Meet the local candidates

With the provincial election taking place on Oct. 19th now is the time to get to know the candidates, ask tough questions and engage in debate to find the best representative for our community. LynnValleyLife approached the four candidates stepping up to serve North Vancouver - Seymour and asked them to introduce themselves and discuss a few of the issues. 

Meet the candidates:

Mitchell Baker, Independent, https://mitchellbaker.ca/

I have been a resident of this riding for 55 years and live on the Seymour River. I am married with two teenage daughters. For the past 33 years, I have run a small business focused on single-family residential and commercial construction. Growing up, I spent my time hiking, biking, swimming, skiing, and enjoying outdoor recreation on the North Shore mountains. I have a deep passion for this community. I've contributed to its development physically, and I believe I can bring valuable political insights forward.

Sam Chandola, BC Conservative, https://www.samchandola.ca/

My name is Sam Chandola and I am your BC Conservatives candidate for North Vancouver - Seymour. I am a father, husband, and tech entrepreneur. My friends would describe me as a guy who gets stuff done. My daily routine involves connecting with communities and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs in BC. I have 5 core values which act as my guiding principles for all decisions I look to make - Individual Liberty, Common Sense, Freedom of Speech, Fiscal Responsibility, and Integrity and Honesty. Lynn Valley is where I discovered my love for hiking and odds are Leo (my Aussie Collie) and I crossed paths with many of you on the trails. My family and I made the North Shore our home 5 years ago and these days I’m a regular at the Karen Magnussen Community Centre where my 1 year old daughter splashes around pretending to swim.

Susie Chant, NDP, https://www.susiechant.ca/

I have lived in Lynn Valley since 1988. I raised my children here; it’s our home. It has been an honour to serve as the MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour over the past four years. I hope to earn the trust of my neighbours to serve a second term as the representative and an advocate for our community.

Subhadarshi Tripathy, Green

Did not respond

The issues

Each candidate was given the same questions and equal opportunity to express themselves.If you are elected how will you elevate your constituents' needs within your party and when in contradiction to party priorities? BAKER: As an independent candidate, I’m not bound by party lines. The needs of my constituents are always my priority, and I don’t need to ask for permission or fear party retribution if I disagree with a policy that’s being voted on in the best interests of the constituents and region.CHANDOLA: I am an open-minded, fiscally conservative person who relates to the common sense policies of the BC Conservatives to solve some of the biggest challenges impacting our province - our spiralling economy, high provincial debt, unaffordable housing, and broken healthcare.As with any big tent party, there will always be different viewpoints and there will certainly be times when constituency priorities may differ from party priorities. The 5 guiding principles I outlined in a previous question will always define how I vote - and sometimes, that may mean voting against my own party to prioritise the needs of my most important stakeholders - my constituents. I have made this clear to the Conservative Party when I came onboard and they made it clear that they would expect nothing less of me and every other candidate. They added "You don't have to pass an ideological test to join the Conservative Party. You simply have to believe in Common Sense solutions to the biggest problems facing the province."CHANT: I understand the challenges that people in our community are facing, and you can count on me to fight for us, and our priorities, at the Legislative Assembly. Those that know me and my work know that I get things done and I persevere.

I am running with the BC NDP because David Eby and the BC NDP reflect my personal values and the priorities of our community. We’re going to increase housing accessibility, reduce everyday costs for people, and continue to hire more doctors, nurses, and health care professionals.

cofWhat is the issue you think most affects Lynn Valley? What is your plan to deal with it?BAKER: As every North Shore resident knows, traffic congestion at the Ironworkers Memorial  Bridge is a major issue. No additional lanes have been added since 1960, yet the population in areas serviced by the bridge—Nanaimo (ferry), the Sunshine Coast,  Bowen Island, Squamish, Whistler, and the three North Shore communities—has more than tripled. The government spent a quarter of a billion dollars adjusting traffic flow at the north end of the bridge, adding lights and changing lanes, but this did nothing to address the root issue: the limited number of lanes crossing the inlet. CHANDOLA: While residents of Lynn Valley are struggling with the BC NDP’s failures in housing affordability, healthcare and more, traffic on our streets is probably the one that affects almost every resident, daily.The brutal traffic jams heading to Highway 1 East from Mountain Highway southbound, often backs up all the way up Arborlynn Drive and Mountain Highway. With just 1 lane to the on-ramp, we are forced into lane merges that clog up even traffic headed within North Vancouver, making the area a pain to navigate daily. Our plan is to invest heavily in infrastructure upgrades, where we will deliver $1 billion in provincial funding to local governments each year for a decade to invest in local infrastructure such as introducing dedicated lanes, increasing on-ramps, and ensuring better traffic management.CHANT: There are many issues that affect our communities on the North Shore, but the one that I believe hits home the most is housing; it is just too expensive. It is so stressful for people who are renting or looking to buy their first home, but it’s also stressful for those who are homeowners, because it’s obvious how the next generation is struggling.

