It feels good to be engaged in a community. I’ve lived in Squamish for over two years now, and, even though I cannot vote (Permanent Residents cannot vote, only Canadian citizens), I’ve begun to pay attention to municipal politics and elections. This election is extra important; several external, dark/big money groups have dumped serious funding into attack ads, fake surveys, and who knows what else. Check out this in-depth story by Cara McKenna: “In this B.C. town, big money is bulldozing democracy“. Early voting is over so the last day to vote is October 15th @ Brennan Park from 8am to 8pm!
Here’s a list of who I’d vote for if I could.
Mayor:
Armand Hurford
Councilor:
Chris Pettingill
Jenna Stoner
Lauren Greenlaw
Andrew Hamilton
I’ve linked to each candidate’s individual campaign page, but the Squamish Chief also has a number of interviews and articles about everyone running. You can find them here! Note: you don’t need to vote for 6 people! It’s totally fine to vote for just 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 candidates. In fact, that could help your favorite person get elected.
These recommendations are based on conversations with the folks themselves, my experience working with a non-profit oriented towards vulnerable Squamish residents, immigrants, and refugees, and lots of reading. I’m not clairvoyant, I may turn out to be frustrated with some of these folks if they are elected (this is a disclaimer). There are other folks that seem totally fine and who I’m sure could be excellent council members, but maybe don’t align as well with my values or don’t strike me as particularly effective. It might be worth mentioning, however, that I’m specifically opposed to Gord Addison, John French, Adrien Byrne, and Rajan Hans.
Please, VOTE!
