BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon released the following statement in response to the byelection call in Vancouver-Quilchena:
“Ten years ago I left politics for my young girls. I’m returning to politics, not just for them, but for their entire generation.
“The NDP was elected on a platform of making life more affordable for British Columbians. Over the last half-decade, they have failed to deliver on this promise time and time again. The cost of living for regular British Columbians continues to rise – gas prices are the highest in North America, and housing costs are the highest they have been in our province’s history.
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“British Columbians deserve leaders that understand not just how to talk about the big issues that we face, but also how to execute and get things done.
“With the trust of Vancouver-Quilchena residents, I will go to Victoria to advocate for common-sense policies that will focus on growing a strong economy, reducing the tax burden faced by middle-class British Columbians, and providing support to the most vulnerable British Columbians who are struggling the most.
“This byelection is the first step towards bringing needed leadership and competence back to the province of British Columbia. I am excited to get the campaign underway. I will work hard every day to earn the support of Vancouver-Quilchena residents so that I can hold the NDP to account and make sure that we get big things done in British Columbia again.”
NDP candidate Jeanette Ashe points to Kevin Falcon’s record of making life harder for people as a key factor in her decision to run.
Chair of the Political Science department at Douglas College, Phd, and an advocate for increasing diversity in government by helping women get elected, Ashe says she’s ready to take on Falcon and shed light on the fact that he’s only looking out for big corporations and the wealthiest British Columbians.
“In government, Kevin Falcon gave big tax breaks to corporations and the richest 1% of British Columbians while cutting funding for schools and hospitals,” said Ashe. “Now he’s planning new giveaways to profitable corporations and housing speculators, who don’t need it. Kevin Falcon only works for those at the top.”
During her campaign, Ashe plans to highlight the results that John Horgan’s BC NDP government continues to achieve for people since 2017, including:
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Fixing ICBC and reducing car insurance by $500 a year;
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Investing in schools and better healthcare close to home;
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Reducing childcare fees and creating more spaces; and
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Building more housing and taking on real estate speculators.
Ashe is an educator and an advocate who has dedicated her professional career to increasing diversity in government by helping women get elected to public office.
A visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London, and the Chair of the Political Science department at Douglas College, Ashe is a champion for equality, justice, and a better, more inclusive British Columbia. She holds a Ph.D. in Politics and Government. She lives in Vancouver with her husband Kennedy Stewart and their dog Fergus.
Ashe says she knows that this pandemic has brought huge challenges and massive change to all our lives. As part of John Horgan’s BC NDP she will fight hard every day for what matters the most to people. That means cutting childcare bills by 50% and funding more childcare spaces in your community, better, faster access to healthcare, and tackling climate change through CleanBC.
Whether it’s making life in BC more just and more fair, or making sure families get the support they need, Ashe says her priority is always you.
BC Greens’ candidate is emergency management expert Wendy Hayko.
Hayko has worked with organizations at the local, regional and international levels to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies such as fires, floods, epidemics and wildfires. Her specialties include multi-agency coordination, technical support, information technology-disaster recovery, and business continuity.
“I am delighted to introduce Wendy Hayko as our BC Green candidate for the upcoming
by-election in Vancouver-Quilchena,” BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau said. “Wendy is an emergency management expert who has served a diversity of organizations, businesses, communities and governments. Her professional background will bring a vital new perspective to the legislature as we continue to grapple with devastating crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. With her experience bringing communities and agencies together, Wendy is the perfect advocate for British Columbians struggling with the affordability crisis and lack of access to our public health care system. I am very much looking forward to working with her.”
“I am running to be the BC Green MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena to bring forward solutions to the complex, interconnected issues facing us today, such as housing, healthcare, and climate change,” Hayko said. “As an emergency management expert, my experience is in bringing agencies together to deliver vital services in the face of a crisis. I believe in the BC Green Party’s vision of working together with diverse perspectives – inside and outside the legislature – to build solutions that succeed. Together we can find a way to a healthy, prosperous future.”
Hayko is an emergency management expert with over 20 years of experience at local, regional and international levels. As an emergency management expert, Wendy provides leadership on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies such as fires, floods, epidemics and wildfires. Wendy has also worked on the ground in emergency operations centres and reception centres. Her specialties include multi-agency coordination, technical support, information technology-disaster recovery, and business continuity. She has worked with nonprofits; small and large businesses; international corporations; and local, regional and First Nations governments.
An accomplished trainer, facilitator and speaker, Wendy has also led major seminars, training sessions and exercises for global and national conferences, and co-ordinated multi-agency training days and exercises.
Wendy has served on the boards of several local and international organizations, as well as having been an active member of a range of organizations, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Disaster Recovery Information Exchange (DRIE) Toronto.
An entrepreneur at heart who loves to help people with a diversity of needs, Wendy has had a variety of other professional experiences as an independent driver with a focus in training and accessibility. She has supported diverse organizations as a driving instructor, a cab driver and as an accessible taxi driver. Meeting with, supporting and serving a variety of people on a daily basis was one of the most enlightening and rewarding jobs Wendy has ever had.
Among her many interests, Wendy is especially passionate about science and animal welfare, having served on the boards of local community clubs including the York University Physics Club and the Durham Region Branch of the Canadian Pony Club.
Wendy holds a Bachelor of Science (Physics) degree from York University and a post-degree certificate in emergency management from Durham College. She has also completed the coursework for a Master of Arts degree in disaster and emergency management at Royal Roads University. Wendy is the proud mother of two adult children who live in Ontario.
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