My Policies & Beliefs
Public Safety
Expand Treatment and Recovery Centres: We need to invest in more treatment and recovery centres across the province to help people escape the cycle of addiction and begin rebuilding their lives.
End Decriminalization, Focus on Recovery: The decriminalization experiment has only enabled addiction. We must shift our focus to helping people recover, not keeping them trapped in a destructive lifestyle.
Be Honest About Drugs: Drugs harm individuals, destroy families, and weaken communities: We need to stop pretending they are safe. It’s irresponsible to give our children the impression that drugs are easily accessible and without consequence—it won’t lead to a future full of hope or promise.
Reform the Justice System: The catch-and-release justice system must end. We need a tougher approach that holds offenders accountable. For those with complex mental health issues, involuntary care and treatment centres are necessary. Simply sending people back to the streets, where they pose a risk to themselves and the community, is not a solution.
Improve Mental Health Support in Prisons: We need to ensure that proper mental health services and counselling are available in prisons, helping individuals develop healthier habits while serving their sentences.
Strengthen RCMP Resources: We must make strategic investments in the RCMP to ensure our communities are safe and properly supported. Communities like West Kelowna-Peachland are underserved and need stronger provincial investment. RCMP officers are often frustrated by regulations that limit their effectiveness, and we must address this to better protect our communities.
Economy & Natural Resources
Expand LNG markets to create jobs and help coal-dependent nations reduce their emissions.
Transform forest management to lower fire risks and forest density, improve forest health, create jobs, and reopen mills.
Promote responsible mining to unlock critical resources and create jobs in BC, while setting a global standard for ethical and environmentally sustainable practices.
Invest in innovative clean energy projects that strengthen resiliency and add redundancy to British Columbia's energy infrastructure.
Accelerate project reviews and permitting by cutting red tape, streamlining processes, and working collaboratively with First Nations.
Housing
Streamline regulations by cutting red tape to speed up housing development and increase supply.
Encourage long-term rentals with a temporary tax-free subsidy on rental income from primary residences, helping to ease supply shortages. This measure would end once demand stabilizes.
Revise the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) to strike a fair balance between landlords and tenants, fostering more long-term rental options.
End the Speculation & Vacancy Tax, which has unfairly penalized residents and harmed our tourism industry, all without providing meaningful benefits to our communities.
Restore property rights by allowing short-term rentals in owner-occupied homes. Allow municipalities the right to approve dedicated rental developments like Barona Beach or The Cove Lakeside Resort. Tourism is crucial to the economy in the Central Okanagan, and excessive rules negatively impact the people and businesses in the region.
Expand Senior and Low-Income Housing: West Kelowna-Peachland is facing a serious shortage of affordable, accessible housing for seniors and low-income families. We must prioritize building safe, affordable spaces for those who have worked hard all their lives and for families striving to make ends meet. This is a critical need that requires immediate attention.
Encourage innovation in construction by promoting smaller, well-designed homes that are energy-efficient and cost-effective to build and maintain.
Eliminate the Property Transfer Tax (PTT) on homes under $1 million, reducing the financial burden on buyers. Currently, a $750,000 home incurs a $13,000 PTT that must be paid upfront.
Leverage Crown Land near municipalities for subsidized and rent-geared-to-income housing, with 50- to 99-year tenures from the Province, after which the land reverts to the local municipality.
Amend Bill-44 to grant municipalities more autonomy in planning and zoning decisions. The current one-size-fits-all model often undermines a municipality’s Official Community Plan, which is developed with input from local residents.
Government
Governments are meant to serve the people, yet today it feels like our government is more focused on serving itself. Under the NDP’s leadership over the past seven years, the size of government has grown by nearly 40%, while access to services has diminished. For every private sector job created, 5.5 public sector jobs have been added, further straining taxpayers. What we need is a government that is efficient, effective, and genuinely focused on serving the public—delivering essential services without wasting taxpayer money.
Balancing the budget to ensure taxpayer dollars are respected by controlling costs and avoiding unnecessary debt.
Eliminating government waste by streamlining processes, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and making sure services are delivered efficiently and effectively.
Cutting the carbon tax and reducing the tax burden, to help families and businesses thrive by keeping more money in the hands of hard-working British Columbians.
Promoting transparency and integrity, so citizens can trust that decisions are made in their best interests, with clear communication and accountability.
Allowing MLAs to vote their conscience, empowering them to advocate for their communities without being tied to rigid party lines.
Leading with trust, integrity, and respect, so the government operates responsibly and remains focused on serving the needs of its people.
Wildlife Management & Outdoor Protection
This is about preservation and safeguarding our future. We are fortunate to live in a region rich with natural beauty and an unparalleled outdoor lifestyle. However, without proper regulation, we risk losing both wildlife species and recreational opportunities in our backcountry. Effective management of these areas is challenging, and greater accountability is needed—we must increase the presence of Conservation Officers to prevent illegal activities like poaching, burning, and dumping. Let's strive to keep BC beautiful for generations to come!
