Heather Maahs
Heather Maahs | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition of British Columbia | |
| Assumed office June 29, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Trevor Halford |
| Parliamentary leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia | |
| Assumed office June 29, 2026 | |
| Leader | Kerry-Lynne Findlay |
| Preceded by | Trevor Halford (as interim leader) |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Chilliwack North | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Coulter |
| Personal details | |
| Party | BC Conservative |
Heather Maahs MLA is a Canadian politician who has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) representing the electoral district of Chilliwack North since 2024.[1] A member of the Conservative Party, she has served as leader of the Opposition since 2026.
Early life and career
In 1993, Maahs and her husband moved from North Vancouver to Chilliwack.[2] The couple operated a construction company together until her husband's death in 2009. She has three children and eleven grandchildren.[2][3]
Maahs has completed specialized training in Orton Gillingham tutoring and early assessment from the University of Hull, with a focus on improving educational methods.[2] For several years, she moderated an email list that facilitated discussion on educational issues among school trustees, teachers, and parents.[2]
Political career
In 2008, Maahs was elected as a school trustee in the Chilliwack School District.[2][4] She was subsequently re-elected five time over the following 16 years. During her tenure, she emphasized foundational reading skills and the importance of literacy in education. She has cited the guiding principle "first, we learn to read, then we read to learn"[2] She has been an outspoken trustee over the way sexuality is taught in the classroom and in library books such as All Boys Aren't Blue.[5]
In December 2024, Maahs submitted her resignation from the Chilliwack Board of Education, ending her service as its longest-standing member.[6] She stated her intent to focus fully on her new role as a member of the Legislative Assembly following her victory in the 2024 provincial election.[6]
Member of the Legislative Assembly
In February 2024, Maahs was nominated as the Conservative Party of BC's candidate for Chilliwack North. She went on to win her seat in the 2024 British Columbia general election, unseating NDP incumbent and cabinet minister Dan Coulter.[1][7]
She served in the official opposition shadow cabinet as the critic for Children and Family Development – Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services.[2] Her priorities include education, parental rights, and combatting homelessness and addictions.[2][8] Following Kerry-Lynne Findlay's election as party leader, Maahs became leader of the Opposition.
Political controversies
During her time as a school trustee, Maahs was censured three times by the Chilliwack Board of Education.[9]
In March 2023, she was censured for violating the trustee code of conduct following her opposition to a student-led event promoting the school district's core values. In December 2023, she was censured again for reportedly refusing to remove a news story from her social media that was perceived as critical of the school district and its policies.[9]
In February 2024, Maahs was censured a third time for failing to uphold board member confidentiality guidelines. While the board did not disclose the specific nature of the breach, Maahs was barred from attending in-camera meetings for the remainder of the school year.[9] Maahs later stated that, earlier that same week, her motion requesting a report on vandalism in washroom facilities since the implementation of gender-neutral washrooms had been excluded from the meeting agenda.[9]
Electoral record
| 2024 British Columbia general election: Chilliwack North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Heather Maahs | 11,776 | 54.58 | +39.7 | $36,179.76 | |||
| New Democratic | Dan Coulter | 8,125 | 37.66 | −1.9 | $50,357.69 | |||
| Green | Tim Cooper | 1,187 | 5.50 | −4.6 | $0.00 | |||
| Independent | Dan Grice | 487 | 2.26 | – | $3,469.73 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 21,575 | 99.88 | – | $71,700.08 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 26 | 0.12 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 21,601 | 55.07 | – | |||||
| Registered voters | 39,227 | |||||||
| Conservative notional gain from New Democratic | Swing | +20.8 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[10][11] | ||||||||
See also
References
- 1 2 "BC election 2024 results: Chilliwack North". Global News. Corus Entertainment. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Heather Maahs at Conservative Party of BC". Conservative Party of BC. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ↑ "Heather Maahs on VoteMate". VoteMate. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ↑ Feinberg, Jennifer (2024-02-21). "3rd school-board censure for Chilliwack trustee Heather Maahs". The Chilliwack Progress. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ↑ Pawson, Chad (September 26, 2024). "How turfing SOGI and banning books became part of B.C.'s election". CBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- 1 2 VandenBosch, Mike. "Chilliwack school board trustee bids farewell". Fraser Valley Today | Everything Fraser Valley. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ↑ Feinberg, Jennifer (2024-10-19). "B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding". The Abbotsford News. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ↑ "B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding". The Abbotsford News. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- 1 2 3 4 VandenBosch, Mike. "Chilliwack school board censures trustee for the 3rd time". 89.5 JR Country Chilliwack. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ↑ "Statement of Votes – 43rd Provincial General Election – October 19, 2024" (PDF). Elections BC. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ↑ "2024 Provincial General Election Financing Reports Available". Elections BC. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
Further reading
- Feinberg, Jennifer (20 October 2024). "B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding". Chilliwack Progress. Black Press Media. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- Feinberg, Jennifer (29 February 2024). "Heather Maahs to run in Chilliwack North for B.C. Conservatives". Chilliwack Progress. Black Press Media. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- Azpiri, Jon (29 September 2022). "Debate over book bans in classrooms highlights limitations of school trustees' role". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 October 2024.