What skills, professional experience, and personal attributes make you an effective representative for your riding in the Legislature?
I have developed a broad toolkit of skills and experience through decades of performing business research, analysis, and planning; systems design and delivery; and incident management.

This, paired with innate curiosity, a creative approach to problem solving, and perennial enthusiasm positions me well to tackle the many challenges we face.

For over two decades with SaskTel, I designed and managed telephony networks and performed incident management. As a technology leader, I worked with fire, police, and ambulance services when designing the Saskatchewan Enhanced 911 Service network and managed development of an Emergency Operations Centre.

In a Planning and Research role, I developed hybrid technology and process solutions for operations and sales divisions. On assignment with Stentor Canadian Network Management, I performed domestic and international network forecasting, planning, and management.

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.

An active volunteer for four decades, I have served as board member, committee chair, and volunteer at large. My reverence for Indigenous knowledge and traditional ways of being informs my approach to governance and community service.

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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?
Our Nanaimo-Gabriola riding is one of the hardest affected by the affordability crisis.

We have a disproportionate number of residents subsisting on social services benefits which is forcing residents into deep poverty and despair. Recent investments by government are not sufficient to meet the need and offset years of neglect.

We have an epidemic of unhoused people which now includes many seniors. While there are many inflationary factors in play, our social support systems have endured austerity budgets while subsidies and tax incentives flow in abundance to the wealthiest.

To narrow the burgeoning divide between the wealthiest and the lowest income earners, the BC Greens are proposing a more equitable tax structure by reasonable increases in taxes applied to the wealthiest and eliminating certain industry subsidies.

We are committed to investing in below-market, non-market, social, and co-op housing.

We pledge to increase and index social assistance and PWD payments, providing a living income for those faced with deep poverty while not clawing back earned income. Evidence shows a guaranteed liveable income is a revenue-positive investment that helps people gain independence.

Our platform items are costed, and we have included in detail where the money is coming from.

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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 am committed to investing in below-market, non-market, social, and co-op housing.

We do not live in a “one-size-fits-all world.” I will work with the City of Nanaimo and the Regional District to develop and fund zoning and infrastructure to increase density while also offering options for tiny, smaller stand-alone units or alternative housing. Building on publicly-owned land will offer significantly reduced cost of home ownership or rents.

I will advocate for investment in next-generation green construction techniques and technologies. I will work with our local campuses to develop and offer educational programs to educate or upgrade tradespeople. I will work to attract local investment in a low-impact green design and construction industry and partner with our university to become a center of excellence for research and innovation in green construction.

I will introduce legislation to offer bursaries and income supports to students to remove financial barriers for those wishing to enter the construction industry or transition from resource-extractive industries.

I will pursue new funding models to make housing available and accessible for everyone. I will lobby against the draconian enforcement of Bill 44 while our progressive Nanaimo City Council takes great strides to meet the needs of our community.

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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?
As a BC Green, our party has developed the Dogwood model of healthcare delivery to invest in health care centres in each of the 93 ridings across the province.

In addition to direly needed upgrades to our existing hospital infrastructure, these centers will provide space as an option for primary care physicians and an expanded list of health care providers, including mental health care, to provide care collaboratively and more efficiently without the added burden of office management and administration.

We will increase hiring to ensure more patients are connected to primary care physicians and supporting nurse practitioners as their primary resource within this expanded network of specialists.

We will increase investment in high-quality culturally appropriate care, public health, and patient education. We will increase investment in illness prevention and expand funded treatment options.

We will increase funding for medical research and education, offering financial support to students to remove barriers to education. We will increase staffing at all levels of practice including long-term, supportive, mental health and addictions care, and increase capacity for treatment facilities and beds while streamlining administrative and management bureaucracy

We will seek guidance from Indigenous Health Care authorities to develop culturally supportive best practices.

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.