When I woke up the day this snap election was called, I became agitated that issues of great importance weren’t being raised.

How could I make sure urgent matters made it onto the list of promises?

Chief among them was the ongoing toxic drug crisis that has taken 18,000 lives in the last decade. That’s more British Columbians lost in both World Wars and COVID combined. And it continues at almost five people a day.

Not a word from the party platforms.

There’s a way through this, and other parts of the world have best practices. Right now, this province has massive gaps in its recovery pathway. People who want out of their addiction can’t find the way.

We’re not talking about wholesale changes, just some additions and changing the way we spend our money. We will help save lives and relieve some of our system of a $6 billion annual burden.

I won't pretend to have a tidy answer to all of this. What I bring is a method: find the people who know, follow the evidence, and never accept the first answer when it doesn't add up. Journalism taught me that. Recovery taught me the rest: a policy is only as good as how it meets the needs of the person it was intended to serve.

Why Independent

No party whip. No borrowed talking points. I'll back a good idea no matter who brings it and oppose a bad one no matter who owns it.

Independent doesn't mean isolated. It means I can work with anyone in the Legislature who's serious about fixing a problem, and I'll never have to defend a bad decision out of loyalty. Every vote gets the same test: Is this good for Surrey–White Rock?

I've spent a career listening to this community. Now I'd like to speak for it.