Congratulations to Doug Routley, who will be Nanaimo – North Cowichan’s MLA in the newly elected B.C. Legislature. Congratulations, too, to Chris Istace and Duck Paterson for representing their perspectives and their parties’ platforms in the Oct 24, 2020 provincial election. Most of all, though, congratulations to the constituents who expressed their preferences in the ballot box.
The Nanaimo – North Cowichan All-Candidates forum was an attempt to replicate the face-to-face dialogue between voters and candidates that takes place at all-candidate’s meetings. Due to COVID-19, the Chemainus Residents Association, which traditionally holds all-candidates meetings for federal, provincial and municipal elections, could not.
What was undertaken as an alternative route during a pandemic has developed into a process we feel might be considered an accepted pathway connecting constituents and voters during elections. We’d appreciate hearing your views about that. Please let us know by completing the short survey below.
Over the last seven months many small businesses, in particular, have struggled, some have gone under. Many people have lost their jobs. Governments are incurring large deficits. What plans does your party have to help B.C. recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic?
As a small business owner that has struggled during this pandemic, I understand how urgent this issue is.
After being elected, BC Greens will immediately set aside $300 million for rent subsidies for businesses. We will develop an immediate program for small tourism operators, and non-for-profit tourism and cultural businesses, to provide grants to help these businesses survive the entire pandemic.
This would be done in conversation with the industry to ensure that the program makes sense. For hospitality and tourism businesses that do not qualify as small operators, BC Greens will work with the federal government to establish a repayable loan program.
In many ways this pandemic has highlighted issues that we already knew existed, but it is also showing us a way forward. Our recovery plan is based on investing in people and communities and includes hiring 7,000 new health care works. We will prioritize those whose jobs have been impacted by the pandemic, such as those in tourism and hospitality sectors, and this will include paid training to ensure it is accessible to more people. This will boost our health care system while also creating good paying, family supporting jobs throughout BC.
Another example in our plan would be The Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund (CCCW) which helps small ship tour operators, Indigenous Nations, local communities and others participate in a $3.5-million cleanup of the shores of the central coast. The cleanup will create jobs and supports coastal communities as they recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn.
In closing I will say that the BC Government is a major purchaser of goods and service in this province and we need to ensure that we use that power to buy local and hire local.
The BC Liberals have announced that as part of their plan to help the province get out of the Covid19 slump is the elimination of the 7% PST for one year. Not only will this SAVE people money but it will also put more people into local stores.
It’s hoped that BC folks will look at projects they have been putting off, home renos, new appliances, etc and they will move on those and others and save $$$. The increased activity in the stores will assist local businesses and help the owners maintain or even bring back staff.
The $1,000 give-a-way the NDP are promising is just the money you paid last year in taxes they are just sending it back to you so that you can pay taxes on it again this year! That is not a savings or even a gift. It was your money in the first place!
The BC Liberals will also eliminate the 2% Small Business Income Tax in a move to give more help to BC businesses. John Horgan called this uneccesary election while they were a working government while promising $1.5 billion of relief funds that small business needed badly.
They announced that back in the spring and then again a couple of days before the election… and still nothing has happened with those funds that were needed back then and even more so now!
The BC Liberals have also committed to emergency loan guarantee programs for the BC’s more than 19,000 tourism and hospitality based businesses. The BC Liberals believe in small business. They make up the bulk of the businesses in this amazing province. The BC Liberals will work with all businesses to help them stay on their feet, not just a select few.
Candidates responses to this question have been added in the order received. Go to the Election Questions list to see questions that have been submitted to the Forum.
By law the province is required to reduce emissions 80 per cent from 2007 levels by 2050. What steps should the province be taking to ensure that target is met? Are you satisfied with measures that have been implemented so far to address climate change?
The BC Greens have a more ambitious plan! We’d like BC to be carbon neutral by 2045, and have a plan with checkpoints scheduled in 2025 and 2030 to make sure we get there. This plan involves many things, but here are some highlights:
Ending subsidies to the oil and gas industry, using that money to fund the transition into clean energy.
