VAL JOHNSON — CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE OK, Let’s Vote — 2026 Election Guide Office: Kelowna School Trustee (SD23) Submitted: September 20, 2026 8:03 PM (CRM displayed Pacific time) Reviewed September 21, 2026 Answers supplied by the candidate or authorized campaign representative with saved publication authorization. Private contact details and internal identifiers are excluded. Original wording is retained with normalized paragraph spacing. These are attributed statements, not independently audited facts or outcomes. Outside my role is not support or opposition. Hypothetical answers about earlier council motions are not recorded votes. Correction — September 21, 2026: The six profile question labels below now match the shortened questionnaire completed by the candidate. Earlier publication used labels from the longer questionnaire. The candidate’s answers are unchanged. PROFILE AND PRIORITIES Which office are you seeking, and where can voters find your campaign and public contact details? Answer: Kelowna - School Trustee https://linktr.ee/val4trustee https://www.facebook.com/ValJohnsonSD23 https://www.instagram.com/valenedjohnson What experience would you bring to this role? Answer: I am a current School Board Trustee for Central Okanagan Public Schools and I am the current Board Chair. As an Early Childhood Educator with more than 20 years of experience in the child care sector, I bring a strong understanding of child development, education, governance, and public accountability. As a Trustee, I prioritize student-centered decisions, fiscal responsibility, and safe, inclusive learning environments.. What are your top three priorities, and one practical action for each? Answer: As a Trustee, I support the priorities outlined in the Strategic Plan which was developed through extensive public engagement and reflects the needs of our students, families, staff, and community. 1. Student Experiences and Outcomes - This includes academic supports and success, future readiness, inclusive learning environments, student agency & voice, and well-being & safety. As a trustee, I use data, student perspectives, and feedback from partner groups to support informed decision-making and strong governance. 2. Family and Community Connections - This includes families and community as partners in learning. I am committed to ongoing conversations with families, staff, Indigenous partners, and members of community through both formal and informal engagement opportunities. 3. Responsible Stewardship - This includes responsive, sustainable, and stewardship-centered leadership. I am committed to fiscal responsibility and ensuring resources and services are used effectively to support student success. How would you keep your decisions transparent and remain accountable to residents? Answer: I believe transparency starts with explaining not just my decisions, but the information and reasoning behind them. As a trustee, it's important that folks in our district and in our community know where I stand on key issues and feel comfortable reaching out with questions or concerns. I am approachable, reliable, and consistent. During my time as a trustee, I've led with care and respect to ensure that even when decisions are hard, people can be assured that I'm remaining thoughtful and open. Are there any affiliations or interests relevant to your candidacy that you want voters to know about? Answer: Beyond my role as a current trustee and my career in the child care sector, I don't have any affiliations or interests that would conflict with my responsibilities as an elected school trustee. MUNICIPAL POLICY QUESTIONS 1. The City should shorten and simplify the process for approving new homes. Answer: Outside my role 2. The City should reduce development cost charges on new housing. Answer: Outside my role 3. Restrictions on short-term rentals should be loosened. Answer: Outside my role 4. The City should pursue expanded public transit service. Answer: Outside my role 5. Infrastructure and service capacity should be ready before major additional growth is approved. Answer: Outside my role 6. The City should advocate for expanded involuntary addiction-treatment capacity. Answer: Outside my role 7. The City should invest in wildfire prevention and preparedness. Answer: Outside my role 8. The City should carry out additional spending audits or operational reviews. Answer: Outside my role 9. The City should make individual councillors’ voting records easier to find and search. Answer: Outside my role 10. Would you have supported the October 27, 2025 electoral-reform study and conditional referendum-preparation motion? This bundled decision did not implement wards. Answer: Outside my role 11. Would you have supported the March 16, 2026 second and third land-use and rezoning readings for part of Kelowna Springs? These were not final adoption. Answer: Outside my role 12. Would you have supported the April 20, 2026 financial-plan and tax-funding motion, with its stated average net property impact of 4.40%? Individual bills vary. Answer: Outside my role 13. The City should help expand co-operative housing and community land trusts. Answer: Outside my role 14. The City should strengthen protections for tenants displaced by redevelopment or renovations. Answer: Outside my role 15. The City should allow more small shops and cafés within residential neighbourhoods. Answer: Outside my role 16. The City should advocate for a second bridge crossing of Okanagan Lake. Answer: Outside my role 17. The City should invest in filling gaps in its sidewalk and cycling networks. Answer: Outside my role 18. The City should expand foot patrols in commercial areas experiencing crime and disorder. Answer: Outside my role 19. The City should support expanded non-police response teams for suitable mental-health and substance-use calls. Answer: Outside my role 20. The City should increase access to public washrooms. Answer: Outside my role 21. The City should prioritize protecting agricultural land when making land-use decisions. Answer: Outside my role 22. The City should strengthen protection for existing trees. Answer: Outside my role 23. The City should limit annual property-tax increases to inflation. Answer: Outside my role 24. Mayor and council pay increases should take effect only after the next election. Answer: Outside my role 25. Would you support a ward system for Kelowna, where residents elect councillors to represent defined geographic areas? Answer: Outside my role AFFORDABILITY AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Which actions would you prioritize to make housing more affordable in Kelowna? Answer: Outside my role Beyond housing, which actions would you prioritize to make everyday life more affordable in Kelowna? Answer: Outside my role What else would you like added or corrected on your website profile? Answer: No answer supplied. SUPPORTING MATERIAL An election brochure was supplied and reviewed separately. It is retained privately; contact details and its private download link are omitted. No video or large-file link was supplied. PUBLICATION AUTHORIZATION I am the candidate or an authorized campaign representative. I authorize OK, Let’s Vote / Gain Street to review and publish these answers with attribution. I have permission to share the supporting material and have identified any items for review only. My private contact email will not be published.