Doug Morneau running for Conservatives in Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows

Local businessman Doug Morneau is running for MLA in Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows as the BC Conservative candidate. He and his wife, Heather, have lived in Maple Ridge for eight years and have three adult children and five grandchildren. Morneau said he wants to improve life for them so his children can afford to stay in the area, which he said is becoming harder for many families.

Morneau worked on the federal Conservative campaign for MP Marc Dalton and was asked to run for the BC Conservatives in the election scheduled for Oct. 24. He said affordability is a dominant concern in his conversations with voters. He described his children asking whether they will ever be able to afford a home or will have to move to Alberta.

Health care is another issue he hears about from nearly everyone, and one that has affected his family, he said. He cited waits for surgery and a two-year wait for seniors’ housing through Fraser Health among the challenges they have faced. Fentanyl and the toxic drug supply also come up often, he said, with many people knowing someone affected by addiction and homelessness.

Morneau said education and the quality of education are also concerns, and that B.C. children are falling behind. He said some friends have withdrawn their children from school to homeschool them. When those children were assessed as they left public school, he said, they were found to be more than a grade level behind where they should be. “Education is about more than seats in a school,” he said.

Morneau said NDP Leader David Eby could have acted on key issues while premier instead of calling a snap election. Morneau said people are upset about the early election and that he does not believe it was called in the best interests of people in the province.

Morneau served on the board of BC Assessment, the agency that sets property values used as the basis for local taxes. He brings four decades of business experience, building and running companies and advising organizations including Bell Media, BCAA, Lafarge, On Side Restoration and the Independent Wood Processors Association of BC. He helps companies assess whether their technology spending is delivering results and identify what to fix when it is not.

He began his working life as a steel fabricator, later earned a prospector’s certification at Malaspina and spent many years working in mines around B.C. Morneau said giving back has always been part of his life. In Maple Ridge, he has led the Alpha and Freedom Sessions programs at Maple Ridge Community Church and serves on the board of the local federal Conservative riding association. He has also donated professional services to non-profits including the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and the BC Sheriffs.