Trustee Candidate Responses

The Parent Advocacy Network (PAN) encourages all citizens of Vancouver to exercise their democratic right to vote in the October 14th Vancouver by-election. Voters need to elect one Councillor and nine Trustees to the Vancouver Board of Education for a one year term.

It’s important to learn about ALL the candidates to make an informed choice; not just about their platforms and experience, but who they are and how they plan to effect change.

Two all-candidates forums were held earlier this week - one by Institute for Public Education and one by Vancouver DPAC. If you missed both, you are in luck as DPAC recorded theirs. Watch it. 

Of the 19 trustee candidates, some are running as independents, some with existing political parties. Some names are familiar, some are less known. To support voters, PAN asked all of them the same 6 questions and their answers (or lack of response) are below.

Remember to VOTE! Advanced Voting is October 4 and 10 at City Hall. Voting Day is October 14th. Details at City of Vancouver

Complete set of answers

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1. What skills would you bring to a trustee position and why should Vancouverites vote for you as an individual (leaving aside party affiliation)?

2. If elected, how will you promote an atmosphere of collaboration with advisor Dianne Turner, senior staff, and Board members from other political parties?

3. As an elected trustee, how would you envision the role of parent input with respect to decision making?

4. Explain your perspective on how the Board should work going forward with the provincial Ministry of Education.

5. What is your view on how the Board should work going forward with the City of Vancouver (i.e. in addressing the intertwined issues of densification and available school space)?

6. What do you see as the top three most urgent and important issues facing the Vancouver School Board, and how do you plan to address these?