We have been focused not just on creating new homes but bringing existing homes back to the market through restrictions on short-term rentals and taking on speculators. John Rustad has pledged to undo all of this work and we just can’t afford that.

What is your view on traffic and transportation? Lynn Valley (and the North Shore as a whole) is held hostage by a provincial highway. No other community grinds to a halt (almost daily) with residents unable to go about their lives within the community because of traffic going through it (ex. Richmond locals can still move about when there is a problem with the tunnel. Similarly, it is unreasonable for a Seaspan worker to travel 150 minutes by transit from Langley when it's 60 minutes by car.) Daily trip numbers over the Second Narrows exceed those of the Port Mann prior to its rebuild.BAKER: I will push for a model that replaces or twins the bridge. This could be achieved through a design-build-operate-fund model, similar to what was used for Highway  99 (Sea-to-Sky) and the Port Mann Bridge. Additionally, a rapid transit solution from  Phibbs Exchange connecting to the existing SkyTrain system is essential. Long-term plans may extend beyond these solutions, but the idea that all of this could happen from Park Royal to Metrotown is unrealistic—it would likely exceed $40 billion and take 30+ years to materialize. We need immediate solutions for the current problems, not empty promises of grandeur. CHANDOLA: I couldn’t agree more! It is unacceptable that our community has to live with gridlocked traffic on a daily basis. This is just one more instance where the BC NDP government has neglected infrastructure upgrades, one that costs precious hours daily from our lives.For the East-West traffic corridor which largely serves local traffic within North Vancouver, I will work closely with the DNV and advocate with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) to create more dedicated lanes for local traffic. This will include advocating for more consultation with our communities before pushing through changes such as the plan to remove a dedicated lane on eastbound traffic on Main Street - which has currently been deferred to until after the election.For the North-South traffic corridor, we need a viable long-term solution, and that starts with finding funding for upgrading our bridge infrastructure. In the last 7 years, our government has grown by 31%, compared to 3.9% in the 7 years prior to that. We need to trim down on the waste and bureaucracy, and instead look to invest those funds in our communities’ much-needed infrastructure upgrades.CHANT: Those of us who live on the North Shore know the frustration that congestion causes. Our communities on the North Shore are growing, and our infrastructure needs to grow with them. In early October, I was proud to announce that our BC NDP government, if elected, will bring a rapid transit line to the North Shore, from Park Royal to Metrotown - starting with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), but also moving forward with a future expansion of rapid transit to light rail or SkyTrain, in consultation with the Mayors’ Council, communities, and First Nations.

Rapid Transit will provide more options to get around the North Shore, quickly. It will ease congestion, meaning less time stuck in traffic, and more time living.

How will you work with the DNV on housing affordability?BAKER: The issue of housing affordability is multifaceted. The cost of housing has been significantly impacted by changes in building codes, slower processes at the municipal level and demands on the construction industry. The government’s drive to claim the title of the "greenest region in North America" has raised construction costs dramatically. While I agree with reducing energy consumption and building in an environmentally conscious manner, we’ve surpassed the point of net benefit. Another key factor is the cost of land. With 94% of the land in BC owned by the province as  Crown land, 1% federally owned, and 5% privately owned (half of which is in the  Agricultural Land Reserve), we, the citizens, live and work on just 2.5% of the total land area. That leaves us with 0.98 acres per capita. Since 2000, BC’s population has grown by 35%, shrinking the per capita land availability from 1.34 acres to where we are now. The math dictates that land costs had to rise to meet demand. If the available land doesn’t increase as the population grows, prices will continue to soar. This is a mathematical issue.  Ontario, with twice the amount of private land per capita, has lower overall land prices than  BC. Newfoundland, with 5.7 acres per capita, is the most affordable place to live in  Canada. In conclusion, both the availability of land and the building code requirements imposed by provincial and municipal governments are driving up housing costs. I propose making more land available and reviewing some of the recent building code changes that have significantly increased construction cost and providing strong encouragement to all municipalities to work to a timeline for approvals and outcomes that solves the housing issue and does not exacerbate it.CHANDOLA: Housing affordability is a huge problem that affects youth, young families, seniors and our entire community. While we need to build more housing, what we do not need is a top-down approach of imposing unrealistic zoning requirements on cities such as the DNV that were already over-performing their housing targets. We need to focus on planned development that prioritizes infrastructure along with housing.Our Get BC Building plan actually invests in infrastructure and housing as a comprehensive plan to make sure that newly built homes can continue to access good services, schools, roads and more. Further, we will exempt the DNV and other municipalities that meet their housing targets from the requirements of Bill 44, which has made it impossible for cities to negotiate with developers to get infrastructure, amenities and other services built with housing projects.CHANT: We have a plan in place to create 300,000 homes across British Columbia - David Eby’s Housing Action Plan. It removes the red tape that prevents the construction of new, small-scale homes like duplexes and triplexes.

