Verna Chan
Chan, 60, is a 20-year resident of the Sunshine Coast currently living in Elphinstone.
Chan has coordinated Music in the Landing for two years, and has been active in the arts and with the Gibsons Chamber of Commerce.
“I am concerned that Gibsons appears to be losing its unique seaside village character and that Council is constantly in a state of confrontation with its residents,” she said in the release announcing her candidacy.
Chan lists affordable housing, upholding the Official Community Plan, support for arts and tourism, zero waste, community consultation, support for seniors, and transportation as her main concerns.
Facebook: Verna Chan - Candidate for Gibsons council
David Croal
Seventy-one-year-old Croal has lived in Gibsons since 1979 and worked in the film and TV industry as well as volunteering with Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 14. He ran for council previously in 2008.
“I have great respect for the work the current mayor and council have achieved and wish to participate and help facilitate this movement in a positive direction,” Croal said when he announced his candidacy.
Croal cites affordability for families and seniors, ensuring the Town’s economic stability, protecting natural resources, such as the aquifer, foreshore and green spaces, and ensuring youth and seniors have a voice on council among his top issues.
Annemarie De Andrade
A 58-year-old Gibsons resident, De Andrade was born in Canada and raised in Brazil and has studied and worked in both countries.
She told Coast Reporter her experience working with government organizations, non-profits and with Indigenous groups on sustainability and economic development has prepared her well to take on a role with Gibsons council.
The release announcing her candidacy said she is “seeking a seat on Gibsons Council to foster good governance in the Town of Gibsons. As her experience shows, she is fully equipped with the energy, skills, and judgment to provide the leadership we need.”
Facebook: Elect Annemarie De Andrade for Gibsons council
Carol Doyle
Doyle, a 72-year-old who has lived in Gibsons since 1997, has a long history as a business owner and community volunteer.
“If elected, I am committed to building on the momentum set by the current mayor and council, and to collaborating with all levels of government,” Doyle said in her campaign announcement.
She listed sustainable economic growth, increasing access to affordable and adequate housing, seniors’ care facilities, and mental health services among her goals, as well as support for “infrastructure improvements, including those required to ensure that our water sources remain safe.”
Web: www.caroldoyle4gibsons.ca
Aleria Ladwig
Ladwig, 43, is a federal civil servant currently working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. She has also served on the Town’s Advisory Planning Commission (APC) for the past four years.
In her campaign announcement, Ladwig said being on the APC has given her an appreciation of challenges facing Gibsons.
“There’s affordable housing, increased growth, and aging infrastructure, to name just a few. I believe the choices we make over the next five to 10 years will significantly influence how our community evolves.”
She also lists commuter ferry service and upgrades to Highway 101 as top issues.
Web: www.electalerialadwig.com
Facebook: Aleria Ladwig - Gibsons council candidate
Stafford Lumley
(Incumbent, first elected in 2014)
Lumley, 53, told Coast Reporter that one of the reasons he’s running again is a desire to see some of the projects the current council has launched through to completion.
“I think we’ve set so many balls in motion that can be so positive if they’re realized, and they can be in the next four years. Affordable housing is a big part of it,” he said.
Lumley also said the work on water supply, getting a start on improvements at Armours Beach and introducing curbside organics pickup were important achievements for the current council.
Lumley said his first term on council taught him to have more patience with the pace of the municipal process.
Suzanne Senger
Senger, a 44-year-old resident of West Howe Sound and former president of the Gibsons Alliance of Business and Community, describes herself as “actively engaged in bringing the community voice to Gibsons council.”
Senger’s campaign announcement said her priorities include: “Honour the intent and wording” of the Official Community Plan, Smart Plan, and Harbour Plan; reinstating standing committees and adding youth and seniors advisory committees; fostering community participation in local governance; affordable housing; protecting the aquifer; and lobbying for better ferry service and completion of the Highway 101 bypass.
Senger ran for mayor in 2014.
