A new electoral boundary for School District No. 46 (SD46) has three new trustees – all of whom were acclaimed following the closure of the nomination and withdrawal period for local government elections.
Amanda Amaral, Maria Hampvent and Tonya Ste. Marie are the new trustees for Area 2 or Central Coast, which is comprised of the District of Sechelt and Sechelt Indian Government District (SIGD) areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 28. None of the candidates has held the position before.
Hampvent, who was the first candidate to declare her intention to run, is a director for the Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Development Organization. “I am honoured to be acclaimed as a school trustee. I will take on the challenge of the role and responsibilities involved with care and diligence,” she wrote in an email to Coast Reporter.
Amaral and Ste. Marie had jointly declared their candidacy and had intended to campaign together because of their shared values. “I’m honoured that the acclamation gives me the chance to enhance opportunities for students in Sechelt and the entire Sunshine Coast. I take the role just as seriously by acclamation as I would by a contested election,” said Amaral in a statement to Coast Reporter.
“I’m heartened to see mutual priorities and interests among all the candidates and look forward to working with, and listening to, everyone around the table equally,” she said. Amaral is team leader for the Sechelt office of the Ministry of Children and Family Development and has a master’s degree in social work.
Ste. Marie said the acclamation gives her the time to “develop the priorities” she intends to present to the board. “It’s really great to see that the candidates running in both the Lower and Upper Sunshine Coast have like-minded priorities as do Amanda Amaral and I – this makes me really excited and even more so looking forward to the future as a school trustee.” She said she wants to “continue to improve collaboration between schools, service providers and the community.” Ste. Marie is the lead for Youth Services at Sunshine Coast Community Services and also works for RainCity Housing. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work.
A trustee race is underway in Area 1, Upper Coast, which is comprised of Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Area A and several SIGD areas. Samantha Haines and Darren Inkster are running for the one available position. In Area 3, Lower Coast, which includes SCRD Areas D, E and F and the Town of Gibsons, Sue Girard, Stacia Leech, Charlene Penner and Pammila Ruth are vying for three positions.
Voting day is Oct. 20.
