TimminsToday asked each of the candidates to submit a bio to introduce themselves to the voters. Here's Ward 5 candidate Karina Miki Douglas-Takayesu’s:
I was born in Vancouver, and lived in several towns in British Columbia and Ontario before my family settled down near Smooth Rock Falls in 1988. Intended only as a year of living in Northern Ontario my residency is now at three decades and counting, with the exception of time spent attending university in the south. What enticed me to stay here in Timmins are quality of life, being able to establish myself as an artist and photographer, and making friends by being involved in various community organizations.
In 2016, I married my husband, another transplant to the north, who is coincidentally half-Japanese like myself. His arrival in Timmins came years ago with a job offer as a musician and instructor with the Timmins Symphony Orchestra. He stayed here because of other outlets he could pursue in the performing arts: choirs, a big band, and theatre.
Timmins is where I succeeded in establishing my career after graduate school. In 2009, I was hired as a reference librarian at the Timmins Public Library. In my work as a public librarian, I have been asked – and answered – thousands of questions over the years. No matter how simple or complex the query, I have seen how liberating is to someone when confusion is replaced by understanding. Now I want to be able to take that knowledge base and use it constructively to give citizens a stronger voice when council makes decisions affecting them. In turn, as an elected official, I also want to give the community a better understanding of how their council works for them.
My platform has four key tenets to engage the city as community: access to resources, arts and culture, youth retention, and community well-being.
Stay in touch with her campaign:
The other candidates running in Ward 5 are:
Michelle Boileau, Michael Doody, Rick Dubeau, John Ivanovs, Andrew Marks, Kristin Murray, Noella Rinaldo, Cory Robin, Jean (John) Roy, Jason Sereda, Alex Szczebonski
Meet the mayoral candidates here.
