Growing up, I never imagined I would run for elected office. My family  immigrated to Canada in 1987 and settled in Coquitlam. That year, I remember seeing Rick Hansen as he wheeled by one spring morning, ending his inspirational Man In Motion Tour. When we moved to River Heights, I attended Ranch Park Elementary and then Charles Best Jr. High. I played rugby for the Blue Devils and played bass and saxophone in band. Outside of school, I had a paper route and worked at Chuck E. Cheese as a birthday host. I later graduated from Centennial.

My parents taught me and my siblings the values of hard work, honesty, and leaving the world better than you found it. These values I try to instill in my own children.

Leadership and Commitment to Service

In 2013, I worked at UNESCO because I believe education helps transform the lives of people through equity and sustainable development.

In 2015, I was invited to advise Charles Ramsey, co-chair of President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force.

I am the CEO of a leadership company where I help build capacity at all levels of government. I lead executives on strategy and change. I am Board Chair of Douglas College—our province’s largest degree-granting public college—and I cofounded a non-profit that aims to inspire, connect, and engage young people to make a positive impact in their communities. 

Throughout my career and community service, I’ve helped decision makers deliver adaptive and bold change, while helping people exercise leadership to address complex challenges through collaboration, empathy, and inspiration.

Why I’m Running

Coquitlam raised me. It’s where my wife Naomi and I are raising our daughters. But things are different for my children than they were for us as kids. Our city is different now than when I was delivering the Coquitlam Now. Today, Coquitlam is one of the fastest growing multigenerational, multilingual, and multicultural cities in Canada. 

Over the past few years, it has become clear that cities are vital to addressing global challenges. Cities are not static. They are vibrant and in constant need of innovation and change. By their nature, cities must continuously adapt. Mayors are at the forefront of this change.

I am running because I feel the urgency of our residents. Families are struggling to keep up with rising costs. From our housing crisis, mental health, environmental threats, and pandemic recovery, there is no shortage of challenges affecting our city.

Across Coquitlam, public spaces are starved of resources or nonexistent. Our schools are not keeping up with our growing young population or bursting at the seams. Our libraries are underfunded. These public spaces are vital and help forge relationships, ensure wellbeing, and instill a deep sense of community.

I am running to reimagine the future of Coquitlam. A future that paves a more resilient, sustainable, inclusive, healthy, and hopeful city for everyone.

Coquitlam, this is our time to be ambitious and create a vision that builds a city for everyone. Now is the time for us to lead.