By-election candidate Trystan Jones willing to have tough, uncomfortable conversations

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – By-election candidate Trystan Jones has been outspoken about racial inequality in the Peace Region and continues his advocacy while vying for a seat at council.

Jones, who grew up on a farm in the Peace region, says racial discrimination is something he’s dealt with his entire life as an Asian Canadian. He looks to use his experiences to open up a dialogue surrounding race issues in the area.

“I truly believe that there are communities and groups within our town that don’t get nearly as much support, whether it’s due to the color of their skin or the gender that they have. There are numerous factors, and there’s a whole bunch of different things that need to be addressed in town in regards to social issues,” says Jones.

He hasn’t backed down from sharing his experiences, especially after Jones and his brother were the targets of racial slurs during a grocery trip in May 2020. This year, the 23-year-old spoke about racism in rural communities at a TedxTalk event at Simon Fraser University, where he received his political science degree.

Jones started contemplating running for the empty council seat after Becky Grimsrud’s resignation, but that changed after the death of Amanda Black.

“Ms.Black’s death hit me hard, primarily because both people involved, the man and the woman, I knew growing up. And so for me, as a survivor of domestic violence, that just sort of solidified my reasoning, that change needs to happen and support needs to be given to the most vulnerable in our community.”

With racism and domestic violence being an ongoing conversation worldwide, Jones believes the first step for Fort St. John is addressing the issues as a problem.

“One of my first steps as a councillor would be to have a meeting and ask can I put forward a motion for council to address systemic racism as a very real problem in Canada and our community. This would allow council to be able to take steps to further isolate and stamp out systemic racism within the city itself.”

Jones proposes an independent audit should be conducted to reveal the impacts of systemic racism in the city. He hopes the auditor would review how the city conducts itself, as well as the elected officials.

“With the actions of various regional and provincial leaders, whether that’s Pouce Coupe or Terrace, it’s quite clear that this problem is much deeper, and it goes farther than we know.”

To tackle domestic violence, Jones believes the city needs to provide more support for the Women’s Resource Society and other organizations alike.

“The RCMP report of 2020 makes it quite clear that women and children are increasingly becoming victims of domestic assault. And this is something that the council needs to address. The way that they can do that is by providing support to the programs already in place and showing the city that domestic violence is an epidemic within the city itself.”

Along with domestic violence and anti-racism, Jones’ campaign platform will also focus on voter participation. In order to do this, he believes there needs to be better advertisement by the city and accessibility for voters.

“There are currently two advanced voting days, which is great, don’t get me wrong. But I do believe that there should be more because the vast majority of our workforce in Fort St. John is unable to get to the polling station due to work commitments.”

Jones believes there aren’t enough opportunities for residents to make their voices heard and would like to pass a bylaw for more advanced voting days if elected. He also believes the city needs to instil trust in democracy.

“I know that is it may sound a lot easier than it looks, but instilling trust in the democratic process is vital to lead people to believe that their votes matter. I understand the apprehension some people in town have towards the electoral process.”

If elected, Jones wants to lend his voice to the complete restructuring of 100th Street and the downtown redevelopment.

The official candidates vying for Becky Grimsrud’s council seat along with Jones are Sarah MacDougall, Tom Whitton, Jim Lequiere, and Jon Gosselin.

The by-election will take place on May 15th at the Pomeroy Sport Centre.

Advanced voting is taking place to take place on May 5th and May 12th. Special voting opportunities are expected to occur at senior care facilities on May 13th and the hospital on May 15th.

More information can be found on the City’s website.