The News sent a questionnaire to all candidates in the three local ridings. Candidates were given strict word limits and instructed not to go over, lest their answers be cut off.
Name: Dave Sharey
Current occupation: truck driver
Notable past achievements/titles/jobs:
Where do you live? Clearbrook
If you have run for office before, what have you learned? If you have not, why are you running now?
-I’ve decided to run in this election because I feel our government has lost its way.
I believe the primary function of our public officials is to safeguard our fundamental freedoms, hard fought after two world wars, and to champion the ideals enumerated in the charter.
Tell us about yourself. I.E.: Where were you born, where did you go to school/college etc., what jobs did you have over the years?
-Born in Burnaby, grew up, the middle son of three boys, in aldergrove and moved to Abbotsford at 14 or 15 with my mom and younger brother.
Attended South Otter Elementary, Wix Brown Elementary, DW Poppy Secondary and graduated from WJ Mouat secondary.
Why would you make a good representative for your constituents in the legislature?
-I don’t know that I will. I think our politicians have a difficult job particularly if you consider my message of low taxes and smaller government which is what attracted me to the libertarian party. There’s so many people in my riding that aren’t doing too good and the promise of subsidies and new programs etc. are difficult to argue against in the moment even though I believe that such things likely contributed to their situation and aren’t good for them or the taxpayer in the long run.
I understand that people care deeply about their communities. While collecting signatures, I met one lady as she was walking downtown with her husband. She said she was a social worker and that she didn’t mind paying high taxes because of the services it provides. Needless to say, she declined to sign my nomination sheet.
What are the three most important issues facing Abbotsford and how would you address them?
1. homelessness and drug addiction.
I think the two issues are best managed at the local level because it’s the local communities that are most affected and who would have the greatest chance of lifting people up.
I believe the provincial government could help a great deal by lowering taxes generally and thinning the regulatory forest that can be intimidating or discouraging to people on the virge of picking themselves up. People will falter and make mistakes but, they should be rewarded by every possible means for working themselves off subsidies and so that our safety net is more robust for those still in need. To that end, we’re proposing a flat tax and raising the threshold for exemption.
I support decriminalization for drugs. To be clear, I don’t use drugs nor do I endorse them, particularly for children. I understand this is a difficult topic for many but in the end, I’m more interested in talking about the difficult pressures that many face that may have some influence in their decision to use.
2 [75 words]: education.
Preparing future generations to give them the best possible opportunity to realize their full potential is important to everyone.
The student population seems to have become increasingly diverse in their needs and despite the best of intentions, I’m concerned that our centralized system isn’t keeping pace.
We’re proposing a voucher system. We believe it’s a method that will provide parents with the ability to seek out the best available resources for their children.
3. home ownership.
The BC lower mainland is the most beautiful place on earth, in my view. I can certainly understand why folks would want to stay here.
I think the prospect of owning one’s own home might well be among the most satisfying experiences one could feel.
We’re eager to learn more about any potential regulatory or revenue related issues that might contribute to the market being out of reach for a great number of people.
Tell us a surprising or unique story about yourself:
I volunteered for a youth group for a few years and had the pleasure of working under the direction of a freelance psychologist who specialised in troubled youth.
For a time, my job was to plan outings and I would often refer to him for advice.
At one point, during a staff meeting to discuss some event and after I ran through the proposal he quipped, “so, what if you get hit by a bus?”
“Excuse me?” I replied.
He answered by talking about the importance of planning for unlikely events that risk jeopardizing our outing. He called it the “hit by a bus rule”.
I’ve remembered that ever since and try to apply it whenever I can.
Abbotsford is split into three ridings, all of which have changed a little since the last election. Click here for a map of the Abbotsford-Mission riding. Click here for a map of Abbotsford South. Click here for a map of Abbotsford West.