Municipal election

Dillman pitches community connections in school trustee bid

Sep 15, 2026 | 3:03 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — School District 57 trustee candidate Laurie Dillman says building stronger connections between students and their communities is one of the key reasons she’s seeking a seat on the board.

Dillman, who has lived in Prince George since moving from Saskatchewan at the age of six, owns Go Team Professional Training with her partner. The company provides commercial driver training across British Columbia, giving her firsthand experience helping people develop new skills and enter the workforce.

The longtime Prince George resident also brings a personal connection to the education system. Dillman has six grandchildren, five of whom are currently school-aged. Her oldest grandchild is in Grade 11 at D.P. Todd Secondary, while her youngest school-aged grandchild is in Grade 1.

Dillman said those family ties, combined with her work experience, have given her a vested interest in the success of local students.

“We all should have a vested interest,” she said. “It’s our community and it’s our future.”

A central theme of Dillman’s campaign is helping students develop a stronger sense of belonging and self-worth from an early age. She believes schools can play a larger role in connecting young people with opportunities in the broader community and helping them recognize the value they bring to society.

Drawing on her experience working with job seekers, Dillman said many people struggle to see their own potential and question what they can contribute to employers and their communities.

She believes those conversations should begin much earlier in a student’s educational journey.

“If we can work harder to ask questions like, ‘What kinds of problems do you want to solve when you grow up?’ and ‘What value are you going to add to your community?’ maybe students will already have adopted that sense of self-value,” she said.

Dillman describes herself as a systems thinker who wants to help create an education system that prepares students for life beyond the classroom. She said trustees must balance budgets and make difficult decisions while keeping student well-being and educational success at the forefront.

She says her goal is to work collaboratively, listen to ideas, and help create an environment where students feel valued, connected and prepared for the future.