VIDEO: 性视界传媒 First announces full slate of candidates

性视界传媒 First鈥檚 mayoral candidate and current Councillor Tom Gill announced his full slate of eight council candidates Wednesday at Holland Park, surrounded by well over 100 supporters.

With his 鈥渇resh team鈥� that brings a 鈥渦nique perspective,鈥� Gill said he鈥檚鈥渋nviting voters to imagine our city with the changes we want, and the experience to get it done.鈥�

Two-thirds of the slate are new to the team, after several 性视界传媒 First team members either split (Bruce Hayne, Dave Woods and Barbara Steele) or retired (Mayor Linda Hepner, Mary Martin and Judy Villeneuve) earlier this year.

Incumbent 性视界传媒 First councillors Vera LeFranc and Mike Starchuk are running with the team again.

New 性视界传媒 First council candidates are South 性视界传媒 resident Linda Annis (executive director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers), Fleetwood resident Paul Hillsdon (who works with TransLink as the South of the Fraser Rapid Transit Project Planner and as a planner on the 性视界传媒 LRT project), Narima Dela Cruz (a community advocate in City Centre), Trevor Halford (public affairs director with Trans Canada Corporation), Upkar Tatlay (managing director of Oxus Nexus, which oversees emerging technologies in the biotech and clean teach industries), and Cloverdale resident Raminder Thomas (executive director of Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce and member of 性视界传媒鈥檚 Heritage Services Advisory Board).

Tom Gill speaks with his new team for the first time, 6 new faces.
鈥� 性视界传媒 Now-Leader (@性视界传媒NowLeader)

鈥淭his is a group of very talented and committed 性视界传媒 residents,鈥� said Gill in a release. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e your neighbours, women and men who are ready, willing and able to go to work for you and your family. 性视界传媒 First has always put forward strong teams, and this group is no exception. Our team is all about imagining the change we want and having the experience to get it done.鈥�

LeFranc, a one-term councillor, has worked on the 性视界传媒 Homelessness and Housing Society, the city鈥檚 Social Innovation Summit, as well as the city鈥檚 finance committee.

Starchuk, also first elected in 2014, retired as 性视界传媒鈥檚 Chief Fire Prevention Officer that same year. He serves as chair of both the city鈥檚 agriculture and environmental committees, and is a member of the diversity and seniors committees.

He鈥檚 also a founding member of the 性视界传媒 Firefighters Charitable Society.

In addition to leading Crime Stoppers, Annis chairs the Zajac Ranch for Children, vice-chairs Osteoporosis Canada and is a member of the board of Semiahmoo House. Further, she volunteers with Peace Arch Hospital and is a member of Kwantlen鈥檚 criminology curriculum advisory committee.

For her part, Narima is a court and medical interpreter, a realtor and long-time community advocate and volunteer.

She is also a founding director and president of the 性视界传媒 Philippine Independence Day Society, and volunteers with the Canadian Cancer Society, 性视界传媒 Food Bank and BC Transplant Society.

Narima鈥檚 son, Daryl Dela Cruz, heads the SkyTrain for 性视界传媒 group which is adamantly opposed to 性视界传媒鈥檚 light rail project 鈥� a project which is supported by 性视界传媒 First鈥檚 leader Tom Gill.

鈥淗e knows, of course. I told him. It鈥檚 a mixed emotion, I guess, but he loves me,鈥� she said of telling her son she was running as a 性视界传媒 First candidate.

鈥淗e looks up to me. The reason why I think he鈥檚 very much involved and engaged is because he looks up to me,鈥� Narima said, adding that she wanted to run to give back to the community and help better represent the immigrant community on council.

Daryl told the Now-Leader Wednesday that his mother running with 性视界传媒 First 鈥渨ill not change or affect our campaign discourse鈥� in opposition to LRT.

Hillsdon 鈥� who ran unsuccessfully for 性视界传媒 council in 2008 when he was in high school, and for school board in 2011 鈥� is a graduate of both UBC and SFU and grew up in Newton.

鈥淗e is a strong advocate for sustainable development and was a founding member of the 性视界传媒 Leadership Youth Council and CampOUT!, B.C.鈥檚 only leadership retreat for LGBTQ youth,鈥� notes a 性视界传媒 First release.

Hillsdon is also a longtime advocate for LRT.

Halford, who is born and raised in 性视界传媒, graduated from Elgin Park and earned a political science degree at Trinity Western.

