James Yaroshuk is a lifelong Surrey resident, husband, father of three, tradesman and community volunteer who believes it is time for ordinary working people to have a stronger voice in Victoria.

James was born and raised in Surrey. He spent his early childhood near Bear Creek Park before his family moved to Newton, where he grew up. After marrying his wife in 2005, they settled in Cloverdale, where they have raised their three children. James and his wife have been married for more than 20 years.

For the past 11 years, James has worked as an interior finisher with Prestige Finishing Carpentry. Before that, he worked in renovations and cabinet installation, gaining experience in many different areas of the construction industry. Working in the trades has shaped the way James approaches problems: be practical, work hard, don't spend what you don't have and find a way to get the job done.

James and his family have attended Calvary Church in Fraser Heights for 16 years. During that time, he has served in a number of roles, including leading the church's media ministry and hosting and leading a small group in his home. He has also been involved in developing leaders, pastoral care, and praying with and supporting people through difficult times. James earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Church Ministries from Pacific Life Bible College, with specializations in Counselling and Pastoral Ministry. In the spring, you can also often find him helping coach his son's baseball team through Cloverdale Minor Baseball.

James didn't grow up planning to become a politician. His decision to run came from a growing concern about the direction of British Columbia and a frustration that many of the problems ordinary families face seem to get worse, regardless of how often politicians promise to fix them.

Affordability is particularly personal for James. He and his wife bought their first home in 2008. After their third child was born and his wife did not qualify for maternity leave, they made the difficult decision to sell rather than fall behind on their mortgage. Housing prices subsequently rose dramatically, and they were never able to get back into the market. Today, James and his family live in a multigenerational home with his parents.

That experience is one reason James believes government needs more people who understand what it is like to work for a living, raise a family, balance a household budget and deal with the consequences when the cost of living rises faster than a paycheque.

James is running because he believes government should focus on the basics: making life affordable, improving access to healthcare, keeping communities safe, protecting individual and parental rights, spending taxpayers' money responsibly and treating people equally under the law. He believes government should be accountable to the people it serves rather than to political careers, bureaucracy, ideology or special interests.

When he isn't working, serving at church or helping with baseball, James enjoys camping with family and friends, playing board games and Pathfinder, and playing disc golf. He readily admits that his enthusiasm for disc golf is considerably greater than his skill.