I left my ancestral home of Vancouver in my mid-twenties, responding to the call of the mountains. The nature of the work I was doing, while relatively lucrative, suggested to me that I would be spending the rest of my life “working for the weekend.” The funny thing is that ever since then, I have been trying to reestablish some sort of weekend.
I did find work in the mountains and have not regretted the choice. I also found work in the valley, and that farming endeavour has influenced my life and world view in ways that I would never have anticipated.
I have become attuned to the cycle of the seasons, knowing the day in the fall that the sun will sink below the mountain horizon, and the day two months later when it will inevitably emerge again. I have seen both the success and failure of well laid plans – crops that have exceeded expectations or failed through circumstance, execution or both. I have seen the impact on the land of my actions or inactions and forecasted the outcome or been surprised at the results.
In all, over the past 20 years, I have learned that I must do my best planning, make my best effort and hope that circumstances outside my control, such as weather or markets, do not conspire against me.
These lessons have served me well in my most recent roles as mayor of Pemberton and now as your MLA.
Squamish and the Sea to Sky have always been attractive regions but have become the focus of reinvigorated interest and attention. While the Olympics were a kick-start, it really was the highway upgrade that became the catalyst that sharpened the focus on new choices and opportunity.
As a community on a steep growth curve, Squamish must balance many priorities, expectations and demands. As your MLA, I must do my best to understand the opportunities that Squamish has, the challenges that the community faces, and through the lens of my experiences, use my best judgment to represent the interests of the community while prioritizing a diversified and robust economic base, a strong framework of social services, health care, transportation and housing – all supported by a heathy environment.
While I have lived and worked in the Sea to Sky for more than 25 years, there is always much more to learn. I am here to listen to your ideas or concerns and have been amazed time and again by the ingenuity, diversity and energy of the people of Squamish and the Sea to Sky. Over the coming months in this space, I hope to share some of your stories as well as help you understand my thought process on issues both big and small. We hope to soon be finalizing arrangements for office space in Squamish and look forward to seeing you at our first Squamish Community Roundtable sometime before Christmas. To register, call 604-922-1153 or email me at [email protected].
