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Valerie Brooks

Green candidate for Yorkton
Transitioning to clean energy is a must, and supporting sector workers and industry to get there is paramount. Stabilizing the economy to one that is predictable and sustainable will allow us to increase our quality of life and protect and support the most vulnerable amongst us.

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Affordability

Childcare

Valerie Brooks's promise

Implement the $10/day daycare program in more locations as soon as possible.

Fuel and transportation costs

Valerie Brooks's promise

Reinstate rural public transit options to support the Healthcare sector, seniors and citizens who don't have easy access to transportation.

Post-secondary costs and loans

Valerie Brooks's promise

We will implement student loan forgiveness to keep post-secondary graduates in the province, where they will contribute to a strong economy.

Poverty and the minimum wage

Valerie Brooks's promises

Legislate a living wage for full time workers and implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI).

Public transit

Valerie Brooks's promise

Enhance public transit in larger centers and reinvest in rural public transit solutions.

Seniors' benefits

Valerie Brooks's promise

Expand publicly-funded long-term care homes and support at-home care programs to support the fixed income stress seniors face.

Tax measures and rebates

Valerie Brooks's promise

Low income earners pay less taxes, higher income earners pay more. Lower taxes for small businesses and raise them for corporations.

Utility costs

Valerie Brooks's promise

Tax electricity and gas companies for excess profits, sending a portion to low-income families struggling to pay energy bills.

Climate Change & the Environment

Climate adaptation

Valerie Brooks's promises

Make SK self-reliant in a variety of clean, sustainable energy supplies indefinitely into the future.
Protect and preserve grasslands, forests and other natural carbon capturing areas of the province.

Electric vehicles

Valerie Brooks's promise

Expand Level 3 charging for electric vehicles into rural SK, tourist destinations and provincial parks.

Green construction and retrofits

Valerie Brooks's promise

Reinstating the Solar Net-Metering System, and including the cost of retrofitting and installation.

Mining and minerals

Valerie Brooks's promise

Ensure large corporations extracting our minerals pay their fair share to SK residents to be redistributed into sustainable programs.

Oil and gas industry

Valerie Brooks's promise

Treat climate action as job action and secure just transitions from the oil and gas industry to workers who move to the green energy sector.

Pollution

Valerie Brooks's promise

Tax heavy polluters, make Oil and Gas companies accountable to the clean up of orphaned wells and abandoned sites.

Power generation

Valerie Brooks's promise

To facilitate a transition to a more secure energy future, establish a Fee and Divided Energy Security Plan.

Public transit

Valerie Brooks's promise

Enhance public transit in larger centers and reinvest in rural public transit solutions.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Valerie Brooks's promise

Implement an initial fee on the C02 content of fossil fuels, increasing every year, with a transparent true-cost comparison for consumers.

Walkable, bikable communities

Valerie Brooks's promise

Creating better urban planning designs to promote local walkable/bikeable neighborhoods where all your needs are easily accessible.

Education

Indigenous learning

Valerie Brooks's promise

Make Indigenous perspectives on being and knowing an integrated way of learning in public schools with support for Land-Based learning.

K-12 funding

Valerie Brooks's promise

Increase funding to pre 2016/17 levels and continue to increase funding to keep up with inflation.

K-12 learning needs

Valerie Brooks's promise

Provide adequate funding so Divisions are able to staff appropriately allowing schools to have smaller classes with more supports.

Parental involvement

Valerie Brooks's promise

Parents are fundamental to student success, and we encourage involvement in an inclusive and diversity-based model of public education.

Post-secondary costs and loans

Valerie Brooks's promise

We will implement student loan forgiveness to keep post-secondary graduates in the province, where they will contribute to a strong economy.

School construction and upgrades

Valerie Brooks's promises

Managing retrofitting aging buildings with long-term sustainable elements based on a needs-based criteria.
When retrofitting and upgrades is not feasible, constructing new buildings with "learner-friendly" designs.

School curriculum

Valerie Brooks's promise

Support and advance a "Future Facing Curriculum" that both meets the needs of learners and the workforce they will be entering.

School nutrition

Valerie Brooks's promises

Encourage partnerships with local organizations to provide nutritious food to all students.
Encourage a program in every school that promotes and educates all students about the connection between healthy diets and overall health.

Trades

Valerie Brooks's promise

Restore trades and skills-based curricula in intermediate and high schools, and expand paid apprenticeships and co-op placement programs.

Transgender rights and supports

Valerie Brooks's promise

Table legislation to protect the rights of 2SLGBTQ workers and students, and increase mental health funding.