Speeding up the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, requiring BC government fleets to be ZEV by 2030, and new vehicle sales to be 100% ZEV by 2035.
Making ZEV ownership easier, by cutting the PST on ZEV purchases, and making charging stations available everywhere across the province, including in rural areas and multi-family housing.
Restarting the carbon tax schedule with regular increases. We’ll work with industry to make sure they’re doing their part.
Making sure that energy sector workers will see a just transition, with jobs guaranteed for them in the Green Economy.
I am not satisfied with the steps that have been taken so far. Under the NDP we have seen a nearly doubling of fossil fuel subsidies and little else. We can and must do better.
In our last term we were able to work with the Green party to implement CleanBC which is the most ambitious climate action plan in North America. I am proud of the collaborative approach we have taken on such an important issue and if elected we will ramp up measures targeted at reducing emissions including expanding our zero emission vehicle program to get more industrial and heavy duty vehicles off of fossil fuels and provide additional funding for our industrial emissions strategy so that more mines, pulp mills, oil and gas processing plants, and other industrial facilities can reduce harmful emissions and move to cleaner operations.
We will also remove the PST on ebikes and create a new income-tested incentive on new and used zero-emission vehicles to get more people into the electric vehicle rebate program, regardless of their income.
Lastly, CleanBC currently sets a target of reducing emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and to complete this task we will pass legislation requiring B.C. to reach net-zero by 2050 – meaning there are either no harmful carbon emissions or they are offset by natural carbon sinks, carbon capture or other technologies
Candidates responses to this question have been added in the order received. Go to the Election Questions list to see questions that have been submitted to the Forum.
This is your invitation to ask questions and hear answers from the candidates running in Nanaimo – North Cowichan for the Oct. 24 B.C. Provincial Election.
Go to the CRA’s All-Candidates Forum and see what people have been asking, and what your prospective MLAs have been saying about the issues important to voters in the region.
From there you can submit questions, see candidates’ responses, and make comments of your own.
Success in the Green Economy requires an integrated and focused approach on the part of government, education and business. Do you believe shifting toward a Green Economy should be a priority with government? What specific measures would a government under your party take to position B.C. and Vancouver Island to compete effectively in a Green Economy?
Shifting toward a Green Economy needs to be a top priority. Ending fossil fuel subsidies and shifting those incentives to spur innovation is where we begin. COVID-19 has changed our world, and we need a plan for economic recovery. Clean investments and new technologies that create good paying, long-term jobs should drive this recovery. Our CleanBC program is a good starting point, but we need to go so much farther.
With the Greens, I will:
Create a Just Transition program that guarantees workers jobs in the clean economy
Establish a clean jobs plan to help us recover from COVID-19
Use this plan to get people back to work immediately fixing BC’s natural world
Create jobs that help communities withstand climate disasters like droughts and wildfires
We can do better than we have. We don’t have to pick between the environment and the economy. In fact, the new economy is the Green Economy and we need to get on board or get left behind.
I believe that it is crucial to transition our province and community to a greener economy and agree that government needs to take the lead on ensuring this can be done in a way that leaves no one behind. With the implementation of CleanBC there are many steps we are taking to ensure this transition is possible and if elected we will be ramping our measures.
One example of how we have ensured that government policies drive a green economy would be the requirement that all vehicles sold in BC be zero emissions by 2040. By being one of the first jurisdictions to put this requirement into legislation, we have driven change and distribution in BC from vehicle manufactures. This ensures that they are prepared to provide our province with the vehicles we need, whereas other jurisdictions who have no such regulation, or are late with these steps will be at the back of the line when it comes to accessing this vehicle stock. This is just one example of how we have ensured our province is at the forefront of a green economy.
Candidates responses to this question have been added in the order received. Go to the Election Questions list to see questions that have been submitted to the Forum.
