Cheryl Wiens, Green Party
A 35-year-old agricultural scientist from Willoughby
BIO:
Shortly after becoming a mother in 2016, I became concerned about my daughter’s future. Each day when I drop her off at daycare, I think “what will her future hold?”.
COVID-19 has changed the way we live. But before this pandemic, climate change was already impacting our lives, already changing the way we live or will be forced to live in the near future.
I have hope and a plan for a better British Columbia. This election, we can make a change.
I’m choosing to run in Langley East because it’s time to expect more from our elected officials. It’s time to make evidence-based decisions that result in a fair economy, a healthy community, and a promising future for everyone who calls Langley home.
Facebook: @CherylWiens4Langley
Twitter: @GreenEconomyNow
Website: cherylwiens.ca
Phone: 778-853-0127
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CANDIDATE Q&A:
To help voters make their choices on election day, the Langley Advance Times is asking local candidates a series of questions on issues of importance, asking each candidate to participate.
They were asked to a ‘yes’, a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y,N,D) response to EACH of the numbered questions for the grid published in the Oct. 15 edition of The News. Candidates were also invited to expand on ANY OR ALL of the questions (to a maximum of 200 words each), with one of their choice to be included in our print edition on Oct. 22. Here’s all their replies.
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1. Would you vote to fund additional supportive housing units in Langley to reduce homelessness?
Answer: Yes.
2. Is lowering taxes the best route to economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession?
Answer: No.
3. Should the province provide B.C. residents with a universal basic income?
Answer: Yes.
4. Should the B.C. government restrict large, industrial cannabis greenhouses from operating in the ALR?
Answer: Yes. We should regulate cannabis greenhouses to ensure the smell and/or light does not become a nuisance and the soil remains viable for future food-growing purposes.
5. Should the B.C. government speed up the widening of Highway One into the eastern Fraser Valley?
Answer: No. Widening roads is not a solution to congestion. Investments in alternative transportation (cycling, walking and public transit) will provide commuters with more cost-effective, healthier, and sustainable options than private vehicles.
6. Should cities and school districts be allowed to go into debt during the pandemic?
Answer: No. The provincial and federal governments should support cities and school districts with funding to prevent deficits while ensuring critical services continue uninterrupted.
7. Should the province stop prosecuting drug possession to help fight the overdose epidemic?
Answer: Yes. Drug addiction is a health issue; criminalizing it is expensive and does not work.
8. Should the province divert funding away from policing and towards social and mental health services?
Answer: Yes. Police have been unfairly saddled with a myriad of social and health issues that are not criminal in nature. We shouldn’t require police to be mental health and social services experts. Funding should be allocated accordingly and police should be freed up to deal with criminal matters.
9. In the era of Black Lives Matter, should B.C. increase the penalties for hate speech?
Answer: Yes. Though I think it is more important we focus on getting better at prosecuting hate speech and hate crimes, as opposed to just raising the penalties.
10. Would you support more public schools moving to a year-round education model?
Answer: Yes. Year-round schooling has been shown to benefit the students who are least likely to succeed otherwise.
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OTHER LOCAL CANDIDATE Q&As:
Langley Riding:
Langley East Riding:
Candidate Q&A: Margaret Kunst, BC Liberals
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