Realtor, home builder Param Nijjar says he joined Colleen Hardwick led TEAM because their priorities and policies matched his own with sustainable growth being at the top.  “TEAM believes in managing growth” Nijjar said. Nijjar has been a community-minded individual from when he was a teenager in India. In Vancouver, he’s been involved with organizations ranging from the Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen (downtown Eastside) to Vancouver Fashion Week, Entrepreneurs International Organization, exploreASIAN, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement of BC.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files

VANCOUVER – Local home builder and Realtor Param Nijjar says he joined Colleen Hardwick led TEAM because their priorities and policies matched his own with sustainable growth being at the top.

Nijjar noted that TEAM’s mayoral candidate Hardwick has a background in urban geography and land economics. “Her voting position underscores the failed business model of growth promotion and CAC-revenue addiction at city hall,” he said.

City hall’s reliance on fees from development projects has been a major contributor to housing unaffordability in the city. “That’s unsustainable. That’s bad for homebuyers, bad for tenants, bad for developers” Nijjar said.

“TEAM believes in managing growth and looking at solutions that provide affordable homes. Our affordable housing policy will add thousands of much needed co-op homes ” Nijjar said.

Nijjar studied Computer Engineering (Software major) at UBC, scoring in the 98th percentile for the GMAT, and has been taking continuing education courses in building sciences with an emphasis on mass-timber, sustainable and zero energy buildings.

Through the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Leaders of Tomorrow program (2004-2006), he was chosen for the Student of the Year award based on community service and networking skills.

He got into the housing industry in his 20s, after launching a tech-startup to improve real-estate industry processes. Realizing he needed more industry knowledge, he moved into construction project management with no formal education in the field. Out of the school of hard knocks, he created a boutique building company specializing in laneway homes and green building concepts.

He used his tech skills working for a large-scale IT infrastructure project for the 2010 Olympics that created systems leading to improved efficiency and cost-savings.

“We want to make sure there is accountability, efficiency and transparency in future planning of the city with a view of looking at all transportation options and not just skytrain. Vancouver is built on a road grid that would support surface level mass transit options quite efficiently and for less cost than the skytrain” Nijjar told DESIBUZZCanada.

And in South Vancouver, Nijjar said the priority is to build a seniors’ centre and review the paid parking the city set up in the area which seems like another cash grab and needs to reexamined.

Nijjar has been a community-minded individual from when he was a teenager in India. In Vancouver, he’s been involved with organizations ranging from the Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen (downtown Eastside) to Vancouver Fashion Week, Entrepreneurs International Organization, exploreASIAN, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement of BC.

A devoted environmentalist, he focused on green and zero energy/passive building concepts in his business. Personally, he’s a diligent recycler, was an early adopter of electric vehicles in 2014, and believes in an electrified bus fleet and cost-efficient, greener, mass-transit alternatives to SkyTrain.

He’s been involved with and a strong supporter of the local creative community for years.

He joined TEAM because its policies of listening to residents, basing decisions on evidence, and fiscal responsibility align with his own thinking. He believes that when core services, safety and housing affordability are worse than ever despite record-high revenue from taxes and permits, “something is amiss.”

Nijjar said that he is running with a diverse team that represents a wide selection of skills and expertise.

The TEAM slate for council includes Cleta Brown, Sean Nardi, Grace Quan, Stephen Roberts, and Bill Tieleman.

Running for park board are Kathleen Larsen, Michelle Mollineaux, James Buckshon, Patrick Audley, Tricia Barker, Kumi Kimura.  For school board,  TEAM has nominated Dr.Matiul Alam.