IAN SOUTAR, BC GREEN PARTY: COQUITLAM-BURKE MOUNTAIN

When it comes to Green Party candidate Ian Soutar, the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

article continues below

Raised in Chilliwack by a mom who does environmental assessments and a father who worked for an independent power producer, the 27-year-old believes the economy and Green values can go hand in hand.

"The environment and energy can be productive if both sides are willing to work together," said Soutar during an interview last week.

Soutar first got involved in politics through the federal Green party and was a friend of and inspired by leader Elizabeth May. He helped set up Green Party clubs at UBC and SFU, and, as the Young Greens committee chair, has attended party conferences, including one in Liverpool, where he was able to use the languages he's fluent in besides English — French, Spanish and Portuguese.

"It's very motivating as a young person," he says, adding that the Green Party puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to youth engagement. "[The Greens say] we want youth and we're going to send you there and we're listening to you when you get there."

He believes the Greens can do the most for youth, and as a renter off Lansdowne Drive with his husband, thinks the party will score well with its policies on affordable housing, transit and education.

Admitting that the international arena is his first interest — Soutar has lived in Australia, where he worked at a winery, and in Brazil, where he was an English teacher — the young landscaper got involved in the Greens because their values best aligned with his interests. His experience with Rotary International, which sent him as a 15-year-old to Mexico for a year on a student exchange, helped him hone his people skills and he has also been involved in the Rotary Club's leadership programs.

He hopes he can take these skills and his interest in the protecting the environment to the provincial political arena.



THE ISSUES

• On daycare: Soutar believes his party is on the right track by promising to provide free daycare for children under three. (The BC Green Party would also provide 25 hours of early childhood education a week for three- and four-year-olds and up to $500 monthly support for parents who stay at home with their children.) Benefits would, however, be taxed back for families earning more than $80,000 per year, he said, adding. "It's not rich people getting the benefit."

• On transit and transportation: Soutar said he is impressed with TransLink's plans to improve transit service in the Tri-Cities but says more is needed. He drives when taking transit would add more than 35 minutes to a trip, he said, and believes the Greens' plan to match the federal $2.2 billion in capital funding for transit is a good first step. "We will make sure transit will be a viable option," he said.

• On his issue pick, environment: Soutar is behind his party's plan to halt Site C, oppose the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion and LNG. "A White Spot [restaurant] would create more permanent jobs than Kinder Morgan," he said. BC Hydro should be encouraged to diversify into wind, solar and tidal power, Soutar said. "We want to empower the government to do things more green."

To contact Ian Soutar, call 604-791-5459 or visit bcgreens.ca/cqb and iansoutar.com.