A Wealth of Experience

A University of British Columbia MBA graduate, Christian simultaneously holds several positions. He is Executive Director of the CEED Centre, a charitable organization dedicated to community education on environment and development. He is also a Community Developer for the Fraser Health Food Security Program, covering the municipalities from Burnaby to Maple Ridge. He has led Concise Communications Corp. as president since 1991, providing investor relations tools to more than 50 multinational companies, such as Sony and Mitsubishi Corporation. Before his business degree, he earned a double-major BA at UBC in Japanese and International Relations.

" I get great satisfaction from helping local organizations with the international business and marketing skills I learned overseas. I am uniquely positioned to enjoy the best of the corporate and non-profit sectors, and the government and non-government sectors. My business background, combined with a thorough understanding of local environmental and social issues, provides me with a balanced perspective. I will bring this outlook to Council.

An Active Community Member

Christian is Vice Chair of the Maple Ridge Agricultural Advisory Committee charged with drafting the agricultural plan referenced in the Official Community Plan. In addition to organizing the Celebrate Earth Day festival as a staff member of the CEED Centre, he serves as the spokesperson for the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Environmental Council (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mrpmec/), which provides an information forum for 12 local organizations engaged in environmental activities. Christian recently participated in the creation of the Glenwood School Neighbourhood Garden and is helping to fundraise for more gardens at local schools. He and his family had the pleasure of counting salmon in the North Alouette as volunteers for ARMS last autumn. In Burnaby, Christian is interim chair of the Burnaby Food First Committee, which organizes a major charity fundraising campaign called Empty Bowls. In Vancouver, Christian served on the Board of Directors of the Japanese Community Volunteers Association (Tonari Gumi) from 1998 to 2003, including three years as chairperson. Christian retains many ties to the Japanese community through his work and volunteer activities. Christian and his family live on a 3.4 acre farm in Thornhill, Maple Ridge, raising poultry and bees.

Current Memberships

• Vice Chair, Agricultural Advisory Committee, Maple Ridge Council
• Spokesperson, Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Environmental Council
• Interim Chair, Burnaby Food First Committee
• Representative, Maple Ridge Child Youth and Family Network
• Member, Thornhill Aquifer Protection Study
• Volunteer, Alouette River Management Society
• Member, BC Honey Producers Association
• Member, Canada Japan Society of BC

 

Some of the Issues to Tackle

Quality of Life In Maple Ridge, we have the opportunity to preserve our green spaces, unlike other municipalities that have already developed past the balance point. I would like to add to the quality of life here with municipal decision-making that draws on the best examples globally. Rather than taking ad-hoc decisions, let's follow the Official Community Plan created by the citizens. I will work to attract economic development well-suited to our character. Along with prosperity comes enhanced safety and security so that families can thrive.	Vibrant Commercial Centre We can use incentive systems to attract commercial enterprises that are willing to build appealing shopping venues that fit our community character. At the same time, we can encourage existing businesses to grow and satisfy the increasingly sophisticated needs of Maple Ridge citizens. I will use my business acumen to revitalize the downtown core.
Firm Urban Boundary In the face of global warming and rising oil prices, we must exercise prudent planning and develop within the urban boundary so that our collective dependence on the automobile is mitigated. I will direct decisions away from urban sprawl.	Healthy Agriculture Maple Ridge has the highest agricultural economic yield per acre in the Lower Mainland. But in this area, we are already only able to grow 50% of the demand for fruit and vegetables. Let's retain our agricultural capacity so that we have food security well into the future. See my Green Utility proposal for Metro Vancouver.