Getting to Know Teresa Wat

Wat at the BC Election Debate at Aberdeen Centre. Photo from Facebook.

RICHMOND Centre BC Liberal candidate Teresa Wat is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Broadcasting Corporation CHMB AM1320, and was named one of B.C.’s top 100 most influential women by the Vancouver Sun in 2010.

She also served as the News Director at Channel M Television (now OMNI TV), and previously served as a Communications Advisor at B.

C.’s Cabinet Policy and Communications Secretariat.

As News Director at Channel M Television, Wat was responsible for the launch of the first ever live Cantonese, Mandarin and Punjabi daily television news programs.

With a 20-year track record in business, government, bureaucracy, and its many arms, Wat says that service in this field is in her blood.

Not only is she armed with experience in the field, and an intrinsic passion for the work, she also possesses a deeply-rooted understanding of the issues especially important to new Canadians.

Having moved to Vancouver from Hong Kong in 1989, Wat is no stranger to the immigrant experience.

She believes that those in office must “understand the challenges of the new immigrants instead of casting blame.” Furthermore, she is committed to helping new Canadians integrate into the mainstream.

Wat bears a deep sense of responsibility for her community, having herself been afforded many opportunities for growth and success.

“As a new Canadian, who was given great opportunities in Richmond, and one who has had many opportunities to see and hear success stories about Richmond in my work in the Chinese-Canadian media, I feel I have a unique and broad perspective on Richmond’s development as an international centre of trade, culture, and education,” she says.

“I feel that I need to give back to the community that has been so good to me and my family. I know that I can contribute to the quality of life and to balanced business and cultural growth.”

Wat’s campaign builds on BC Liberal’s current results for Richmond:

• Funding fare gates for the Canada line and providing traffic fare revenue back to Richmond to support local policing
• Backing a $10.2-million Richmond Hospital renovation project, including a new, expanded Emergency Department
• Opening a new$16.4-miliion Samuel Brighouse Elementary School for local students
• Providing funding for skills training at Richmond’s Kwantlen Polytechnic University
• Expanding international air travel through Vancouver International Airport

Wat commits to stand up for Richmond Centre by:

• Advancing our local economy and creating jobs (she supports the BC Jobs Plan that’s already producing concrete results)
• Fighting for safer communities and stronger policing
• Enhancing the quality of education for our children
• Improving road infrastructure, access for goods, and public transit
• Advocating for expanded health care services to match our local growth
• Protecting services for our growing seniors population
• Enhancing our links to the Asia-Pacific to promote jobs and the economy

For more information on Teresa Wat, visit www.teresawat.ca.