John Rustad was part of a government that ignored the growing housing crisis, as prices spiralled out of reach. He’s promised to axe our Housing Action Plan, cancelling these 300,000 homes before they’re even built. He has a 20-year record of defending the status quo on housing. Now isn’t the time to pull back on housing - we need to push forward.

What is your plan/party's plan for helping schools and infrastructure keep up with growth?BAKER: I believe the government is too large. If I were starting a project and wanted it done efficiently and cost-effectively, I wouldn’t rely on the government to get it done. An efficiency model for infrastructure, education, and healthcare should be a priority.  Government’s role should be to collect taxes and spend them in the most efficient way possible. However, that hasn’t been the case in the past, and it won’t improve unless things change. Government contracts should not be the most lucrative opportunities for private companies. Many of the contracts we see executed today cost two to three times their original estimates. This lack of fiscal responsibility affects schools, infrastructure, and healthcare advancements. It needs to change. CHANDOLA: Kids attending classes in portable classrooms, overcrowded classes, creaking infrastructure - our people deserve better, our children deserve better. The BC Conservatives will conduct a rigorous review and make the necessary investments to ensure that our children and residents have access to essential services and world-class facilities. For instance, the current model of school funding provides funding to schools based on the number of students enrolled on September 1. It does not account for communities like ours where we have new families - and thus new students - moving in at a steady clip. Schools then have to accommodate that by cutting programs, or reducing teachers. We’ll explore avenues where funding can happen on a per-student basis on a continuous basis, as opposed to the current September 1 snapshot model.CHANT: We all want our kids to have better opportunities than we did, and that starts with ensuring that they’ve got a high-quality education. We’re taking action to build and expand schools, and to reduce class sizes.

We can see the difference in our own neighbourhood - we have a new high school, Argyle, and just began construction on an expansion of Lynn Valley Elementary, adding 145 new student spaces.

When Rustad was in power, he made deep cuts to schools and education, closing 267 schools and fighting teachers all the way to the Supreme Court to try to increase class sizes.

He cut schools before, and he would do it again. That’s a risk we just can’t afford.

Why are you the best person for our community?BAKER:  I was born in this community, I live in this community, and I’ve helped build this community. I have a strong, independent voice. As your independent MLA, I won’t be beholden to party politics. I’ll vote on legislation and policies that benefit our community, regardless of which side of the aisle they come from. To ensure fair representation, we need to elect a group of independents across the province who will stand up for, or against policies that could otherwise pass without proper checks and balances. With the possibility of a minority government, having a group of independents holding the balance of power would prevent runaway policies or rigid party-line politics, ensuring that the entire electorate is represented, not just party voters. CHANDOLA: I’m known to be someone who gets things done. I immigrated to Canada with not much by way of wealth but immense hope and big dreams. I made my name in the tech industry and built a series of successful businesses that taught me the importance of fighting for my stakeholders. In my business world, my stakeholders were my customers and employees. In the public realm, my stakeholders are now you - the constituents of North Vancouver Seymour.At a time when our communities are struggling from multiple crises - housing, cost of living, ridiculous wait times for healthcare and more - I know that my track record of getting things done, my ability to consult and work with stakeholders and my business acumen in optimising for on-time, on-budget outcomes is what our community needs. My ability to actually be able to deliver on solutions is reflected in the fact that I was awarded the Top 30 under 30 Award in BC Business, and the TMX Canada’s Next 150 award.In the past few years, our community has lost out on an urgent care clinic which was instead located in Lonsdale, our traffic problems have worsened, as have most other measures of quality of life. It's time to stop mistaking Action for Achievement. It's time to look towards positive change, and that comes from you and I finding common ground, working towards common goals, and implementing common sense. And that is my promise to you.CHANT: I have lived in Lynn Valley all my adult life. It’s home. I’ve raised my family here and been involved in the organizations and events that make up the fabric of our community for decades.

You can count on me to stand up for you every day.

Is there anything else you would like to share and help us get to know you?BAKER: I research and educate myself at every opportunity to make the best decisions for the tasks at hand. I am fair, honest, and not afraid of hard work. I’m running because  I believe this province is worth it—and so are you.CHANDOLA: I love hearing from members of our community and would love the chance to talk to you about issues, questions and concerns they may have. Call or text me at 672-380-2125 or connect with me on my social media accounts listed at samchandola.ca.I believe that better is always possible and as I have spoken to thousands of you in the past few months, that belief has only strengthened. Regardless of whether you intend to vote for me, I will leave you with this thought - better is always possible, and it is your right and your responsibility to demand it on October 19th.CHANT: I’d like to thank all of our neighbours who help to make Lynn Valley and North Vancouver the wonderful place that it is. This is a great community and I am so proud to have represented our neighbourhood, and our riding, in Victoria since 2020. I am earnestly seeking your support for another term.

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