10:30am September 19, 2026 was the first of 6 all candidates meetings for North Cowichan in the run up to the October 17th election. Each of us gave a closing statement. Here’s what I shared with those who attended in person and online. For those who couldn’t attend, a recording of the meeting has been posted to YouTube.
Good afternoon. For those of you who don’t know me, my wife Michelle and I live and farm in Chemainus. Today is also our 34th wedding anniversary. We’re also the proud parents of two 20-something daughters, Everest and Quinn who are off pursuing careers in apiculture (beekeeping) and filmmaking. I have a background in ecology, landscape design and planning, and agrology. I currently teach leadership, governance and sustainability science at Royal Roads University.
I’ve spent most of my 30+ career working here in BC and on the Island; helping individuals, organizations and communities understand, plan, and do work to improve or better manage their land, their landscapes or themselves. Being Dutch, I’m a practical person – who constantly tries to figure out how to do things better and more sustainably, for less money and effort. I’ve done this in every role I’ve held – as a technician, ecologist, agrologist, consultant, educator and twice as a locally elected official. I’ve persistently pursued this in a manner that does not sacrifice the environment or community. I believe that things are only made better when we care for our work, for the people involved, for the environment, and our communities. Ultimately, things are always better when we demonstrate care and attention.
This integral to who I am and how I see the world. It’s how I was raised. By a father who, as a public servant, helped establish our world-leading Provincial Park system, and a mother who, as a social worker and child advocate, led the professionalization of child adoption services in BC and Canada.
Both of my parents regarded the world as a complex, interconnected web of relationships, ripe with possibility and deserving of more care and attention. Both believed that things are made better by contributing through acts of public service.
This is why I am running. I’m running because I want to contribute my abilities and experience to our community, a community that has provided so much to me and my family.
North Cowichan, and society in general, is facing a number of significant challenges. One way for our community to meet these challenges is by electing experienced, courageous and caring representatives who demonstrate their care and attention in the manner in which they conduct themselves – a manner that is respectful, open and considered, focused on providing value to our citizens, our staff and partners.
I look forward to your support on October 17th. Thank you very much.