Heather Maahs
Heather Maahs MLA | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Chilliwack North | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Coulter |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | BC Conservative |
Heather Maahs is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2024 British Columbia general election. She represents the electoral district of Chilliwack North as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.[1]
Early life and career
[edit]In 1993, Maahs and her husband moved from North Vancouver to Chilliwack.[2] They ran a construction company together, until her husband passed away in 2009. She has 3 children, and is also a grandmother ro 11 grandchildren.[2][3] She cites her family as a driving force behind her commitment to politics.[3]
Maahs has been involved in various initiative and organizations in her community. She has taken specialized training in Orton Gillingham tutoring and Early Assessment from the University of Hull in the UK, to learn more about the enhancement of educational methods.[2] For many years she moderated an email listserv for stakeholders such as school trustees, teachers, and parents to discuss educational issues.[2]
Political career
[edit]2008 school trustee
[edit]In 2008, Maahs successfully ran for school trustee in the Chilliwack School District.[2][4] She has since won 5 subsequent elections over the past 16 years. Throughout her tenure, she has prioritized foundational reading skill attainment and the importance of literacy in the learning process. Her principle which guides her approach to education states that "first, we learn to read, then we read to learn"[2] She has been an outspoken trustee over the way sexuality is taught in the classroom and in library books such as All Boys Aren't Blue.[5]
In December 2024, Maahs submitted her resignation on a positive note as the current longest serving member of the Chilliwack Board of Education to go "all in as an MLA"[6] as a result of winning her riding in the 2024 BC provincial elections.[6]
2024 provincial election
[edit]In February 2024, Maahs was nominated as the Conservative Party of BC's candidate for Chilliwack North. She went on to win her seat in the 2024 British Columbia general election, unseating NDP incumbent and cabinet minister Dan Coulter.[1][7]
She currently serves in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the Critic for Children and Family Development - Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services.[2] Her priorities include education, parental rights, and combatting homelessness and addictions.[2][8]
Political Controversies
[edit]During her time as school trustee Maahs was censured 3 times by the Chilliwack school board.[9] In March 2023, she was censured for violating the trustee code of conduct because she opposed a student-led event that promoted the school district's core values. In December 2023, she was censured over an apparent refusal to remove a news story from her social media that was considered critical of the school district and its policies.[9]
In February 2024 she was censured for not upholding board member confidentiality guidelines laid out in section 7.4 of bylaw 5. The board did not reveal the exact nature of the breach of confidentiality, but she was removed from in-camera meetings for the rest of the school year.[9] Maahs noted that earlier that week, her motion requesting a report on vandalism to washroom facilities since the implementation of gender-neutral washrooms was entirely excluded and denied.[9]
Electoral record
[edit]| 2024 British Columbia general election: Chilliwack North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Heather Maahs | 11,776 | 54.6% | |||||
| New Democratic | Dan Coulter | 8,125 | 37.7% | |||||
| Green | Tim Cooper | 1,187 | 5.5% | |||||
| Independent | Dan Grice | 487 | 2.3% | |||||
| Total valid votes | ||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Registered voters | ||||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "BC election 2024 results: Chilliwack North". Global News. Corus Entertainment. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Heather Maahs at Conservative Party of BC". Conservative Party of BC. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ a b "Heather Maahs on VoteMate". VoteMate. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ^ Feinberg, Jennifer (2024-02-21). "3rd school-board censure for Chilliwack trustee Heather Maahs". The Chilliwack Progress. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Pawson, Chad (September 26, 2024). "How turfing SOGI and banning books became part of B.C.'s election". CBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b VandenBosch, Mike. "Chilliwack school board trustee bids farewell". Fraser Valley Today | Everything Fraser Valley. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ^ Feinberg, Jennifer (2024-10-19). "B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding". The Abbotsford News. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding". The Abbotsford News. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ^ a b c d VandenBosch, Mike. "Chilliwack school board censures trustee for the 3rd time". 89.5 JR Country Chilliwack. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
Further reading
[edit]- Feinberg, Jennifer (20 October 2024). "B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding". Chilliwack Progress. Black Press Media. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- Feinberg, Jennifer (29 February 2024). "Heather Maahs to run in Chilliwack North for B.C. Conservatives". Chilliwack Progress. Black Press Media. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- Azpiri, Jon (29 September 2022). "Debate over book bans in classrooms highlights limitations of school trustees' role". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 October 2024.