Jane Thornthwaite


Jane Thornthwaite is a Canadian politician and activist who was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election. In 2017 she was re-elected to a third term as member of the BC Liberal Party in the riding of North Vancouver-Seymour. Thornthwaite currently serves as the Official Opposition's critic role on Mental Health and Addictions and has been appointed to the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

Background

Thornthwaite was raised in West Vancouver, attending Hillside Secondary School and also in North Vancouver, attending Windsor Secondary School. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in health education. Prior to her election to the legislature, Thornthwaite worked as a registered dietitian and nutritionist for her own consulting business. According to Thornthwaite, working in that field fostered a sense of advocacy for organic foods and a desire for labelling of food products containing genetically modified ingredients. During that time she raised three children of her own.

Local Politics

In 2005, Thornthwaite stood as an independent in the North Vancouver School District election. She received the most votes, making her one of four candidates elected from the District of North Vancouver. The school board, facing declining enrollments, had to close schools, though there was resistance from the community. Balmoral Junior Secondary School was specifically identified as a school that ought to be closed, though the board refused and kept it open due to public pressure. Thornthwaite, along with another board member, issued a public statement criticizing the board's decision to enter into a public-private partnership to deliver courses specializing in dance, figure skating and other related disciplines. In the November 2008 election, Thornthwaite was the only board member seeking re-election. Entering her second term, Thornthwaite was elected chairperson of the board.

Provincial politics

First Term (2009-2013)

In March 2009, long-time Member of the Legislative Assembly Daniel Jarvis suddenly announced his retirement and endorsed Thornthwaite to replace him as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election, a recommendation later supported by the party's election readiness committee. The electoral district was considered one of the safest BC Liberal ridings in the province and the 50-year-old Thornthwaite easily won, with her BC Liberal Party winning a majority government.
On February 22, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Thornthwaite was driving home after attending receptions at the Northern House and Sochi House when at 1 am she was stopped at a road block near the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. She twice registered a blood alcohol content of 0.11 in road-side breathalyzer tests and was arrested for drunk driving. The next day she issued a public apology stating "Drinking and driving is dangerous and completely unacceptable; I know that and make no excuses for what I did. I know what I did was wrong and I will take full responsibility for my actions." At the trial, Thornthwaite argued that, while she did consume alcohol, she was not intoxicated. The prosecution and defense agreed to a plea bargain requiring Thornthwaite to plead guilty to "driving without due care and attention" in violation of the Motor Vehicle Act, which came with a $500 fine and one-month of community service while allowing Thornthwaite to avoid a criminal record.

Second Term (2013-2017)

Thornthwaite was re-elected to a second term on May 14, 2013. She was appointed to the Select Standing Committee for Children and Youth, which she chaired, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Child Mental Health and Anti-Bullying. The Committee released an interim report on youth mental health in B.C., followed by a more comprehensive report with recommendations titled, "Concrete Actions for Systemic Change", in 2016. Many of the recommendations in the report were later adopted by government, including: supporting sexual and gender minority youth in schools through general and targeted programs, appointing a Minister for Mental Health, and Foundry, a collection of integrated, one-stop shop for youth ages 12 to 24 seeking a whole range of health care services, including mental health support, social services, employment services, and drug and alcohol programs. Thornthwaite also assisted in having a North Shore peak named after longtime North Shore Rescue Team Leader, Tim Jones.

Transportation

Thornthwaite was part of a group of elected officials who helped spearhead the Lower Lynn Improvement Project, which saw approval and funding for improvements to interchanges at the North end of the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. The project was initially to cost $140-million, but increased to $198-million after feedback and consultation with the public determined more infrastructure would result in a better project.

Animal welfare

In 2012, Thornthwaite introduced legislation banning puppy mills in British Columbia, Bill M-214, known as the "Standards of Care for Breeders of Companion Animals Act". The bill did not pass initially, but Thornthwaite re-introduced it in 2016 after a government raid rescued 66 mistreated dogs from a puppy mill. The bill passed that April.

Third Term (2017-Present)

Jane Thornthwaite was re-elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly representing North Vancouver-Seymour for a third term in May 2017 with 47 percent of the vote. The Liberal Party's representative has typically won the vote for the North Vancouver-Seymour seat. As part of the BC Liberal Party, Thornthwaite serves as a member of the Official Opposition. She was appointed as official Opposition Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, a role similar to her prior work as Parliamentary Secretary of Mental Health for Children.

Ridesharing

Thornthwaite has been a vocal proponent for bring ridesharing services, like Uber and Lyft, to the Metro Vancouver region. Vancouver remains the largest region in North America without ridesharing services.

Skytrain to the North Shore and Transit

In 2017, Thornthwaite advocated for SkyTrain to be extended to the North Shore. She proposed that the SkyTrain Line be extended across the Burrard Inlet by the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, and travel east towards Phibbs Exchange, Lonsdale Quay, and Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver. An SFU sessional instructor and PhD student in the Department of Geography, Stephan Nieweler, released preliminary findings from the work of two fourth-year undergraduate students suggesting that adding a fixed-rail link across the North Shore and, eventually, plugging it into the SkyTrain system across Burrard Inlet would result in more people choosing to get out of their cars and onto transit than either the Surrey-Newton-Guildford line soon to start construction or the contemplated Broadway subway line from Arbutus to UBC. Along with MLA Bowinn Ma, Thornthwaite has also lobbied TransLink for more SeaBus hours, a more equitable fare structure, and more bus service for the North Shore.

Mental Health and Addictions

Since being appointed the Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, Thornthwaite has advocated for more treatment and recovery services to be made available in BC. She has argued that making treatment more readily available will help those suffering from addiction get well. Thornthwaite also re-introduced the Safe Care Act, a private members' bill that would give parents and case workers the power to have children dealing with issues of mental health, substance abuse and sexual exploitation held involuntarily for up to 30 days for assessment and to create a care plan. Many parents of youth who have died from overdose have advocated for the bill's passage.

Electoral history

!align="right" colspan=3|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|22,685
!align="right"|100
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
!align="right" colspan=3|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|100
!align="right"|0.4
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|22,785
!align="right"|61
!align="right"|
!align="right"|