Healthcare

Cancer

Valerie Brooks's promise

Using a whole life approach to healthcare, limiting carcinogens in food and other substances, to mitigate later in life cancer diagnosis.

Dental care and optometry

Valerie Brooks's promise

We will integrate Dental care into the health care system.

Diabetes

Valerie Brooks's promise

Include diabetic monitors in the Sask Healthcare Plan.

Drugs and addiction

Valerie Brooks's promises

We will dramatically expand access to evidence-based measures for harm-reduction strategies such as supervised safe consumption sites.
We will treat addiction as a health problem, not a criminal justice problem, and decriminalize drug possession for personal use.

Emergency wait-times

Valerie Brooks's promise

Fixing the failing healthcare system and emergency wait-times are of the utmost importance. Retaining ER Dr's and Nurses is a priority.

Family doctors and primary care

Valerie Brooks's promises

Provide financial incentives to encourage health practitioners to practice in under-serviced communities, including student loan forgiveness

Gender-affirming care

Valerie Brooks's promise

Ensure Gender-affirming care facilities are part of the overall healthcare system.

Health staffing

Valerie Brooks's promises

Create a better, more well-functioning system by eliminating duplication of services and red tape to keep health care staff happy at work.
Provide incentives such as eliminating student debt to Dr's and Nurses who choose to stay and work in underserved communities.
Work with the workers to fix the system

Hospitals

Valerie Brooks's promise

Re-fund rural hospitals in a fiscally responsible way.

Long-term care

Valerie Brooks's promise

Ensure the development of multi-level Long Term Care Facilities where couples at different levels of need can stay together.

Mental health

Valerie Brooks's promise

Focusing on overall health and wellness of all citizens in society, mental health indicators such as anxiety and depression should decrease.

Prescription drugs and pharmacare

Valerie Brooks's promise

Include diabetic monitors in the SK Drug Plan, and implement a feasibility study to examine Pharmacare coverage for first-line medications.

Sexual and reproductive health

Valerie Brooks's promise

We will maintain the ability of all persons to be in control of their own needs in regards to their sexual and reproductive health.

Housing & Homelessness

Home construction and supply

Valerie Brooks's promises

Incentivize the use of green energy options when building new homes.
Limit profiteering from home construction materials and supply of housing as income generating businesses. Make housing as a human right.

Home purchases and ownership

Valerie Brooks's promises

Work to keep housing prices at affordable rates and help first time home buyers enter the market.
Incentivize retro-fitting homes to be more energy efficient to lower costs and at the same time move toward a greener future.

Homeless services

Valerie Brooks's promise

Support non-profit and non-market housing options like co-ops, and prevent homelessness before it occurs with a Housing First program.

Public housing

Valerie Brooks's promise

Implement a construction program of publicly owned and operated, net-zero social housing.

Rental housing

Valerie Brooks's promise

Limit rent increases to 1.5% annually, and enhance the protection of tenants rights to safe, and affordable housing.

Jobs, Businesses, & Labour

Agriculture

Valerie Brooks's promises

Promote a SK-Made brand of locally grown, processed and sold food that is sustainable and healthy, incentivizing family farms.
Establish a Local Food Security Act limiting our dependance on an unstable food chain.

Economic growth

Valerie Brooks's promise

There will be no economic growth if we don't face the Climate Crisis. Greens will invest in strengthening small and medium local businesses

Labour rights

Valerie Brooks's promise

We are pro-union, and support the right to fair negotiations between workers and employers.

Mining and minerals

Valerie Brooks's promise

Ensure large corporations extracting our minerals pay their fair share to SK residents to be redistributed into sustainable programs.

Oil and gas industry

Valerie Brooks's promise

Treat climate action as job action and secure just transitions from the oil and gas industry to workers who move to the green energy sector.

Poverty and the minimum wage

Valerie Brooks's promises

Legislate a living wage for full time workers and implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI).

Restaurants

Valerie Brooks's promise

Make it easier for restaurants to use locally grown food, removing barriers with legislation to support local growers and entrepreneurs.

Startups and small businesses

Valerie Brooks's promise

Help small businesses compete with large corporations by cutting taxes, raising the threshold, and supporting with start up costs.

Tourism

Valerie Brooks's promise

SK could be a tourist destination which would also increase jobs in the sector, we would better support tourism companies and advertise it.

Trades

Valerie Brooks's promise

Restore trades and skills-based curricula in intermediate and high schools, and expand paid apprenticeships and co-op placement programs.

