What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?
I am a strong communicator who has provided leadership throughout my career and in the community. I am an excellent problem-solver who can find practical solutions through analysis, research, and collaboration. I have a solid technical background and high attention to detail.

My academic achievements have provided me with a wide range of practice knowledge, which allows me to tackle any challenge. I am dedicated to public service and helping others, and I am proud of my values, integrity, ethics and morals. I believe in common sense, innovative ideas, practical solutions and creative thinking to get things done.

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Cost of living challenges continue to mount, with everyday items and activities becoming increasingly unaffordable. What specific examples of this have you seen in the riding, and what areas would you advocate for to bring relief to residents?
I have seen firsthand people’s struggles with affordability. I have spent hours talking to residents and businesses in the community.

The carbon tax and the 30 or so other punishing taxes levied against everyone have hurt people. The provincial government has been relentless in this. One woman I met was visibly shaken. She could not afford to run her furnace and had a carbon tax bill on the service even with it tuned off.

We will end the carbon tax and provide significant financial relief through the Rustad Rebate. The carbon tax has raised the price of everything, including food.

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The need for additional housing stock in the region is widely recognized, with various approaches proposed or underway to build more homes, faster, which in turn should reduce costs for renters and home buyers. What specific housing needs have you identified in the riding, and how would you address those needs as the riding’s MLA?
I have been told that there is a need for affordable housing on Gabriola Island and in Nanaimo. People live in RVs, and seniors (some living in their cars) and many others can not find affordable housing.

Our plan will tackle BC’s housing crisis and restore affordability for British Columbians through our “Get BC Building” plan, which promises to end the housing shortage, streamline approval processes, and deliver the largest tax cut on housing in BC’s history.

We will cut the red tape, streamline approvals, get BC building again and restore affordability.

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Local advocacy groups are calling for immediate investment in primary healthcare services across the central and northern Island regions, including additional capital investments for Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. What steps will you take to improve access to healthcare in the riding, particularly with regard to primary care physicians and access to specialists?
The BC Conservatives will build a new patient tower in Nanaimo, and we need to ensure there is a catheterization lab.

I have actively supported the Fair Care Alliance and listened to their needs, all backed by facts. This work is long overdue, and the situation is dire. There are currently suffering and fatalities as a result of the lack of adequate facilities.

We have also announced our Patients First care model, a Patient-Based funding model that allows patients to access care sooner. We will direct funding to the front lines instead of a large bureaucracy and hire back nurses.

Editor’s note: Candidate responses were limited to 200 words. Any responses exceeding this limit are trimmed as noted. Answers are published otherwise unedited by NanaimoNewsNOW, with the exception of paragraph spacing to aid readability.