Josephine Pon

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The Honourable
Josephine Pon
MLA
Hon. Josephine Pon, MLA.jpg
Alberta Minister of Seniors and Housing
Assumed office
April 30, 2019
Preceded byLori Sigurdson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Beddington
Assumed office
April 16, 2019
Preceded byNew district
Personal details
BornBritish Hong Kong[1]
Political partyUnited Conservative Party
ResidenceCalgary, Alberta
OccupationBusiness Management

Josephine Pon is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2019 Alberta general election to represent the electoral district of Calgary-Beddington in the 30th Alberta Legislature. She is a member of the United Conservative Party.[2] On April 30, 2019, she was appointed to be the Minister of Seniors and Housing in the Executive Council of Alberta.

Background[]

Pon was born in Hong Kong. She immigrated to Alberta, Canada in 1981, living her following years in Edmonton then eventually in Calgary with a career in banking before pursuing her political career.[3] According to election promotion material from the 2019 Alberta provincial election, Pon worked in banking for over 20 years, in roles such as Account Manager in Personal/Commercial banking and Regional Manager, Business Development responsible for Multicultural Banking in the Prairie Region with Scotiabank working with more than 230 branches as well as 3,000 staff in and around the Prairie Region.[4] Between 2013 and 2016 she was the chair of the board of directors for Immigrant Services Calgary (ISC) helping over 27,000 immigrants over 50 programs each year.[5] She also worked at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a crown corporation in mortgage insurance, as an International Trade Consultant as well as in the Assisted Housing department in the Prairie Region. Shortly before the election, she was Vice President of the Taste of Asia Group, which comprises five restaurants in Canada and well over 150 employees, claiming to assist in providing insight to the reality of the economic situation involving business and restaurant owners.[6] On July 29, 2017 Josephine Pon was introduced as a part of Jason Kenney's Conservative Party leadership announcement.[7]

Political life[]

Pon with Kenney and Alberta ministers during a Cabinet meeting, March 3, 2020

On April 16, 2019, Pon was elected as the United Conservative Party MLA for Calgary-Beddington. Shortly after the election, Premier Jason Kenney appointed her as Alberta's , vowing to ensure that Albertans and seniors have access to affordable housing and have the resources they need.[8] Since her appointment, she has worked on reforming conventional methods of application and management of provincial benefits such as mailing, faxing or dropping-off to a more senior friendly digital option.[9] She has also made efforts to advance housing projects in Alberta, saying "Investing in affordable housing is vital to helping more low-income Albertans get on the path to financial stability."[10]

Pon announced her affordable housing plan on Nov. 21, 2019, as a way to reduce red tape for Albertan applicants.[11] On November 1, 2021, Pon announced the tabling of Bill 78: The Alberta Housing Amendment Act, which will allow the government to enter into "joint ventures" with for profit private companies in an effort to attract more investment to expand and improve affordable housing.[12]

As part of a partnership with the federal Government of Canada, Pon announced a $444 million investment to fund rent support for nearly 35,500 households in Alberta.[13]

Electoral record[]

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2019 Alberta general election: Calgary-Beddington
Party Candidate Votes %
United Conservative Josephine Pon 11,625 53.1
New Democratic Amanda Chapman 7,818 35.7
Alberta Party Carol-Lynn Darch 1,799 8.2
Liberal Chandan Tadavalkar 370 1.7
Independence Tom Grbich 161 0.7
Independent Alexander Dea 117 0.5
Total valid votes 21,890 100.0
Rejected, spoiled and declined 103
Registered electors 35,648
Turnout 21,993 61.6
Source: Elections Alberta

[14]

Alberta provincial government of Jason Kenney
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Lori Sigurdson Minister of Seniors & Housing
April 30, 2019– 		Incumbent

References[]

  1. ^ https://crtc.gc.ca/fra/BCASTING/ann_rep/Rogers_2018_CD_Report.pdf
  2. ^ "Alberta election: Calgary-Beddington results - Calgary". Global News. 2019-03-17. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  3. ^ "Meet Josephine Pon". Josephine Pon. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  4. ^ "Josephine Pon biography". www.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  5. ^ "Meet Josephine Pon". Josephine Pon. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  6. ^ "2018 Diversity Report" (PDF). Rogers. January 31, 2019.
  7. ^ "Meet Josephine Pon". Josephine Pon. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  8. ^ "Josephine Pon biography". www.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  9. ^ Wyton, Moira (2019-10-02). "UCP announces digitization of seniors' benefits". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  10. ^ "Federal government aids in development of housing projects in Calgary". Calgary. 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  11. ^ Marshall, Matt (2019-11-21). "Affordable housing plan rolled out by provincial government". Edmonton. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  12. ^ Johnson, Lisa (2021-11-01). "Alberta government taking steps toward private partnerships and sale of affordable housing projects". Edmonton. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  13. ^ "$444M investment will help 35,500 low-income households in Alberta afford rent". Calgary. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  14. ^ "Election Results". Elections Alberta. Retrieved 2019-10-27.


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