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Election 2013: Comparing candidates

Political diversity descends upon Nechako Lakes riding ahead of May 14 general election.

B.C. Conservative Dan Brooks

Daniel Brooks has been nominated to run for the B.C. Conservatives in Nechako Lakes in the upcoming May election.

A guide outfitter from the Vanderhoof area for the past 15 years, Brooks was born and raised here. A devout family man, Brooks is married and the father of seven daughters. He has a degree in Classical (Greek and Roman) Studies from the University of Waterloo.

Brooks said his real passion is the outdoors - especially hunting and fishing - and that he speaks Moose better than Latin. Brooks founded and chairs the local Vanderhoof tourism association called the Upper Nechako Wilderness Council.

For the past 15 years Dan has been a vocal participant and tourism advocate in land use planning processes including the Land and Resource Management Plan and the Sustainable Forest Management Plan Public Advisory Group.

Brooks felt compelled to enter B.C. politics when the B.C. Liberals adopted the Provincial Wildlife Allocation Policy, which has crippled his outfitting business to the point where he will be forced to shut down operations in three years, he said.

Brooks said he would fight to ensure the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline never spills. He said he is a passionate fighter for all just causes and an innovative problem solver with a pragmatic approach to fixing government.

 

B.C. NDP Sussanne Skidmore-Hewlett

Sussanne Skidmore-Hewlett is the NDP candidate running for Nechako Lakes MLA in the May 2013 election.

She has worked in Prince George for more than 14 years and has recreational property in Fraser Lake. She is married with an adult son.

Skidmore-Hewlett achieved her Social Services Diploma in 1996 and subsequently moved to Prince George to begin her career within the public sector.

She has worked most of her career within the Ministry of Justice and currently oversees the facilitation of training for the court services staff in the northern region. Also, she sits on the BCGEU Provincial Executive, Equity and Human Rights Committee and Women's Committee.

Skidmore-Hewlett wants the provincial government to restrict raw log exports to create more jobs in B.C.'s forestry sector. She supports the development of new strategies to ensure the forest industry is sustainable and creating family-supporting jobs, utilizing natural resources efficiently and reinvesting in our publicly owned forest lands.

Skidmore-Hewlett is opposed to the Enbridge pipeline and believes the province needs to strengthen environmental protections and take control of decisions on similar energy projects to ensure the interests and concerns of citizens, businesses and First Nations in Nechako Lakes are being heard properly.

 

B.C. Liberal John Rustad

John Rustad is running for re-election as Nechako Lakes MLA for the B.C. Liberals.

Rustad was elected in May 2009 and was previously elected for the Prince George-Omineca riding in 2005.

Born and raised in Prince George, Rustad has worked in the forest industry for more than 20 years. In 1995 he formed Western Geographic Information Systems Inc., a consulting service for the forest industry. He is a former GIS department manager for Timberline Forest Inventory Consultants in Prince George.

In September 2012, Rustad was appointed as parliamentary secretary for forestry to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. He currently co-chairs the Farm Assessment Review Panel and has chaired the Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations, the Select Standing Committee to Appoint a Police Complaint Commissioner and the Government Caucus Committee on Social Development.

If re-elected, Rustad, who supports the Enbridge pipeline, plans to advocate for more infrastructure improvements in Nechako Lakes, focus on the forestry file and move forward with recommendations made by the Mid-Term Timber Supply Committee. Expanding post-secondary education in the region is also a high priority, he said.

John Rustad and his wife Kim were married in 1995. Together they enjoy theatre, golf, skiing, and the outdoors.