A Squamish resident best known for her work on environmental issues will run for the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the May 14 provincial election.
Ana Santos, former co-ordinator with the Squamish Climate Action Network (Squamish CAN) and former Squamish Chamber of Commerce board member, was the only declared nominee in the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding when nominations closed on Monday (March 25) at 5 p.m.
Her candidacy is to be confirmed at a riding nomination meeting on April 7.
Santos will square off against current Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy and perhaps others for the right to represent the corridor in Victoria. Sturdy was chosen as the Liberal Party candidate on Feb. 20.
Santos is a translator and freelance writer by trade. An immigrant from Spain who gained Canadian citizenship in 2010, she has been active on political and social issues since her days at the University of Deusto in her hometown of Bilbao.
Having immigrated to Canada in 2004, she said she decided to seek elected office at least partly because she wants to give something back to the country that welcomed her so warmly after she settled in Squamish.
I've had a wonderful experience coming to Canada, and from Day 1 I've felt, 'How could I possibly I give back?' she said. This is a way for me to be grateful and offer something in exchange for the welcome I've received. To me, my home is my neighbourhood, my community and my province, and I want to be part of fixing the leak in the roof and fixing the other problems that I see.
I've never been a good spectator, and I want to get out there and make things happen.
While she was growing up, Santos' father worked at a Firestone tire manufacturing plant in Bilbao, northern Spain. While she said she agrees with many of the policies espoused by the Green Party, she was attracted to the NDP because of its broad-based approach to economic, social and environmental issues.
Many people who know me might have felt that I would go for the Greens instead, and I do agree with a lot of what they believe in. But I come from a working-class background and I like the labour and working-class nature of the NDP, with the broader focus that that brings.
As everyone knows, I care a lot about the environmental side of things. I hope that I can contribute to that debate from within the NDP and contribute on other issues too.
If elected, Santos said her goal will be to represent the diverse interests of communities in the corridor while facilitating more community-to-community co-operation.
When I was with Squamish CAN, I was preoccupied with how to connect the communities of the Sea to Sky, she said. I think this sort of role something that drives me and that I'm passionate about is how can we connect the communities of the corridor, find mutual interests between them, and capitalize on our strengths. I think there are a lot of doors that we can open there.
