JOAN ISAACS, BC LIBERAL: COQUITLAM-BURKE MOUNTAIN
On a sunny Friday, BC Liberal candidate Joan Isaacs is ready to walk the steep hills of the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain riding to spread the word about her party. After years of working in the financial services industry with a network of financial planners and supporting non-profit organizations, including Homes for Good and the Family Court Youth Justice Committee, the longtime Coquitlam resident believes she is ready to represent the riding in government.
"I just thought with my experience, I could push something forward to help a lot of people," says Isaacs and "[the BC Liberals] align with my values."
This is the second time Isaacs has run against Jodie Wickens, who won the riding for the NDP in a byelection in 2016, but Isaacs believes her hard work in connecting with voters on the doorstep, backed by a strong BC Liberal party platform, will push her over the edge this time.
But she's not taking anything for granted. Sitting in a real estate showroom-turned-campaign-office in Coquitlam's Town Centre area, Isaacs looks comfortable and ready to hit the streets in her jeans and BC Liberal jacket. However, she's thoughtful about the challenge ahead. "You have to start at ground zero every time."
Another plus in her favour, according to Isaacs, is the completed Evergreen Extension, which attracts more than 30,000 riders a day. It's tangible evidence of the government working for the riding, she says, suggesting the BC Liberals are best placed to support small businesses with their jobs platform.
The owner of a surveying business with her husband, Isaacs said she also believes that keeping taxes low is important so families have more to spend. When she was growing up in a family of four kids, "there was always a lot of pressure to make sure there was more money in our pockets and that we were reliant on ourselves."
THE ISSUES
• On daycare: "Space availability, that seems to be the biggest challenge," says the mother of two adult sons. Isaacs said she sympathizes with parents who can't find care and who have to pay high costs but said she believes the NDP and Green party plans for $10-a-day daycare or free preschool are too expensive. "Creating spaces to meet supply and demand is a better way to go," she said, noting that the BC Liberals have committed to creating 5,000 spaces this year, for a total of 13,000 new spaces by 2020.
• On transit and transportation: Isaacs said she supports capping the tolls people pay to cross the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges at $500 because more people might use the bridges, helping pay off capital costs faster while also saving families money. She noted as well that the BC Liberals have promised to match the federal government's $2.2 billion in spending on Metro Vancouver transit to pay for the Millennium Line Broadway extension and Surrey LRT, as well as expanded bus and HandyDart service and improvement to roads, cycling and walking paths.
• On her issue pick, seniors: Isaacs says she is passionate about seniors' issues and was part of a BC Liberal women's network, which raised care for dementia patients as an issue for the party. "We need to have advocates for people moving through the system on their own," Isaacs said, noting that her own experience with elderly parents has made her more aware of the need for home care.
To contact Joan Isaacs, contact 604-468-0081 or visit bcliberals.com/candidate/joan-isaacs2017.
