how the costs grew.
Promise: I will support a full, independent inquiry and the fullest lawful release of Metro Vancouver's review.
Problem: Decisions about this plant are made at the Metro Vancouver board, not at Municipal Hall.
Promise: I will seek Council's appointment to that board and argue for fairer regional cost-sharing.
Problem: One mayor's voice is easy for Metro Vancouver and senior governments to ignore.
Promise: I will launch a North Shore wastewater fairness petition and report every quarter on the responses.
Mental Health, Drugs, & Addiction
Youth Prevention & Early Help
Problem: Students, parents and school staff are not always sure where to report drug concerns.
Promise: I will support clear, simple reporting channels for them.
Problem: Enforcement alone does not keep young people away from drugs.
Promise: I will support drug education, early intervention and youth support services, working with the School District and local partners.
Problem: Families want to know whether school-safety efforts are working.
Promise: I will seek regular public progress reports that protect students' privacy and ongoing investigations.
Public Safety & Policing
Non-Police-Based Public Safety
Problem: Maplewood residents live near the Chemtrade chemical plant and need clear guidance on what to do in an emergency.
Promise: I will ask for a plain-language safety summary and shelter-in-place guide.
Police Funding
Problem: The District's draft financial plan shows 119 RCMP members, down from 129 in 2022, returning to past levels only by 2030.
Promise: I will ask for a public explanation and whether that can be sped up.
Problem: Staffing totals do not show how many officers are actually available for duty.
Promise: I will ask for a breakdown of funded positions and vacancies, and bring a costed proposal if gaps affect safety.
School Safety
Problem: Families have reported concerns about drug activity near schools.
Promise: I will seek a coordinated school-safety plan with North Vancouver RCMP, the School District and community partners.
Problem: Students deserve safe routes home and protection from trafficking and exploitation.
Promise: I will advocate for visible patrols and focused enforcement where police evidence shows a threat.
Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations
Roads, Transit, & Getting Around
Private Vehicles & Parking
Problem: Drivers lose time at the same bottlenecks every day, with no public plan for which get fixed first.
Promise: In my first 100 days I will ask Council to publish a ranked list of ten top bottlenecks.
Problem: Overlapping road closures from municipal, utility and development work make getting around harder than it needs to be.
Promise: I will propose a shared public construction calendar to coordinate them.
Problem: Highway 1, the bridges and the Ironworkers approach are run by the Province, not the District.
Promise: I will press the Province and TransLink for timelines and coordination with District roadwork.
Problem: Residents find park parking passes confusing, with repeat check-ins and no option without a smartphone.
Promise: I will propose simpler annual registration and a non-smartphone option.
Transit Projects
Problem: Phibbs Exchange has lighting, crossing and accessibility gaps, and it is unclear who must fix them.
Promise: I will work with TransLink and the Province on a public list of who owns and funds each fix.
Problem: Visitor traffic to local attractions clogs neighbourhood streets.
Promise: I will seek agreement with attraction operators and TransLink to expand shuttles and transit where they cut car trips.
Walking & Cycling
Problem: Residents on Kilmer Road and Delbrook Avenue cannot see whether past safety changes worked.
Promise: I will ask for the speed, crossing and collision data to be published, and act on the evidence.
Biography
submitted by the candidate or their team
Independent candidate and 38-year North Vancouver resident. Business owner and operations manager with an MBA and a computer science degree. Running for Mayor to bring accountability, fair wastewater costs and budget discipline to Municipal Hall. Accountability Starts Here.
Meet Max
North Vancouver has been my home for 38 years. This is where I built my life, raised my family and became part of a community I care deeply about. The trails, the creeks and the neighbourhood shops are not talking points to me. They are where I have spent the last four decades.
I am an independent candidate for Mayor of the District of North Vancouver: no party, no slate. You will find me on the ballot as Fardin Maximilian Zahedi; Max is the name I go by.
Why I am running
I have watched a necessary public project, the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, grow from a reported $700 million estimate to $3.86 billion. Residents still struggle to get a straight answer about how that happened or what it means for their bills. That is not a failure of engineering. It is a failure of reporting, oversight and accountability, and those are things a mayor can change.
In my working life, a project that went that far over budget would have triggered a review, a written explanation and a change in how the next one was run. Residents deserve the same standard from the government closest to them.
But this campaign is about more than one plant. It is about property taxes people can plan around, housing that matches what our infrastructure can carry, streets that are not permanently under construction, a District prepared for wildfire and earthquake, and a Municipal Hall that answers the phone.
My background
- MBA in Global Management and a BSc in Computer Science
- Business owner and operator; operations manager
- Software engineering and business consulting
- Government and regulatory experience, including writing policy and procedures for a Crown corporation
- Served on three strata councils, managing budgets, contractors and hard decisions with neighbours
- Years of community and cultural leadership across the North Shore
- I speak English and Farsi
My education in business and technology shapes how I approach public problems: understand the system, measure what it actually does, and report the result honestly, even when it is not flattering.
How I will work
- Listen before deciding, and say publicly what was heard.
- Publish the numbers, including the inconvenient ones.
- Set service standards and be measured against them.
- Treat residents as the people who pay for all of this, because they are.
The Mayor is one vote of seven on Council. My platform says clearly what I will propose, what Council must decide and what depends on other governments. At the first regular Council meeting, I will bring motions to launch a public commitment tracker and a wastewater fairness campaign, so you can check my progress against every promise.
My priorities
- Fair wastewater costs
- Property taxes in check
- 1,000 affordable rental and co-op homes
- Traffic and park parking
- Infrastructure before growth
- Local business and childcare
- School safety
- Wildfire and emergency preparedness
Read the full platform at MaxForMayor.ca.
Accountability Starts Here.
Reason for running
submitted by the candidate or their team
I’m running for Mayor to bring accountability to wastewater costs, keep taxes predictable, improve traffic and support affordable housing. After 38 years in North Vancouver, I want a municipal hall that listens and follows through.
The rising cost of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant raises serious questions about project oversight, public reporting and the burden placed on residents. We deserve a clear account of what happened, an independent examination of the decisions involved, and sustained advocacy for fairer costs.
Residents should be able to understand how their money is being spent before problems become expensive surprises.
My priorities extend beyond the treatment plant. They include property taxes people can plan around, affordable housing supported by infrastructure, better traffic and construction coordination, safer communities, and preparation for wildfire, earthquakes and other emergencies.
I also want a municipal hall that answers questions, explains decisions and follows through.
maxformayor.ca maxformayor.ca