A Coquitlam business owner is the third person to declare to the Tri-City News their intention to run for civic office.
This week, Harvey Su announced his plans to run for a Coquitlam council seat in the Oct. 15 general election.
A local resident of 15 years, the Shanghai native has his master’s degree in science from UBC and started an international education business.
He and his family have volunteered with local groups since arriving in the Tri-Cities, such as the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation and the Terry Fox Foundation.
In a news release, Su said he’s advocating to expand TransLink's West Coast Express (WCE).
"The proposed expansion will attract more people to use public transportation, helping reduce carbon emissions which will assist the City of Coquitlam’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050," he explained.
A bigger WCE service would also help with housing affordability, he said.
"We need transportation to turn our bedroom community into a business hub so that people live in Vancouver, Burnaby and other cities will come to work in Coquitlam. I hope we can create high pay local jobs so that our residents can live and work in Coquitlam. WCE is a catalyst making these positive changes possible."
As a councillor, Su said he’ll also introduce the following policies to attract more family doctors to Coquitlam:
- Waiving business registration fees
- Implementing simpler registration procedures
- Increasing the amount of medical office space
He adds he’ll respond to the mental health and addiction challenges in the Tri-Cities by lobbying to transform səmiq̓wəʔelə/Riverview Lands into "a world-class mental health research centre and extended care facility affiliated with the UBC Medical School and UBC School of Nursing."
Su is set to challenge a spot on council with Coquitlam residents Matt Djonlic and Ali Tootian, who threw their hats in the campaign ring earlier this year.