Rotarians Tom Andrews and Bob Smith at work on the Waterwheel Park bandshell
Members of the Chemainus Rotary Club have been hard at it, power washing, scraping and re-staining the log and wood trim exterior of the bandshell in Waterwheel Park. Rotarians Tom Andrews, Bob Smith and Richard Johnson were wielding brushes and rollers Wednesday afternoon, giving the main stage of the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society a makeover. Others in the crew are Mike Beggs, Doc the Barber, Mark Staples and David McCormick.
By the time they’ve applied the finishing touches, the club will have put in an estimated week-and-a-half on the project, just one of the many contributions it’s membership makes for the community. “There was tons of mold, and lichen, you name it, so we’ve power washed the building, now we’re painting and staining,” Smith said.
They will also be refurbishing the benches in the amphitheatre area, a job that will require lots of elbow grease.
The bandshell is just one of the structures and programs the Chemainus Rotary Club has supported over the years, and with their emblem on top of the stage, they want to make sure it stays in good shape, ready to use for years to come. The CVCAS manages the bandshell, and holds its Music in the Park series – and many other events – on its stage.
Other Chemainus projects Rotary is engaged include a picnic shelter being constructed at Kin Beach Park and an outdoor shower, and the highly successful drive-in bottle collection fund-raiser, Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM on Chemainus Drive at Mill Street. They are also supporting the Nourish Cowichan project, which provides weekend packages for school children in the Cowichan Valley.
That’s a shortlist, and with a membership of about 20, the Rotary is “spread kind of thin” with its long list of activities right now, Andrews said. You can find out more about what Rotary does and how to join on their website.
Peter Ordynec is looking for people to join him on the CRA Air Quality Committee. Over the last few months there seems to have been a reduction in the number of days when residents of Chemainus have been troubled by odours emanating from the Coast Environmental waste disposal facility in the industrial area on the Trans-Canada Highway.
But air quality concerns haven’t been resolved, and there’s still a need monitor developments on several fronts.
Coast Environmental has had an application for an expansion approved by the province. They want to increase the amount of waste they are allowed to process from 12,000 to 18,000 tonnes per year. The Municipality of North Cowichan has appealed that decision. They point out that the Coast Environmental facility is a ‘grandfathered’ use in the industrial zone, and therefore should not be expanded.
Organic Matter Recycling Regulations in B.C. are under review, one of the main proposals in the draft regulations being more stringent controls on odours. The CRA will be watching to see if those amendments come into effect.
As part of its research into air quality in Chemainus, the committee conducted a survey of residents. A follow-up survey would help determine if residents feel air quality has changed since then.
Monitoring and advocating for improved air quality is an important role for the CRA. If you want to help, contact Peter at pgo@shaw.ca.
NOTE: This is an overview of Candidate views expressed at the Oct. 8 Chemainus all-candidates meeting. More detailed coverage to follow.
Five candidates in the running for the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford seat in the Oct. 21 federal election responded to questions from about 100 Chemainus residents at the Oct. 8 all-candidates meeting. Conservative candidate Alana DeLong did not attend.
Convened in the community room of Chemainus Secondary School, the session got under way at 6:30 pm. Climate change, a seniors strategy for Canada, health care, strengthening the family, and engaging youth were among the issues raise during the two-hour session organized by the Chemainus Residents Association in partnership with the Chemainus & District Chamber of Commerce.
At the tables were: Blair Herbert of the Liberal Party; Lydia Hwitsum, Green Party; Alistair MacGregor, NDP; Robin Morton Stanbridge, Christian Heritage Party; and Rhonda Chen, People’s Party of Canada. The candidates were invited to make their opening and closing statements, and respond to questions from the audience in random order, by Moderator Tom Andrews.
Hwitsum promised a ‘collaborative’, ‘community driven’ and ‘solution-driven’ approach to the “job of leadership” on behalf of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford voters. “We really need to find ways of working together to get things done,” she said.
“We at the Green Party have a policy framework that’s actually designed to meet the challenges of climate instability, economic and social injustice, reconciliation, and real democracy.”
