A total of 13 candidates are vying to represent four central Vancouver Island ridings in Victoria in the Oct. 19 election. (Dreamstime)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

skills and experience

Election 2024: Candidate experience and characteristics to be an effective MLA

Oct 8, 2024 | 11:53 AM

NANAIMO — NanaimoNewsNOW is proud to formally launch our local coverage of the 2024 provincial election, with a focus on four central Island ridings.

Our Election Centre is now live, featuring the latest campaign news, candidate profiles, voter information and more.

As part of this coverage, we sent a survey to the 13 candidates running in the Nanaimo-Gabriola, Nanaimo-Lantzville, Ladysmith-Oceanside and Mid-Island Pacific Rim ridings, to gauge their thoughts on priority topics in the area.

Our first of a four-part series leading up to general voting day on Oct. 19 focuses on their individual experience, accomplishments and personal characteristics which would help them be an effective MLA if elected.

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Question: What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?

BC Green Party candidate Shirley Lambrecht said decades of performing business research, analysis and planning would provide a solid foundation for representing the region as MLA.

She said experience in incident management, along with an “innate curiosity, a creative approach to problem solving” and enthusiasm have served her well in tackling a variety of problems.

“I have played key roles in provincial, national, and international incident management teams and have been consulted to audit business processes, recommending solutions to improve effectiveness, efficiency, drive down cost, and remove pain points.”

She said she’s also an active volunteer for over 40 years and carries a “reverence” for Indigenous knowledge, which helps inform her decision-making.

More on Lambrecht is available here.

Sheila Malcolmson of the BC NDP was elected to the Nanaimo riding in a 2019 by-election and re-elected a year later. In the last sitting of the Legislature, she served as Minister of mental health and addictions, then later transitioned into the social development and poverty reduction portfolio.

Malcolmson said she was elected four times to the Islands Trust Council, serving six years in the Council’s chair.

“…championing fair ferry service, marine safety, oil spill prevention, and signing a government-to-government protocol between the Snuneymuxw First Nation and the Islands Trust. This established a relationship of respect and cooperation in planning, land use management, and heritage conservation.”

Currently residing on Gabriola Island, Malcolmson is also a former MP for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding.

More on Malcolmson is available here.

BC Conservative candidate Dale Parker said he’s a strong communicator and a proven leader throughout his long career in the technology sector.

“I am an excellent problem-solver who can find practical solutions through analysis, research, and collaboration,” Parker said. “I have a solid technical background and high attention to detail.”

Currently residing in Mill Bay, Parker said he grew up in the Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Gabriola and Mudge Island areas as a child. He said he’s dedicated to public service and helping others.

Academically, Parker has an MBA in executive management from Royal Roads University, after obtaining his degree from the University of Victoria.

More on Parker is available here.

Question: What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?

George Anderson of the BC NDP was born and raised in Nanaimo and previously served as a City Councillor in the mid-2010’s.

He said he has a “deep desire to serve our community”, with a long history of sitting on non-profit boards, volunteering with community groups and being engaged in the community.

“I have looked to where I could best support people and make positive changes. I am truly dedicated to our community and the people living here.”

Anderson currently serves as chair of the Vancouver Island University board of governors and works as a commercial lawyer in Nanaimo.

More on Anderson is available here.

BC Conservative Party candidate Gwen O’Mahony is a former MLA for the Chilliwack-Hope riding between April 2012 and April 2013, representing the BC NDP.

During her time in Victoria, she was the critic for skills training and deputy critic of advanced education. She said her experience in the Legislature is unique among candidates running in the riding.

“[My] tenacity and fighting spirit bring exceptional success to [my] work in elected office. “To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart”. This quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt succinctly expresses [my] leadership style.”

O’Mahony has over 20 years of combined leadership experience in the not-for-profit, government and private sectors, as well as an MBA from Vancouver Island University and a Masters in International Business Management from a university in the United Kingdom.

More on O’Mahony is available here.

Lia Versaevel of the BC Green Party said her years of interview training would be key as an MLA, helping her listen carefully and read body language when meeting with voters and constituents.

She said her research skills, working with empirical evidence and extensive legal writing experience would get to the root cause of issues affecting people in the riding.

“I have worked with people in conflict for over 40 years, guiding them to peaceful and mutually beneficial plans, to retain their dignity and hope. This has been in criminal contexts as well as in family dynamics, social crises such as where victims of crime were interviewed, and with seniors facing declining health and independence challenges.”

Versaevel worked for 27 years with the Attorney General of B.C. and has also spent time in her career as a probation officer and Family Court mediator. She has a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Management.

More on Versaevel is available here.

Question: What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?

Stephanie Higginson from the BC NDP is a twice-elected trustee with Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools and former president of the BC School Trustees’ Association.

She’s been a resident of Cedar since 2010 and said her experience working in and around education, along with her deep care and love of the community, would help her be an effective representative in Victoria.

“As a school trustee and as President of the BCSTA, I learned the importance skill of effective collaboration and consensus building. During my time with the BCSTA I was tasked with helping to create a policy framework for reconciliation, the Syeyutsus Framework, that could be used by all 60 school districts.”

Higginson said she would lean on her track record of bringing people together to find solutions for those in the riding.

More on Higginson is available here.

Independent candidate Adam Walker was elected as MLA to the Parksville-Qualicum riding in 2020 as a member of the BC NDP. Prior to provincial politics, Walker was a Town Councillor in Qualicum Beach and a small tech business owner.

Walker said he’s sat down nearly 3,000 times with constituents during his four years as MLA and his departure from the party in 2023 allowed him to take more direct action.

“As an independent MLA, I’ve been able to use the extra resources that come with not being tied to a party to get meaningful things done, like developing a plan for a new health centre for Oceanside.

A lifelong Oceanside resident, Walker said his experience as an entrepreneur and relationship builder, along with his time already spent as an MLA would allow him to continue the work he’s started.

More on Walker is available here.

BC Conservative candidate Brett Fee and BC Green Party candidate Laura Ferreira did not submit survey responses before a Tuesday, Oct. 8 deadline.

Question: What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?

Adam Hayduk of the BC Conservatives was born and raised in B.C. and moved to Port Alberni in 2011, with decades of experience in non-profit youth sports organizations, operations and administration.

He is a former coach and assistant general manager with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs and said he’s a “consummate team player”

“Understanding the importance of community involvement, [I have] a strong history of working closely with local and provincial leaders to achieve tangible results.”

He added in addition to his work in Port Alberni, he’s also been the director of hockey for a minor hockey association in West Vancouver.

More on Hayduk is available here.

BC NDP candidate Josie Osborne was elected as MLA for the Mid-Island Pacific Rim riding in 2020, since serving as minister of municipal affairs, water, land and resource stewardship, as well as energy, mines and low carbon innovation.

She said 12 years in elected office, including seven as mayor of Tofino, has helped her truly learn and be curious about issues important to the community.

“My experiences working in First Nations communities, in the non-profit sector, and as an elected leader at the municipal, regional, and provincial level have taught me that sound, responsible decision-making requires leaders to seek diverse perspectives and bring people of different backgrounds and experiences.

Prior to politics, Osborne worked as a fisheries biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, then moved into environmental education for a non-profit organization.

More on Osborne is available here.

BC Green Party candidate Ross Reid did not submit survey responses before a Tuesday, Oct. 8 deadline.

by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff