With another election upon us, Pique once again reached out to all candidates in Whistler and the Sea to Sky with a short questionnaire to help voters learn more about them. Each candidate got the same four questions, and 1,000 words to answer them in their own words.
Advance polls are open in Whistler through Monday, April 21. Election day is Monday, April 28.
1. Please share a short bio and any relevant experience
I grew up in Ottawa, talking politics around the dinner table. I left home when I was 18 to pursue a degree in geological engineering, after which I moved to the West Coast to work as a geologist. After about 10 years of industry experience, I got my MSc, then started a family. I’ve been living in Squamish for about 7 years, where I currently serve as a municipal councillor.
2. Trade with the U.S. aside, what do you see as the top three issues in our riding? How would you address them?
For our riding the biggest issues are housing, affordability and economic resiliency, all of which are deeply intertwined. Our housing and affordability crises are both rooted in this growing wealth disparity that we see globally. There are systemic issues that need to be confronted, like: introducing regulations for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and foreign ownership, both of which are artificially inflating our housing prices; and increased investment in our social infrastructure, including housing and health-care, paid for by ending fossil-fuel subsidies that cost Canadians tens of billions of dollars a day and modernizing our tax structure to increase big-corporate tax rates and increasing the tax free income level to $40,000 a year which will keep $300/month in the pockets of people making less than $100,000/year.
To further address affordability and economic resiliency, as part of the campaign (and beyond) we are working to connect businesses, producers, growers and makers in the riding to each other and to their markets. This network will simplify our ability to support local, facilitate circular economy and serve to determine barriers-to-market. This program will improve farm-to-table access, build up local businesses and help to build a more resilient economy and food system that will provide stability in a time of political and environmental upheaval.
3. If elected, how will you make life better for Whistler residents?
I'll be working to protect our ski industry by fighting climate change! That is good for the local economy and the health and well-being of residents.
4. If elected, how will you help Whistler businesses?
With great crisis comes great opportunity: we need to use these economically volatile times to really invest in local businesses and promote them in any way that we can. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. I want to work with businesses in Whistler to determine which bureaucratic barriers are inhibiting businesses, and how we can increase access to market.
