Heather Maahs

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_suffix = MLA

| office = Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Chilliwack North

| termstart = October 19, 2024

}}

Heather Maahs is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2024 British Columbia general election. She represents the electoral district of Chilliwack North as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.{{cite news |date=20 October 2024 |title=BC election 2024 results: Chilliwack North |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10778985/bc-election-2024-results-chilliwack-north/ |access-date=21 October 2024 |work=Global News |publisher=Corus Entertainment}}

Early life and career

In 1993, Maahs and her husband moved from North Vancouver to Chilliwack.{{Cite web |title=Heather Maahs at Conservative Party of BC |url=https://www.conservativebc.ca/heathermaahs1 |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Conservative Party of BC |language=en}} The couple operated a construction company together until her husband's death in 2009. She has three children and eleven grandchildren.{{Cite web |title=Heather Maahs on VoteMate |url=https://votemate.org/bc2024/candidates/8741 |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=VoteMate |language=en-CA}}

Maahs has completed specialized training in Orton Gillingham tutoring and early assessment from the University of Hull, with a focus on improving educational methods. For several years, she moderated an email listserv that facilitated discussion on educational issues among school trustees, teachers, and parents.

Political career

= 2008 school trustee =

In 2008, Maahs was elected as a school trustee in the Chilliwack School District.{{Cite web |last=Feinberg |first=Jennifer |date=2024-02-21 |title=3rd school-board censure for Chilliwack trustee Heather Maahs |url=https://www.theprogress.com/local-news/3rd-school-board-censure-for-chilliwack-trustee-heather-maahs-7320306 |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=The Chilliwack Progress |language=en}} She was subsequently re-elected five time over the following 16 years. During her tenure, she emphasized foundational reading skills and the importance of literacy in education. She has cited the guiding principle "first, we learn to read, then we read to learn" She has been an outspoken trustee over the way sexuality is taught in the classroom and in library books such as All Boys Aren't Blue.{{Cite news |last=Pawson |first=Chad |date=September 26, 2024 |title=How turfing SOGI and banning books became part of B.C.'s election |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sogi-123-sexual-education-b-c-election-2024-1.7333988 |access-date=March 21, 2025 |work=CBC News}}

In December 2024, Maahs submitted her resignation from the Chilliwack Board of Education, ending her service as its longest-standing member.{{Cite web |last=VandenBosch |first=Mike |title=Chilliwack school board trustee bids farewell |url=https://fraservalleytoday.ca/2024/12/02/chilliwack-school-board-trustee-bids-farewell/ |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Fraser Valley Today {{!}} Everything Fraser Valley |language=en}} She stated her intent to focus fully on her new role as a member of the Legislative Assembly following her victory in the 2024 provincial election.

= 2024 provincial election =

In February 2024, Maahs was nominated as the Conservative Party of BC's candidate for Chilliwack North. She went on to win her seat in the 2024 British Columbia general election, unseating NDP incumbent and cabinet minister Dan Coulter.{{Cite web |last=Feinberg |first=Jennifer |date=2024-10-19 |title=B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding |url=https://www.abbynews.com/election/projected-bc-conservative-heather-maahs-wins-chilliwack-north-riding-7595692 |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=The Abbotsford News |language=en}}

She currently serves in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the Critic for Children and Family Development - Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services. Her priorities include education, parental rights, and combatting homelessness and addictions.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-20 |title=B.C. Conservative Heather Maahs wins Chilliwack North riding |url=https://www.abbynews.com/election/projected-bc-conservative-heather-maahs-wins-chilliwack-north-riding-7595692 |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=The Abbotsford News |language=en}}

Political Controversies

During her time as a school trustee, Maahs was censured three times by the Chilliwack Board of Education.{{Cite web |last=VandenBosch |first=Mike |title=Chilliwack school board censures trustee for the 3rd time |url=https://895jrcountry.ca/2024/02/14/chilliwack-school-board-censures-trustee-for-the-3rd-time/ |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=89.5 JR Country Chilliwack |language=en}}

In March 2023, she was censured for violating the trustee code of conduct following her opposition to a student-led event promoting the school district's core values. In December 2023, she was censured again for reportedly refusing to remove a news story from her social media that was perceived as critical of the school district and its policies.

In February 2024, Maahs was censured a third time for failing to uphold board member confidentiality guidelines. While the board did not disclose the specific nature of the breach, Maahs was barred from attending in-camera meetings for the remainder of the school year. Maahs later stated that, earlier that same week, her motion requesting a report on vandalism in washroom facilities since the implementation of gender-neutral washrooms had been excluded from the meeting agenda.

Electoral record

{{Canadian election result/top|BC|2024|Chilliwack North|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}