“If elected as your MLA, I will fight for everyone’s access to vital community services like solid healthcare, social housing, education and a robust green future for us all.”

Maria J. Cruz (she/her) is an artist, educator, public servant, community advocate and longtime renter in Vancouver-South Granville. She grew up in Mount Pleasant and has spent the past 15 years living in South Granville, where she has seen firsthand how rising costs and housing pressures are affecting the people who make the community work.

Maria believes that people who build their lives here deserve security, dignity and access to the services they need. Her priorities include stronger renter protections, more social housing, accessible healthcare and building a climate-resilient future.

Maria currently works as an Outreach Worker in the Vancouver School Board’s Adult Education program, helping newcomers and lifelong learners build skills, confidence and pathways to new opportunities. Supporting immigrants and refugees as they find belonging through education is an important part of her community work.

She has also built a career protecting and promoting arts, culture and heritage. Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Art History from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto. As a culture and heritage planner, she has written arts policy for communities across British Columbia and, as a collections care consultant, has helped manage both public and private collections.

A member of UBCP/ACTRA for nearly 30 years, Maria has worked as an actor, writer, producer and director in film, television and theatre. She has also performed her one-woman show at the Azores International Fringe Festival.

Healthcare is also deeply personal to Maria. As a breast cancer survivor, she understands the importance of timely, reliable care and believes healthcare workers should be able to afford to live in the communities that depend on them.

Maria is running with the BC Greens to make sure Vancouver-South Granville residents are heard and that the community’s future is shaped around the people who live and work there. She wants to strengthen public services, protect renters, expand social housing and help build a greener, more resilient community for everyone.

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