Actually - it's Karen Michelle Connerty and I've always used "Michelle" - just to be clear. - thanks Mama!

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I was born in Richmond where we lived until I was seven.  I am the eldest of two - I have one younger brother.   My Mom worked with Jack Wasserman at CJOR Radio in the late 1960's and was an avid music lover - always singing.  Her family owned a shipyard in Sidney that built ships for the war and then continued on building hand laid boats for a number of years.  My Father worked for the tugboat division of MacMillan Blodel in operations.  He grew up in Prince Rupert with a great love of everything nautical.  His Father was a MP with the Social Credit party in Prince Rupert and later became the Mayor of Qualicum Beach.  I grew up on tugboats and self-loading log barges - running around shipyards, harbour docks and welding shops.  When I was seven we moved to Tsawwassen where we stayed until my Parents divorced when I was ten.

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My Mother remarried to her childhood sweetheart who was in the Royal Canadian Navy - so we moved to Brentwood Bay and I spent a lot of time going back and forth on BC Ferries visiting my Dad and his new wife.  I lived in Victoria until I finished school and then returned to live in Kitsilano for a few years before beginning to work for my Father's tugboat company that he started in 1987 - Sea-Link Marine Services in New Westminster.

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I worked with my Father at Sea-Link for about 18 years - starting as receptionist and learning all facets of the operation over the years including accounting, payroll, AR, AP, dispatch, operations, purchasing, IT, running a machine/welding shop and then managing a 200 foot super yacht for a few years - what an education!

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When my Father sold Sea-Link in 2011 he and I opened Absolutely Beautiful Chemicals - distributing eco-friendly industrial chemicals.  Sales was one thing that I hadn't cut my teeth on and boy was the learning curve was steep!  We closed the business after a couple of years - simply not enough interest in safer but different choices.

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I've done a number of things in the last few years including running the Hot Lunch Program for our kid's school, selling cars and trucks for Preston GM (which I loved), Operations Manager for Slide Clear (sliding glass doors and walls - seen in most Cactus Clubs, Moxies, etc.) and more recently I've started as Inside Sales Coordinator and Project Manager with Power-West Industries - selling all sizes of new and preowned generators - what a great move and a fantastic company to work for!

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My husband - Barry Connerty is a Real Estate agent in the Metro Vancouver area - we have three children together - Hunter, Lacey and Chase - and Barry has an adult child who lives in Toronto who we see as often as we can - Kadin!!

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I have just recently finished the first year of a three-year course to become a Registered Clinical Counselor, which I hope to finish over the next five years.

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A few of my favorite things include:  gardening, reading, boating, sailing, fishing, cooking, puzzles (of any kind), scuba diving, hiking, walking, traveling to new places and trying new restaurants.

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I hope that this shares enough about me to allow you to "know" me a little bit.  I have listened to CKNW on the radio from the time I was a little girl spending time with my maternal Grandparents (Stan and Joan), who had the radio on constantly.  I always loved the Politicians that came on with Rafe Mahr and later Bill Good, and simply "visited" and allowed themselves to be "known" - the good, bad and ugly.  If I am elected I will always work hard to be accessible and known - this is very important to me.

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~ Michelle Connerty

#buildabetterlangley