Gwen O’Mahony (BC Conservatives)
Email: gwenfornanaimolantzville@gmail.com
Biography:
With over 20 years of combined leadership experience in the not for profit, government, and private sectors, Gwen brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Conservative Party team. Gwen has a Master’s of Business Administration from Vancouver Island University and a Master’s of Science in International Business Management from the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Gwen was born and raised on Vancouver Island. She lives in Nanaimo.
What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?
Gwen O’Mahony is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly. She served as the Critiic of Skills Training and Deputy Critic of Advanced Education. Gwen is the only candidate with legislative experience. Her tenacity and fighting spirit bring exceptional success to her work in elected office.
“To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart”. This quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt succinctly expresses Gwen’s leadership style.
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?
The Conservative Party of BC is committed to removing the carbon tax which would provide immediate relief on everything from groceries to filling your gas tank. When it was first implemented, the price of the carbon tax was set at $20 per ton. Today, the price is $80.
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?
The Rustad Rebate will bring significant relief to BC renters and those with mortgages, providing up to $3,000 a month in reduced housing costs. This is the largest tax cut for renters and homeowners in BC history.
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?
Morale in our healthcare system is at an all time low. We will repeal the Health Professions and Occupations Act (Bill 36) to remove the political control imposed by the NDP and hand back autonomy to physicians and other affected healthcare professionals.
We will create a modern, transparent, and accountable BC healthcare system. Finally, we will implement zero tolerance on illicit drug use in hospitals. In doing so, we’ll create an environment that will attract physicians and specialists instead of driving them to other jurisdictions.
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.