The tri-cities is a beautiful place that I have called home ever since we moved to Canada in 1993. Whether I am taking my morning walks near the Coquitlam River Trail, working out at Club 16, or passing by Lafarge Lake, I have always felt connected to this place. To be honest though, the continuing housing crisis has made me think about leaving on more than one occasion. Without upward pressure on wages and downward pressure on rent and housing prices, I see very little to be optimistic about. The pandemic added additional stress and feelings of isolation. 

That being said, I love this place and I would prefer to stay, to start taking part in the discussions and policy making that tackle local issues like the congestion on Lougheed Highway and organizing more community events to build connectedness and heal feelings of loneliness. One aspect of government that has always bothered me is the wastefulness with which taxpayer money is spent, so being able to have a hand in how funds are allocated and implementing a fiscally conservative budget that respects our residents’ hard earned money is something that I can sink my teeth into. Utilizing my education and work experience in business, I feel as though I could really make a difference.