In the lead-up to the Oct. 19 provincial election, Black Press Media asked the candidates in Juan de Fuca-Malahat a series of three questions.
What do you see as the most pressing issue for your riding, and what would you do to address it?
David Evans B次元官网网址� B.C. Greens: In Juan de Fuca-Malahat, the biggest issue is traffic on Sooke Road and on the Malahat as commuters waste time and energy sitting in traffic. The Malahat has a small, expensive transit service. SookeB次元官网网址檚 service is better, but it still needs improvement. The province should develop an integrated transit system on the south island. B.C. Greens have proposed that transit be free, which would alleviate financial strain on families, create more livable connected communities, and reduce the provinceB次元官网网址檚 carbon footprint. I would advocate for people who wish to work at home or closer to home. I would look into developing ride-sharing programs. Traffic congestion leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions and seriously impacts the quality of life of community members.
Dana Lajeunesse B次元官网网址� B.C. NDP: As a life-long local and a city councillor, I know that people here face many of the same issues we see across the province, with challenges in health care, housing and the cost of living. I also know that here on the Island, finding traffic solutions, whether it be on Highway 14 or the Malahat, are a particular issue people here care about.
As MLA I will advocate for the needs of our community and build on the amazing work done in this area by John Horgan and David Eby to deliver important services, like the Sooke Community Health Centre.
In all my time living here, the only time IB次元官网网址檝e seen significant investment in infrastructure on the Island has been while the B.C. NDP is in government, and I have huge concerns about John Rustad's planned cuts. Vancouver Island and the needs of people here need to be a priority, we canB次元官网网址檛 afford to go back to being ignored under a Conservative government.
Marina Sapozhnikov B次元官网网址� B.C. Conservatives: While Juan de Fuca-Malahat is grappling with problems that are common for the entire province, our riding has its own acute issues. During months of canvassing neighbourhoods in Sooke, the greatest frustration that IB次元官网网址檝e heard from the residents is related to failing infrastructure, mainly the roads. This problem has been festering for many years and now it has reached its max and is affecting all aspects of the life in the area: the safety of its residents in case of emergency, the development of the services, especially health care. It also hampers the economy, for instance, tourism, which could be a source of revenue for the area, and slows the possibilities of housing development. It also creates an environmental problem when cars idle for hours, trapped on the road.
Other problems related to infrastructure are water and sewer, which require to be addressed. The investment is necessary on provincial and federal level, because the longer this problem persists the more difficult and expensive the solution is going to be. This would be highest priority on my MLA to-do list for the southern part of the riding. The northern part of the riding has more pronounced problems with water infrastructure and farming development among others.
How do you balance the need for housing affordability with homeownersB次元官网网址� desire to not lose money on their investment?
Lajeunesse: People in our community are facing challenges in finding housing they can afford or buying their first home. People need homes to live in, and homes they can afford. WeB次元官网网址檙e seeing young professionals who havenB次元官网网址檛 been able to find a path to homeownership. Nurses, construction workers, and people who work in our grocery stores are having a hard time staying in the communities they love due to a lack of housing supply, and thatB次元官网网址檚 unsustainable.
David Eby has taken bold action to address the housing crisis. Just the other day I was talking to someone who was able to find a long-term home that was previously a short-term rental. There is still so much to do, and we can't stop until the job is done.
Sapozhnikov: Affordability has at least two parts to it. Housing prices is one part. The other part, which is severely affected in this province, is purchasing ability and declining economy. The solution lies in balancing both parts of this equation. Reviving the economy, creating high-paying jobs and reducing taxes will address the purchasing ability; stabilize the housing market, reduce red tape and time of building new houses will address the pricing.
Evans: I donB次元官网网址檛 think balancing the need for shelter, which is a human right, and the desire to accumulate wealth is the job of elected representatives.
If the question is: how would I balance market and non-market housing so developers could afford to build. The simple answer is the private sector canB次元官网网址檛 afford to build non-market housing. For-profit developers will not solve the housing affordability crisis. Non-market, subsidized residences should be built by community groups, non-profits, co-ops, and churches, with funding from various levels of government including the province. B.C. Greens have announced a $1.5 billion plan to build affordable homes for British Columbians. B.C. Greens have also announced vacancy control, a form of rent control that limits how much a landlord can increase the rent when one tenant moves out and another moves in.
How would your party meet the publicB次元官网网址檚 demand for spending on health care, housing, transportation, infrastructure, homelessness, etc., without raising taxes or ballooning the deficit?
Sapozhnikov: There is a limit to the tax burden that British Columbians can manage. The B.C. Conservatives will meet the financial expense of our promises by restarting the economy, particularly the forestry and resource sector. The B.C. Conservative Party has released comprehensive policies on all the topics addressed in this question, outlining the ways to pay for numerous problems this province is facing. These policies are available on CPBC website.
Evans: It is really a question of where and how money gets spent. The province spends billions of dollars on subsidies for the oil and gas industry including fracking, pipeline building and LNG production. The benefits flow to the industry and not the people of British Columbia, and they result in increased greenhouse gases and missed climate targets. As the climate crisis worsens, the province continues to pour money into dying industries that will soon become what economists refer to as "stranded assets.B次元官网网址�
B.C. Greens propose a reallocation of government spending from subsidizing oil and gas to funding health care, housing, transportation, infrastructure, and renewable energy systems. We have the money without raising taxes; we just need to spend it on the things that matter. Our priorities should be on people and a climate-safe future, and not on the fossil fuel profits of industry.
Lajeunesse: The B.C. NDP believes in investing in people. As a life-long resident of Vancouver Island, I have never seen such strong investments in infrastructure as I have when New Democrats are at the wheel, including in transportation infrastructure, education, health care and housing.
The new Health Centre coming to Sooke, the new hospital tower just announced in Nanaimo, and the progress made on the new Cowichan Hospital are essential services that are much needed here on Vancouver Island, and we canB次元官网网址檛 afford for them to be on the chopping block.
John RustadB次元官网网址檚 plans would have catastrophic consequences, and I especially worry that the $4.1 billion in cuts he has planned for health care would include these life-changing investments.
John RustadB次元官网网址檚 record shows that he makes decisions that benefit his wealthy friends, while making the rest of us pay for it through massive cuts to services and bringing back MSP premiums, raising ICBC rates, and increasing costs to child care.
