ADAM KUBEL
Website: conservativebc.ca/kubel
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564675030901
Instagram: instagram.com/adam4saanichsouth
Political party: How long have you been a member?
I have been a member for the past year.
Do you live in the riding, and if so, for how long? If not, what is your connection to the riding?
I have lived in Victoria for nine years, and specifically in the riding of Saanich South for seven years.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
I’ve worked as a project manager for over 13 years in the public and private sector in a variety of industries (anti-money laundering, environmental engineering, information management/technology). Over the last five years I’ve been working in the health care sector, both as a senior project manager and as a project management educator, trainer and consultant. I also co-own an online floral company called You Floral (www.youfloral.ca).
What do you believe is the biggest issue facing your community and why?
From what I hear on the doorsteps - it’s the crisis in the BC healthcare system. Everyone has a story of how the system isn’t meeting their needs, whether it be the long wait times, inadequate access to family physicians or burn-out of care staff.
What actions or efforts have you taken to learn the concerns of your constituents?
I believe the best way to learn about the issues in Saanich South is just by getting out in the community and listening. Informal meet and greets, or door knocking. The more stories I hear, the more connections and themes I draw out and uncover we’re all impacted by the same few issues.
What do you want to see improved in British Columbia in four, eight and 20 years?
Over the next four to 20 years, I’d love to see improvements in several key areas for B.C. The healthcare system needs to meet the basic needs of citizens. Our economic standing; we need to responsibly support our natural resource sector, and get our housing crisis under control. We need to streamline our government systems, get our spending in check, and reduce red tape. We need improved support for the measurable treatment of mental health and addictions - not more drugs. I feel the current government is not taking serious steps to address these issues and it’s harming us all.
How would you go about addressing contentious issues within your riding?
Addressing contentious issues is very similar to effective negotiations. Establishing agreeable facts, understanding what different groups need and why, and aiming for an agreeable win/win with the facts at hand.
Would you vote against your party and leader if it were best for your constituents?
A politician’s loyalty is with their constituents. It’s the people who elect them, and it’s the politicians duty to advocate for their community in good faith. Much like the previous answer, I would need to advocate and negotiate for my constituents.
Why do you think you are qualified to do this job?
My public sector experience has given me great insight into the mechanisms of the provincial government, and the profession of project management is all about solving complex problems with limited time or money, which applies well here. Cost effective, measurable value delivery is where I feel the current government has failed, and is a skillset I bring to the job.
Why are you running – what’s your motivation?
I live here. I have a family here. What I don’t have here are basic services, safety or belief that my tax dollars are being spent on necessary and valuable projects/programs or initiatives. My family, and this community needed someone to bring about change, so I put my name down for your consideration.
ABOUT SAANICH SOUTH
New Democrat Lana Popham is looking for a fifth term in office.
The races in 2005 and 2009 were close Liberal-NDP races separated by only a few hundred votes, but Popham took almost 56 per cent of the vote in the 2020 election.
THE CANDIDATES IN SAANICH SOUTH
The candidates this election are:
- Conservative Adam Kubel, a project manager
- New Democrat Lana Popham, the riding's longtime MLA
- Green candidate Ned Taylor, formerly a Saanich municipal councillor
See the full list of Vancouver Island candidates here. We are posting the candidate questionnaires riding by riding.
ABOUT THE PROFILES
We asked readers what they wanted to ask candidates and used those answers to help shape our election coverage, including candidate questionnaires.
The answers are presented as submitted by the candidates, edited only for length if they exceeded the word limit they were given. We did not correct grammar, spelling or typos.
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