Whenever election season roles around, candidates ply voters with reasons to vote for them. When it comes to school boards, that means talking about “our” children. But Layne North is not a parent. Instead, he is the student. He doesn’t just see the difficulties that kids at school go through, or the changing environment they experience, he lives it everyday.

He understands youth from an angle that mature adults often don’t notice or fail to fully grasp, including how kids feel about their time in the classroom.

While young, Layne is not inexperienced. He has already served on the Board of Governors at Capilano University, including on the investment committee and the 2030 planning committee. He also served on the board of the Capilano Student’s Union, including as chair of the Finance and Audit committee and the liaison for the Business and Professional Society.

As such, he is familiar both with how boards operate and make decisions, and with how that specifically applies to education. He also lobbied the provincial government in 2019, where he was part of a team successful in getting more financial aid for students.

His platform includes overhauling school procedures for bullying, more realistic education for sex and vaping, better financial education, and bringing more opportunities for students to excel and advance their education through AP courses. It also aims to teach students the philosophy of critical thinking, recognizing that learning to judge information and decisions is the most important skill they will ever learn.