Ryan Warawa, BC Conservative
A 44-year-old Willoughby resident working in insurance
BIO:
Ryan Warawa is a group benefits professional in the insurance industry. He was born in Langley to Diane and Mark Warawa, and is a lifelong resident of Greater Vancouver. Five generations of the Warawa family have been residents of the Langley community.
He joined the Conservative Party of Canada in 2003, and worked on the successful nomination campaign of his father in the Langley electoral district in 2004. He also joined the Conservative Party of BC in 2004, and has served as a Vice President, President, Past President, and Regional Director on the provincial Board of Directors. In 2008, Ryan was the Candidate in Vancouver East for the Conservative Party of Canada.
Ryan enjoys volunteering with his church, and advocating mental health issues.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/warawa
Twitter: @warawa
Website: www.ryanwarawa.com
Phone: 604-807-4707
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CANDIDATE Q&A:
To help voters make their choices on election day, the Langley Advance Times is asking local candidates a series of questions on issues of importance, asking each candidate to participate.
They were asked to a ‘yes’, a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y,N,D) response to EACH of the numbered questions for the grid published in the Oct. 15 edition of The News. Candidates were also invited to expand on ANY OR ALL of the questions (to a maximum of 200 words each), with one of their choice to be included in our print edition on Oct. 22. Here’s all their replies.
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1. Would you vote to fund additional supportive housing units in Langley to reduce homelessness?
Answer: Yes. The Conservative Party of BC supports allocating up to 1% of existing Crown Land to development that will promote more affordable housing for British Columbians, and I support funding additional supportive housing units in Langley East.
2. Is lowering taxes the best route to economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession?
Answer: The Conservative plan for BC’s economic recovery includes eliminating the carbon tax, raising the basic personal income tax exemption, and creating local tourism tax credits.
3. Should the province provide B.C. residents with a universal basic income?
Answer: No. I support reducing the income tax burden on each BC resident by increasing the basic personal income tax exemption, which will provide targeted tax relief for taxpayers.
4. Should the B.C. government restrict large, industrial cannabis greenhouses from operating in the ALR?
Answer: Don’t know. Local residents should be consulted for any proposed new industrial cannabis greenhouses.
5. Should the B.C. government speed up the widening of Highway One into the eastern Fraser Valley?
Answer: Yes. I support the widening of Highway One into the eastern Fraser Valley. However, we also need to invest in greener transportation options. There are still no plans to invest in rail transportation for the Valley and for Langley East, which is unacceptable to me. I support re-establishing the former BC Electric Railway Interurban line, which would connect Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack to the rest of the TransLink transportation grid — including the expansion of Skytrain to Langley. Taxpayers in Langley East are currently paying 18.5 cents per litre of gasoline to TransLink, and a portion of that has paid for Vancouver’s transportation system, including the following SkyTrain lines: Expo Line, Millennium Line, Canada Line, Evergreen Line — and now the proposed Surrey-Langley line and Broadway Subway. While I agree with the proposed Skytrain expansion, the citizens of Langley East deserve to be part of the discussion, and included in these expansion plans.
6. Should cities and school districts be allowed to go into debt during the pandemic?
Answer: Yes.
7. Should the province stop prosecuting drug possession to help fight the overdose epidemic?
Answer: No.
8. Should the province divert funding away from policing and towards social and mental health services?
Answer: No.
9. In the era of Black Lives Matter, should B.C. increase the penalties for hate speech?
Answer: No.
10. Would you support more public schools moving to a year-round education model?
Answer: Yes, should the request to do so originate with the parents and teachers of any given public school.
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OTHER LOCAL CANDIDATE Q&As:
Langley Riding:
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Langley East Riding:
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