Age/occupation: not given, city councillor
Mae Reid has watched Coquitlam grow and develop from her city council seat for more than 30 years. But her long tenure on council does not stop her from being critical of the city when she feels that mistakes have been made, she said.
Take the Evergreen Line, for example. Reid said the municipality should have learned the lessons experienced during the construction of the Canada Line in Vancouver and done a better job of mitigating the impacts to businesses along the route.
"I'm really not excited about the way our small businesses along the line have been treated," she said. "I feel that we could have done a better job."
She is happy the line is finally coming to Coquitlam but noted that some shops along North Road in particular are struggling to stay open.
Reid said she is running this time around because she is concerned about slate politics coming into Coquitlam. Councillors should be independent, she added, noting that it is important that people at the decision-making table are able to speak their mind. "We look after sidewalks and speed bumps," she said. "We shouldn't be trying to push any political agenda."
Housing is an issue that Reid said she feels strongly about but believes that funding for any new initiatives needs to come from the provincial government.
As a councillor, she added that she has always advocated for keeping the Riverview Hospital lands as a sanctuary for people suffering from mental illness, a position she said she will continue to support if she is re-elected.