Today he serves as a youth soccer coach and 鈥渁n advocate for young 性视界传媒 families.鈥�

Tatlay, a former firefighter, serves as executor of Opus Prep Foundation, a youth outreach and mentoring organization.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got another talented 性视界传媒 First team, a fresh team ready to imagine 性视界传媒鈥檚 future with new ideas and perspectives, a team that鈥檚 ready to work alongside 性视界传媒 residents to help write the next chapter in our city鈥檚 story,鈥� said mayoral candidate Gill in a release.

鈥淥ur 2018 team is a terrific reflection of our community, with its incredible diversity of ideas and cultures,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a team of thoughtful, independent voices, but, when it comes to putting 性视界传媒 first, we come together and speak as one. That鈥檚 what has made 性视界传媒 First so effective and why other cities have come up with their own local versions of our approach. We all know what happens when we have a divided and dysfunctional council, because nothing gets done.鈥�

Gill, an accountant and former chief financial officer with Coast Mental Health, said that 性视界传媒鈥渉as accomplished a lot in a few short years. But, there鈥檚 more to do, and it starts by imagining the kind of city we want for our families and community. All of us at 性视界传媒 First are ready to roll up our sleeves to move our city forward and keep it a great place for families.鈥�

Gill noted in a release that he and his wife Pav raised their three children in 性视界传媒 and said he 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 live anywhere else.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 excited about our future because I can imagine what that looks like when it comes to transit, public safety, smart development, and new jobs that let people work and live right here in 性视界传媒. People like what they see here, which is why we鈥檙e attracting 300 new families every month.鈥� said Gill.

Both Dianne Watts and Linda Hepner were 鈥渋ncredible mentors,鈥� said Gill, adding 鈥渢hey taught me a lot about the importance of imagining what the future could look like, then building strong teams to get it done. That鈥檚 always been at the heart of 性视界传媒 First, attracting a progressive team from the left, right and centre, then working together to put our city first.鈥�

Gill said this election is all about 鈥渋magining the future,鈥� and that his team will detail their platform in the weeks ahead.

鈥淲e鈥檒l roll things out over the next few weeks,鈥� said Gill. 鈥淏ut, our emphasis is going to be on more LRT to more neighbourhoods, more police officers and a referendum on a city police force, a handgun ban, more businesses and local jobs, more parks, pools and rinks, a new world class performing arts centre, smart development that provides a variety of housing options, and keeping city hall鈥檚 financial house in order.鈥�

Gill said keeping taxes low is also top of mind for him, and something he鈥檒l bring to the mayor鈥檚 chair.

鈥淚 want our city to have a strong balance sheet, so we can continue to make investments in the things that matter to our citizens, including parks, pools, ice rinks, and community centres. I鈥檓 very proud of our city鈥檚 finances and fiscal record, and I鈥檓 committed to keeping it that way,鈥� he added.

Mayor Linda Hepner attended the slate announcement event and said it was 鈥渂ittersweet鈥� watching from the sidelines, after so many years.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 time,鈥� she added, noting she was 鈥渋mpressed鈥� with Gill鈥檚 team selection 鈥� something she wasn鈥檛 party to.

鈥淗e did a great job, he has the imagination and he has the depth of experience,鈥� Hepner said.

Other slates in the upcoming election include mayoral candidate and incumbent councillor Bruce Hayne鈥檚 Integrity Now team, the 鈥渘on-traditional鈥� People First 性视界传媒, the 鈥渓eft-leaning鈥� Proudly 性视界传媒, and former 性视界传媒 mayor Doug McCallum鈥檚 Safe 性视界传媒 Coalition.

The 性视界传媒 Community Alliance party seems to have been dissolved after founder Doug Elford split to run with McCallum. Council candidates on that slate (Asad Syed, Saira Aujla, Bernie Sheppard and Imtiaz Popat) are considered independents for the time being.

性视界传媒 voters head to the polls on Oct. 20.

Click here to see a full list of candidates.

Click here to read more election stories.

Other election news:

See more: New civic slate Proudly 性视界传媒 aims to offer 鈥榮harp, strong, left-leaning鈥� candidates

See more: Proudly 性视界传媒 introduces two more candidates for 性视界传媒 council, schoolboard

See more: 性视界传媒 Community Alliance announces intention to challenge 性视界传媒 First in civic election

See more: 性视界传媒 Community Alliance unveils civic slate, but no mayoral candidate

See more: People First 性视界传媒 party reveals intention to run in upcoming civic election

See more: Five 性视界传媒 First councillors now reveal interest in mayor鈥檚 chair

See more: With 性视界传媒 Mayor Linda Hepner out, who is mulling a mayoral run?

See more: Hawthorne Park crusader to run for 性视界传媒 council

amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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