Heather Maahs

Heather Maahs is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2024 British Columbia general election. She represents the electoral district of Chilliwack North as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

Early life and career

In 1993, Maahs and her husband moved from North Vancouver to Chilliwack. The couple operated a construction company together until her husband's death in 2009. She has three children and eleven grandchildren.

Maahs has completed specialized training in Orton Gillingham tutoring and early assessment from the University of Hull, with a focus on improving educational methods. For several years, she moderated an email listserv that facilitated discussion on educational issues among school trustees, teachers, and parents.

Political career

2008 school trustee

In 2008, Maahs was elected as a school trustee in the Chilliwack School District. 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" 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''.

In December 2024, Maahs submitted her resignation from the Chilliwack Board of Education, ending her service as its longest-standing member. 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.

2024 provincial election

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.

She currently serves in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the Critic for Children and Family Development - Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services. Her priorities include education, parental rights, and combatting homelessness and addictions.

Political Controversies

During her time as a school trustee, Maahs was censured three times by the Chilliwack Board of Education.

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.

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. 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.

Electoral record

See also

* 43rd Parliament of British Columbia

References

Further reading

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maahs, Heather
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
British Columbia Conservative Party MLAs
21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
21st-century Canadian women politicians
Women MLAs in British Columbia
British Columbia school board members