With the 2015 elections already ramping up, the candidates are all in full swing to spread the word about their campaign and what they intend to achieve, should they win.
But who are these people knocking on our doors anyway? To give you a better idea of who you may be voting for, the Sooke News Mirror will feature an Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke candidate from each respective party every week: Conservative, Green, Liberal and NDP.
For this week, we’ll start off with Shari Lukens who is running for the local Conservative Party.
Lukens, self-described as someone with “a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll” grew up in the wheat fields of Hardisty, Alberta, where she helped her family work the harvest day and night. At the age of nine, she showed a huge interest for figure skating, travelling 120 kilometres to Edmonton every week for training at the Royal Glenora Club. After reaching gold-level status and becoming a certified level 3 coach in her teens, Lukens was well on her way to a stellar skating career; that is, until she was struck by a drunk driver.
That didn’t seem to stop her though, since she continued on as a skating coach, a career she continued for 23 years. She eventually moved to British Columbia, where she pursued a broadcasting career at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Years after that, she signed on with Telus, where she led numerous teams on a variety of projects.
Following the unfortunate passing of her husband in 2006, Lukens once again re-prioritized and took an interest in local politics. She moved to the West Shore, and in 2011 she won a seat on the Colwood City Council. After three years in municipal politics, Lukens feels ready to take on bigger game, this time to help serve the residents of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke federally as a Member of Parliament.
news@sookenewsmirror.com