1. What made you decide to run in this election?
At the core of my decision is my confidence that I would be an asset on council and the sentiment that "democracy is not a spectator sport".
This May marks 20 years that I have been a member of this community and I absolutely love it here. I have followed the local Tahsis politics for years but have become even more engaged in the last few years. Life with my medically complex son has led me to advocacy work in disability & accessibility which has led to me advocating to the Village of Tahsis for consultation on capital projects to ensure that all projects are informed by universal design principles and human centred design. More recently I was appointed as a member (volunteer role) of the newly formed Strathcona Regional District - Accessibility & Inclusion Advisory Committee as the Tahsis representative which has brought me into a closer working relationship with the Village of Tahsis. Like many others here in Tahsis, I have felt frustrated by the lack of adequate consultation and communication, leading to projects that have neglected to consider the human impacts the project would have.
I see a path forward and I would love the opportunity to work for and with the community to move us through the current challenges to a brighter future where the perspectives of residents and property owners are valued in planning processes.
2. What part of your background (experience, education, skills etc.) would make you a good councillor?
I worked in tourism in small towns for most of my life until recently. This has included hosting guests in Tahsis when I operated an Airbnb here, working at marinas, on a dive charter yacht, at fishing resorts, and at several ski hills and backcountry lodges over the years. I see some simple yet key needs in our village that would provide a better experience for visitors while also enhancing our quality of life as community members.
For the 10 years just previous to my son being born, I was a part owner and on the management team of a huge, off grid backcountry ski lodge with 65 people housed every night. Over the years there, I did everything from scheduling, ordering, and human resources, to satellite internet network management, safety management, heavy equipment operating, and beyond. This experience, along with my 20 years in Tahsis, gives me a unique understanding of both the challenges and possible solutions faced by a small remote village like ours.
More recently, in my advocacy work, I have successfully collaborated with all levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) to open the door to consultation and engagement with end users. I sit on both a provincial and federal government advisory committee whose work it is to directly advise the ministerial policy teams and the ministers themselves. Annually, I present to the provincial Select Standing Committee on Finance and this year I was invited to present to the federal Senate. I am the Founder and President of a provincial non profit that has successfully lobbied for policy changes and investments and has given a voice to thousands of families like mine across BC. We are proud to have successfully forced a review of the whole system of support, across several ministries, which is now underway. I am also involved with several other non profits as a member of their leadership teams and networks. Through all of this, I have learned how to work with government and policy makers collaboratively while also being assertive, bold and insistent. Most of all I have learned how to appropriately represent the voices of the families that I advocate with and for.
I believe that my 20 years in Tahsis are also an asset. I have been around long enough to know a majority of the residents and I have witnessed some of its recent history. When I first moved here I watched the barges heading down the inlet with the last pieces of the mill machinery and felt the collective sorrow of the residents who had found their livelihood at the mill. In those early days of my time here, I worked at the Spar Tree, Westview Marina and at the Recreation Centre as a lifeguard so I also have that frame of experience.
I know that policies & plans in all realms of society benefit from being directly influenced by diverse voices which is why my work with government is always focussed on getting more voices heard through engagement. And I can proudly say that I have a very successful track record of inspiring the government to create avenues for consultation.
In summary, I believe that I have the passion, communication skills, relational approach, direct experience working with all levels of government and community members to be able to work collaboratively towards a healthy and sustainable future for Tahsis.
3. What is the most important issue facing Tahsis and what would you do to address it?
I believe that we need to address some foundational issues that have come to light in the last few years as the Village has been ambitiously embarking on several capital projects. Communication with residents and property owners needs to improve. We would all benefit if the Village had a communication strategy that was integrated into day to day operations. Along similar lines, consultation processes need to be authentic, thoughtful and embedded in the Village's approach to all major projects and in other areas of policy and practice.
I will continue to press forward with advocacy with a goal of having a Communication Strategy and a Consultation Process that is informed by community voices and creates avenues for dialogue. This can and should be done in a way that creates efficiencies for the Village and empowers residents and property owners. Transparency and accountability would also be enhanced through these plans.
Our remoteness in Tahsis could be seen as an 'issue' but it is actually the road that is the issue. The situation seems to improve when we raise our collective voices but we shouldn't need to constantly spend energy in this area. We need a long term system of accountability that allows for simple processes to report quality issues and hold the contractors accountable, coupled with provincial commitments to funding that is adequate and indexed to inflation. We also need to address the need for transportation for those that do not drive. I understand this is actively being looked at but we may need to proactively engage to keep the process moving forward.. I also hear calls for dependable trucking solutions for businesses to grow and thrive. There are solutions and we have a dedicated Economic Development team that can move this forward. I'd add that we need to also address child care needs in the Village as I understand that we lost a teacher last year due to unmet child care needs. This may not be front of mind for many Villagers but it is foundational to growth and stability for our community.
4. Any other thoughts you'd like to say.
I want to see our community flourish and be sustainable in all ways and I am confident that I can work collaboratively with both the community at large, the Village administration and the elected mayor and council to move us towards a bright future. It is great to see so many capital projects funded and moving forward as we have years of infrastructure neglect to catch up on. But we really need to be thoughtful, strategic and collaborative. To do that we need to build this future together.
