“The job of government is to actually make our lives better. That’s why I’m running — to deliver a brighter future for all of us, by tackling the affordability and healthcare crises, and fighting for a fair and climate-safe economy.”

As a teacher and parent, Stephen Fowler has spent a lifetime inspiring young people to think about the world around them, and how they can make an impact. He teaches his students at Rick Hansen Secondary in Abbotsford that to make a difference in the world, you have to be engaged and determined.

For decades, teaching has been Stephen’s way of making a difference in the world. He has been recognized for embracing the promise of public education to open minds, shape brighter futures and provide safe places for all students to learn and be themselves.

Once asked about a project he had students work on to learn about the impact of advertising’s tendency to exclude people living with disabilities, he reflected, “The most important thing is getting them to think about this topic: Why isn’t including people with disabilities normal? They’re thinking about it, talking about it. And that’s all I really want.”

Before teaching, Stephen worked at the local mill in Maple Ridge for four years. He recalls being struck by how well he was paid at such a young age. A lifelong resident of the Fraser Valley, he watched years later as the opportunity he had as a young adult – a job you could start a family on – get shipped away in raw logs. As more and more trees were cut, less and less of the wealth they generated stayed in B.C.

Stephen is running with the B.C. Greens because like leader Emily Lowan, he can see that rising inequality and government failure to confront a climate emergency already destroying entire communities in B.C. have the same source: political and economic systems geared to prop up the extreme wealth of very few at the expense of the safety and wellbeing of everyone else.

Government’s job is to actually make people’s lives better, to create opportunity and tackle problems together that we cannot face alone. But the two main parties lack the courage to champion proven solutions.

Stephen knows any hope of solving the very big, but not impossible, problems we face as a province rests on being honest about them, and he has always been comfortable speaking truth to power with clarity and conviction.

The people of Abbotsford-Mission deserve someone ready to tell it like it is, and that will push the government to always prioritize the needs of people and do what needs to be done to better support families and communities across the region.

Stephen is driven by real solutions to the affordability, healthcare and climate crises. He will work tirelessly for meaningful action on the spiraling cost of living, chronic emergency room closures and doctor shortages, and public transportation to connect the southern valley.

He’s ready to make a difference for all British Columbians and will fight for a fair economy that invests in strong, climate-safe B.C. communities, delivers good stable jobs, and ensures a brighter future for the students he spent decades inspiring to believe in better.

This September 26th, Stephen is asking the people of Abbotsford-Mission to believe in better, and vote BC Green.

Media Release: bcgreens.ca/announce-candidate-for-abbotsford-mission-byelection/

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