Maita Santiago launches Burnaby council bid with Halo-Halo event

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Burnaby, BC – Maita Santiago launched her campaign for Burnaby city council this past Saturday, September 10, at the Burnaby Citizens Association campaign office with a well-attended event featuring a popular Filipino cold dessert.

The Halo-Halo: Salu-Salo meet and greet celebrated Santiago’s Filipino heritage. It also officially marked her run as one of eight candidates for council with the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA).

Santiago came to Canada from Philippines as a young girl with her family in 1977. A community advocate with a track record of advocating for women, youth, and immigrants, Santiago hopes to become the first Burnaby city councillor of Filipino descent.

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The Filipino community turned out in force for the September 10 launch of Santiago’s candidacy for council. In her remarks, she outlined her and the BCA’s vision for Burnaby.

“I believe that we should have a Burnaby that’s safe, healthy, and affordable for all,” Santiago, a mother of two, said. “The BCA is the party for everyday folks. That’s who we are.”

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Addressing members of the Filipino community, Santiago said that she hopes to be their advocate at city hall.

“I really believe that it’s time we have a voice, and that’s also why I stepped forward,” she said.

The BCA is running eight candidates for Burnaby City Council and seven candidates for the Burnaby Board of Education in the October 15, 2022, civic election.

The candidates for Council are Reah Arora, Pietro Calendino, Antara Deb, Sav Dhaliwal, Alison Gu, Maita Santiago, Daniel Tetrault, and James Wang.

The candidates for Board of Education are Bill Brassington, Peter Cech, Larry Hayes, Jen Mezei, Mikelle Sasakamoose Kristin Schnider, and Gary Wong.

Advance polls begin on October 1.