Advocating for science-based wildlife management and establishing a dedicated funding model to protect access to hunting and outdoor recreation for future generations.
Ensuring that all license fees from hunting, fishing, and trapping are reinvested into wildlife management to directly support conservation efforts and habitat protection.
Providing additional funding for Conservation Officers and research to strengthen enforcement, monitor species, and understand population trends across BC.
Implementing legislated objectives to protect and maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations.
Cracking down on poaching and illegal activities through stronger enforcement and penalties, preserving the backcountry for responsible use.
Affordability, Families & Cost of Living
To build a healthier future for British Columbians, we need to provide stronger support for families facing rising living costs. Essentials like food, fuel, and housing are slipping out of reach for many, causing children to miss out on valuable activities like sports, arts, and recreation—and, tragically, even meals. This escalating crisis is fueling mental health struggles, substance abuse, and homelessness. It's critical that we rethink our approach and address these challenges at the root. This means expanding access to counselling, mentorship, and recreational opportunities, strengthening community support systems, and creating jobs that support families while building healthier, more resilient communities.
Expand access to affordable childcare through partnerships with private and non-profit providers, reducing dependency on government programs.
Ensure equal funding for all students, whether they attend public, faith-based, or private schools, empowering parents with choice.
Restore homeschool funding, providing families with resources to provide quality education at home.
Enhance the public school curriculum to include essential life skills like balanced nutrition, physical exercise, financial literacy, and strategies for promoting mental wellness.
Abolish the carbon tax and other excessive taxes that drive up the cost of basic necessities like food, fuel, and heating.
Remove the PST on used vehicles, ensuring fair access to affordable transportation.
Boost the economy by attracting jobs and opportunities that support families across BC.
Healthcare
British Columbia now ranks the lowest in Canada for healthcare services—a significant drop from our previous position as a leader. It’s time to reverse this decline. We need to reinstate healthcare workers, ensure we have enough doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners, and provide every British Columbian with access to a family doctor and the care they deserve. These are fundamental needs that demand immediate attention.
Locally, we must expand healthcare services to include medical imaging, renal support, and a comprehensive healthcare institute that surpasses the capabilities of the current Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC). At the very least, our UPCC must be properly funded, staffed, and fully operational to meet our community's growing needs.
Reduce wait times and provide faster, more accessible healthcare.
Rehire healthcare workers and ensure they have job security.
End decriminalization and the distribution of "safe supply" drugs.
Prioritize treatment and recovery, creating facilities for those with complex care needs.
Streamline the qualification process for healthcare practitioners from other provinces and countries to practice in BC.
Major Investments in Critical Infrastructure
The riding of West Kelowna-Peachland has often been overlooked and sidelined in favor of priorities in Greater Vancouver or on Vancouver Island. Over the last seven years under the NDP, our riding has seen minimal investment, and it’s time we attract the attention and resources we deserve. The Central Okanagan is the fastest-growing area in Canada and one of the most desirable places in British Columbia.
Our riding relies on a single power transmission line that has narrowly escaped being damaged by wildfires twice in recent years. Despite over 12 years of advocacy from West Kelowna City Council, Peachland, and the WFN, this critical infrastructure is still in its early project phase, with at least 5-7 years ahead before completion. The consequences of losing our only power source are unthinkable—seniors in care, those relying on medical devices, our health centers, homes without refrigeration, heating, or cooling. The impact of a prolonged outage would be devastating.
Our road infrastructure also needs immediate attention. Highway 97 is in desperate need of upgrades, particularly at-grade intersections, to ensure the safety and efficiency of travel. In Peachland, locations like Drought Hill and Trepanier Road pose serious safety risks, with speed limits that are too high for these stretches. And Westside Road, notorious for being one of the most dangerous roads in BC, serves thousands of North Westside residents who have been consistently overlooked and underserved for far too long. Now is the time to prioritize these much-needed improvements and invest in the safety and well-being of our communities.
Secure a second power line to strengthen community safety and resilience. Push for the preferred alternative, ensure it’s included in BC Hydro’s 5-year capital plan, and see that it is completed on time and within budget.
Upgrade the Highway 97 corridor by replacing dangerous at-grade intersections with interchanges or overpasses to improve safety and traffic flow.
Widen the bridge by adding a third lane in each direction and constructing a cantilevered pedestrian walkway, which the bridge’s original design allows for.
Optimize traffic flow on Harvey Avenue by eliminating stoplights and enhancing intersection synchronization. Collaborate with the City of Kelowna to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for managing the worsening traffic congestion.
Improve Westside Road safety by addressing dangerous sections and implementing a comprehensive pavement management plan that goes beyond temporary fixes like crack filling.
Address the infrastructure deficit in West Kelowna, which was inherited after incorporation in 2007. With rapid growth in one of the province’s fastest-developing areas, we need substantial investment in core infrastructure.
