She was hired at Richmond-based Progressive Construction by Milan Ilich in 1980, eventually becoming the company's executive vice-president.[5][6] At one point she was married to Milan's brother Bob, with whom she has two sons.[6] She went on to found her own real estate company Suncor Development.[4][6]
She ran for the BC Liberals in the 2005 provincial election, and was elected member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Richmond Centre.[3] She was named to PremierGordon Campbell's cabinet as Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts that June, before being re-assigned as Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services in August 2006.[7][8] During her time on the labour file, the provincial government implemented regulations to protect gas station workers by mandating pre-payment at urban gas stations at night.[1][9] In December 2007 she announced her decision to not seek a second term as MLA at the next provincial election;[1] she was dropped from the cabinet in June 2008.[7][10]
After finishing her term in May 2009, she was named by mayor of VancouverGregor Robertson in December 2011 to co-chair a task force on housing affordability.[11] She became a member of Destination Canada's board of directors in 2014, and served as chair of the board from 2015 to 2017.[12][13]