Chen asked where the money is going to come from to live up to the promises being made by the other candidates’ parties. “Money can’t be printed from thin air,” she said. “We have to think about what we can afford and what we cannot.”
The People’s Party will balance the budget within two years, and reduce personal income tax to 15 percent on incomes between $15,000 and $100,000. Taxes on incomes over $100,000 would be 25 percent. “We want Canadians to have more money in their own pockets, rather than have the government have their tax money in their pocket,” she said.
MacGregor asked people to consider his performance as their MP over the past four years, and the long-standing record of the NDP representing the interests of Canadians in Parliament. Moving forward he said climate change has to be ‘at the centre’ of his party’s concerns, but that the need to address global warming still must be balanced with other priorities.
“We cannot forget economic justice and social justice,” he said. “In a country as wealthy as Canada is, we still have far too many people who are suffering from the inequality that exists, who are struggling to get by.
“Here in the Cowichan Valley we have over 30 percent of our children living in poverty, so what I’m proposing is that you elect someone who is going to take these issues to Ottawa to fight every single day for them.”
Hebert said a passion for farming has given him a ‘front row seat’ on the impact of the changing environment’s challenges to the food security of the Island.
“Changing environment is a key reason why I have entered this race. The Liberals have invested more on the climate file than any government in Canada’s history,” he said. “We cannot afford to go backwards on the environmental file.”
He cited the Liberal government’s record in office. “We have lifted over 300,000 children out of poverty,” he said. “We have helped Canadians create a million jobs, and we have made great advances in improving the Canada Pension Plan for future generations, and we have also made significant strides in the environmental file as well as the indigenous file.”
Morton Stanbridge said, “I’m primarily doing this because I’m fed up with Politicians. I’m interested in seeing a new system implemented whereby people could directly involve themselves in the decision-making with the federal government, provincial government and municipal governments.”
He wants government to tap into the specific skills people have to improve the delivery of services, and ‘be accountable for their input.’
“I’ve been developing a direct democracy system that couples accountability, taxation and direct decision-making in governance, so I’m putting that forward.”
The Christian Heritage Party is more ‘progressive’ than the other parties, Morton Stanbridge said, because of its opposition to healthcare spending on things that have resulted from ‘poor lifestyle decisions.’ He also said the party’s ‘more strict’ stance on the medical necessity of “certain services such as abortion, gender reassignment and euthanasia” make the CHP “one of the most progressive parties out there.”
The Chemainus Residents Association and the Chemainus & District Chamber of Commerce will be holding an all-candidates meeting Oct. 8 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at Chemainus Secondary School (9947 Daniel Street). Doors will open at 6 p.m.
We hope the evening will give voters in our region an opportunity to inform themselves about the issues and the candidates’ platforms. The meeting agenda has been carefully considered to emphasize informed, respectful discussion.
Please plan on attending. If you want to put a question to the candidates, remember to get a numbered question chit at the information desk in the lobby before the meeting gets underway. Tickets will be drawn lottery fashion during the meeting, giving holders one minute to ask a question.
Contact us if you have any questions about the Oct. 21 Cowichan-Malahat-Langford all-candidates meeting.
Chemainus is a great place to live. It’s small enough not to need a traffic light, big enough to offer most of the services and amenities we need. People know their neighbours here, they say hello to one another in the street. And tourists flock to our little town to take in its main attractions, the famous art works of Mural Town and the high calibre performances of the Chemainus Theatre Festival. For anyone who wants a sense of community, it’s got a lot to offer.
But, like most towns, Chemainus has its challenges. Affordable housing, air quality, water quality, economic development, cultural and recreational amenities, adequate policing… there’s plenty of issues that will have to be addressed if we want to maintain the type of lifestyle it’s so easy to take for granted here.
That’s where the CRA steps into the picture. We follow developments at the Municipality of North Cowichan’s council table; listen to the concerns of residents; share information in meetings, though our periodic newsletters, on social media, and now, on this web site and its blog. We hope you’ll join us and ‘Give a hoot for our little town’ – membership is just $5 per year.
