Skip to content

Kolvyn standing up for those ignored by city hall

Moneca Kolvyn wants to stand up for residents. She wants to be their voice in government and run city hall with an open and honest approach.
Moneca Kolvyn
Moneca Kolvyn

Moneca Kolvyn wants to stand up for residents. She wants to be their voice in government and run city hall with an open and honest approach.

The 55-year-old is the 30-year owner of a book binding company in a warehouse on Annacis Island and has lived above her business for the past 13 years.

An immigrant from Denmark who came to Canada with her family in 1965, Kolvyn has lived throughout the Lower Mainland.

In her younger years she was active in sports, including synchronized swimming, life guarding and worked with troubled youth in a rock climbing program.

As she got older she became active in the paddling community and was part of the first Canadian women’s dragon boat team to compete internationally.

She was also active in motorsports, becoming the first Canadian woman to win a national championship and had a successful run in the Trans Am Racing Series in the U.S.

“Jim Cessford and I laugh because I presented a proposal to Jim over 20 years ago, saying we need to have street legal drags in the community,” she said. “He ignored me then, but he doesn’t now. We need to address the young people. Sometimes we forget what it means to be young.”

She said throughout the years she has had several negative experiences with government, forced to battle through red tape.

Most recently, the golden handshake (end of service benefit), the casino, the bridge replacement project and other aspects of how the city is being run cemented her decision to seek the mayor’s chair.

“I stand for listening to the public consultation process – very much like my race team when I raced,” she said. “One has to listen and then act - not dismiss and deflect.”

She said every citizen needs to be heard.

“We [mayor and council] work for the residents. We need to hear their voices on issues and work with them. That is not the case with this current city hall,” said Kolvyn. “People should be voting for me, an independent candidate, because I’m self-employed, responsible for my own life, my own pension plan – responsible for everything. When I screw up, I just don’t go back to the taxpayers for a solution.

“There is no accountability. We need a panel of residents to keep mayor and council accountable. No backroom deals, no going to meetings where we don’t remember what happened. Good business is about transparency. I want to see open and honest government and restore the belief that if you voice a concern, you will be heard and listened to.”