How long have you been living in Thompson?
When most people ask me where I’m from, I say, ‘Born and raised, never left.’ I went to Burntwood School and then followed up with going to R.D. Parker and I graduated in 2001.
What do you do for a living?
Right out of high school I ended up starting a career with the railway, so I worked for Via Rail Canada for 10 years and then I wanted to change it up so while I was working at Via Rail I became a lifeguard and then I left Via Rail to be the pool manager. So I was the pool manager from 2011 to 2017. I got a little bit of the political side of things being in an executive role. I sat on the recreation committee. I had to represent the pool when I sat on that board.
Why do you want to be on the school board?
I have two daughters. One’s 21. She’s my stepdaughter. She graduated in 2014 and I have a five-year-old daughter that just started kindergarten so with them being in the school system and working at the pool and engaging the children in swimming activities I saw it as a good fit this term.
What is the most important educational issue you want to address if elected?
The fact that they’re going to be cutting the kindergarten program to half-day. I am fortunate as a young mother that my child gets full-day kindergarten but this is the last year of it, so I’ve heard, because of the cutbacks. Getting involved in helping trying to maintain the full-day kindergarten program because it’s a struggle for parents for daycare. You have to pay for full-day daycare whether your child attends half-day or not so just to lessen that burden for the parents so they can continue at the full-day kindergarten program.
Why should someone vote for you over the other candidates?
I can resonate with parents right now very well. I know what that struggle is and I think I’d be a good voice right now for the parents, for the children. The children really deserve a good school system with the times that Thompson’s facing right now. It’s kind of scary to think what could be coming down the pipe.
