1) Your current occupation and place of residence.
I currently work as a First Nations Relations Advisor for the BC Ministry of Forests in Lillooet.
2) Have you ever held elected office?
I have never held elected office before.
3) What prompted you to run, and why did you choose to run for the Green Party?
I was prompted to run because, as a younger person, I am tired of our elected officials ignoring problems or working too slowly to solve them. As a Green, I know that I will be able to work collaboratively to solve issues and make sure Fraser-Nicola and the services that we all depend on continue to improve. I believe in Green Party values. I want our communities to be safe places for all British Columbians. I want a transparent government that spends tax dollars responsibly and in a manner that supports our communities. We need to work on ensuring that our resources are managed sustainably and more locally. These reasons are why I chose to run for the Greens.
4) What do you see as the top two or three issues affecting the residents of the Ashcroft/Cache Creek/Clinton area of the riding, and how would you address them?
I have heard from locals about three main issues that are affecting them. The first is jobs. People all across the riding are worried about employment and rightfully so. As your MLA I would work to ensure that communities have local, sustainable, and good-paying jobs so that our communities can continue to grow. Secondly, the health of our seniors and community members is of high interest to me. I know healthy people make up healthy communities and we need to continue to support our health services. Lastly, I have heard a lot about the Ashcroft Slough, and I know there has to be a solution to this. I would work with all parties to come to a solution that works for everyone in Ashcroft.
5) What do you see as the number one issue for the riding as a whole
The issue that I see as the largest issue for the riding is the management of our natural resources. Our jobs, the health of our communities, and our ecosystems all depend on how we manage our forests, our lands, and our natural resources. We need to continue to work with First Nations communities to include their traditional knowledge in our ways of knowing and thinking. We also need to ensure that local communities have a greater say in what projects are conducted to safeguard our water and natural areas. When we put decision making power into the hands of locals, we tend to get better results. I want our resource jobs to be as long-term as possible and I want our places of recreation to remain healthy for generations to come.
6) What makes you the best candidate for Fraser-Nicola?
I know what concerns are affecting our region. I have spent the last year-and-a-half working to protect our jobs, our forests and land, and our fish. I have spent much of my working life bringing people together. I believe that this collaborative mindset will lend itself immensely to working with the other parties to improve the lives of everyone in Fraser-Nicola. I am a skilled and empathetic listener who is not afraid to prioritize sustainable rural communities, robust environmental protection, and meaningful reconciliation with First Nations.
Voting information
Advance voting (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day) will take place as follows:
Ashcroft: Ashcroft HUB, daily from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20 inclusive
Cache Creek: Community Hall, Oct. 15 and Oct. 16
Clinton: Memorial Hall, Oct. 15 to Oct. 17 inclusive
Loon Lake: Community Hall, Oct. 18 and Oct. 19
Lytton: Lytton First Nation Memorial Hall, Oct. 19 and Oct. 20
General voting day is Saturday, Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can vote at any of the locations above. In addition, voting places will be open in Spences Bridge (Clemes Hall) and Walhachin (Soldiers Memorial Hall).
For a complete list of voting places and dates, go to https://bit.ly/30XU8xH (advance voting) and https://bit.ly/2SLe962 (general voting day). Voters should bring their “Where to Vote” card, which they should have received in the mail, as well as one piece of valid ID that shows your name and address (street address, not just P.O. Box) or two pieces of other ID. For a list of accepted pieces of ID, go to https://bit.ly/3nBkwap.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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