Society & Government

Budgets

Valerie Brooks's promise

Fully costed, balanced budgets to support all people and the planet, with complete review of income and expenditures and cutting of red tape

Children in care

Valerie Brooks's promise

Support Indigenous control of Indigenous child care systems for any Nation that is in a position to do so.

Immigration

Valerie Brooks's promise

Remove red tape for immigrants who come with credentials and could start working in their field of expertise. Support entrepreneurs.

Indigenous reconciliation

Valerie Brooks's promises

Educate and understand the impact that colonization has had on the Indigenous population, and strengthen Treaty relationships.
Implement any of the TRC's calls to Action that is in our jurisdiction immediately.
Serve as an Ally and Accomplice to Indigenous relations with the Federal Government, advocating on their behalf whenever possible.

Indigenous women, girls, and 2-spirited people

Valerie Brooks's promises

Respect diversity and the rights of all people to live their true authentic lives.
Scrap the abusive "Parents' Bill of Rights" (Bill 137) and restore our school system as a safe space for 2SLGBTQ+ youth.

Infrastructure

Valerie Brooks's promise

Use a balanced approach to spending public money on infrastructure and use a transparent, honest approach to granting contracts.

Justice system

Valerie Brooks's promise

Increase awareness and educate workers in the Justice system of systemic racism and work towards eliminating it.

People with disabilities

Valerie Brooks's promise

Support the SARC program and CBO's financially to be better able to serve those in our society that are the most vulnerable.

Public safety

Valerie Brooks's promise

Work toward creating a society with no poverty, supports for the most vulnerable, and structures that limit the need for crime.

Sports and recreation

Valerie Brooks's promise

Promote and encourage active lifestyles which will limit the need for future acute healthcare, supporting a happy and healthy society.

Transgender rights and supports

Valerie Brooks's promise

Table legislation to protect the rights of 2SLGBTQ workers and students, and increase mental health funding.

Biography

submitted by the candidate or their team
I want to be your next MLA because I believe in the power of the people to make positive changes in society. If we want a different government we need to vote differently. As a Green Party candidate I believe in doing "politics" differently and feel I am qualified for the job.

A little bit about me... my husband and I own property in Yorkton, and currently live in Saltcoats where we enjoy a more rural, slower pace of life after having raised our 3 children.

As your Green Party candidate I'm obviously concerned about the global environment and how we as humans can have a lasting impact on the natural world. I believe whole-heartedly that if we take care of our natural resources and think 7 generations ahead when making decisions, we can create a sustainable world to live in and prosper from. The trick is to find balance.

From a community perspective, I have been actively involved in every community I've lived in, with local organizations and community initiatives that help to create a higher quality of life for all. I currently serve on the Habitat for Humanity - Yorkton Chapter's Board of Directors and have enjoyed working with this organization for the past 3 years.

From a personal standpoint, I am more than qualified to do this important work. I have a Master's degree in Education where I researched and wrote a Thesis on Treaty Education and Reconciliation listening to and learning from Indigenous participant perspectives. I have been an educator for more than 20 years where I have worked as a classroom teacher and school administrator. In the classroom, I've spent many years teaching civics courses which has provided me with powerful experiences and an expanded knowledge base regarding our political system and democracy. As an administrator I have been able to hone my skills as a communicator, collaborator and facilitator making me ready to work with my colleagues in the Legislature. I am ready, willing and more than capable to be your MLA.

I also know what many of you may be thinking... "I want to vote Green, but I feel like my vote will be wasted if I do." Well to that I say, positive change starts with a single step in the right direction. If we want to see a change in our province, we need to start by voting differently and trusting the process.

You can trust me and the Green Party to do the right thing... we don't accept corporate donations, so we are never beholden to corporate interests, we don't whip our MLA's in voting a certain way so they are completely independent and able to vote in the best interests of their particular constituency.

Greens around the world, think differently and act differently than the traditional Left and Right politicians. We strive to come to agreements rather than play divisive political games, and we are connected to and gain strength from a global network of people striving to make the planet viable for our great-great-great-great grandchildren. That's where our hearts and minds are, not with petty self-interests and political egos.

So if you want different, vote different this election and see what can happen.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you would like to know more about me and my background, or to set up a meeting to meet me in person. I'm more than willing to listen to what is important to you in order to understand how to best represent you in the Legislature.

Reason for running

submitted by the candidate or their team
In the world of divisive political maneuvering to "get elected" I feel strongly that voters need to vote for positive change. I'm running as a candidate with the SK Green Party to give voters the opportunity to break up the old power based system and create positive change.

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