BC Election: three Juan de Fuca candidates in the BC Election (May 12)

CANDIDATES: John Horgan (NDP/incumbent); James Powell (Green); Jody Twa (Liberal)

Incumbent plus 2: three minds and styles vying for the Juan de Fuca riding.

by Mary P. Brooke:  click here for post-election commentary

 

 [Notes in brown as published in MapleLine Magazine's printed spring-summer issue -- release date May 6, 2009. Additional notes from interviews and comments made at All Candidates meetings.]

 

1. John Horgan (incumbent / NDP)

John Horgan (incumbent) sees Sooke continuing to grow and becoming also the commercial hub for Otter Point, Shirley, and East Sooke. Increasing the minimum wage would help reduce the number of children raised in poverty.

In an interview April 15, Horgan said services in Sooke have been his main area of concern the last four years. There is an "absence of any primary care options, the doctor shortage is well known", he said. "Dr. Anderson and others have been working hard to promote and recruit GPs to the come to the area but they need to double their effort. There is increasing population in the District so it's more important (than before) to have a 24-hour clinic. This is a burden that citizens in other parts of BC are not faced with. Sooke may be close to a capital city but it's rural in nature and in outlook."

"BC has the highest rate of child poverty (five years in a row)," said Horgan, which he blames on the minimum wage being so low and not having been increased by the present government in eight years.

At the all candidates meeting held at EMCS in Sooke, May 4, incumbent John Horgan made it clear that his experience of the last four years in the BC Legislature positions him well to carry forward in detail (and with broad scope) with many issues. Among his many comments during the 2.5-hour debate, Horgan commented on education, the Western Forest Products lands, the Ayre Manor success, food sustainability for the region, funding from the BC government for highway improvements, banning trophy hunting, and issues relating to water supply from the Sooke Reservoir.

Horgan said, that as the NDP's education critic for a year he saw that funding to school went up by that operating costs also rose. Overall, the level of educational delivery is declining. "The challenge for government is to meet these (necessary) costs." He would like to see a cap on tuition and more forgiving of student loans; he would prefer to see a needs-based grant system that would give highschool grads more of a leg up to continue into post secondary education.

"Small business is the engine and backbone of the new economy," said Horgan to the May 4 audience of about 125 people. He supports an increase in the minimum wage to become a liveable wage. He said that 293,000 people in BC make less than $10 an hour. He would like to see a reduction in the small business tax rate to help businesses pay more workers a better wage.

Horgan closed his May 4 presentation by thanking the residents of Juan de Fuca for the privilege of being their MLA for the last four years, and hopes he will be re-elected, to carry on with projects he has started. He says that governing is about setting priorities and stepping beyond partisanship. "You need an MLA that will stand up for you."

 

2. James Powell (Green)

James Powell says more economic growth from eco-tourism and local food crops could help Sooke stand on its own as an independent community, reducing the high volume of single-passenger vehicle transportation from Sooke into Victoria. Rail transit from Victoria to Sooke is key.

On his way to an all-candidates meeting on April 30, Powell said he is finding that not everyone is interested in the green issues, but that it's his job as a Green candidate to discuss the environment, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture when he speaks with voters. "Tax what you burn, not what you earn" is what he says to defend the revenue-neutral carbon tax (i.e. increase the carbon tax but decrease income taxes).

At the all candidates meeting held at EMCS in Sooke, May 4, John Powell says he is running for the Green Party to be part of aiming at the root causes of problems. He emphasized health prevention and promotion of healthier diets as the key way to start reducing skyrocketing health costs in BC. In keeping with his political party, he repeatedly mentioned the need for a cleaner environment. To help preserve fishing supplies, Powell stated his position of phasing out the open-net system. "Wild salmon are an asset." Powell supports a permanent moratorium on offshore drilling, with a shift to wind, solar and geothermal power generation. "We have to stop using as much oil as we can get our hands on."

In the area of education, Powell says that the teaching of lifeskills is equally as important as academics. Skills in food production would be helpful for the young people in this region, he said. He would like to see a 20% decrease in post-secondary tuition costs. Student loans should be cancelled or forgiven for post-secondary grads who work in BC for 5 years after graduation.

On the topic of providing a liveable minimum wage, Powell stands by the view that there should be a guaranteed liveable income for all citizens in BC (instead of just setting the minimum wage and hope that everyone can make a living).

He said that small farms in the region need to be more viable.

Powell closed his May 4 presentation with remarks about making transformation and change take place. "There is no time to make small changes. We need to move from global economic views to local and regional economies," said Powell. "We must learn to work together as a functional community."

 

3. Jody Twa (Liberal)

Jody Twa would like to help Sooke get provincial funding for Hwy. 14 structural changes as well as the downtown revitalization efforts. He says it’s up to the provincial government to provide infrastructure that helps maintain communities.

In an interview April 20, Twa said he would try to get funding for Highway 14, some local route improvements in Sooke, and some financial assistance for downtown development in Sooke, adding that "it's time for BC to come to the table to help Sooke in accomplishing these infrastructure needs". The former Mayor of Colwood wants to be an MLA so he can "represent all the areas of the riding". "It's important that I work with community leaders," said Twa, adding that Janet Evans "publicly supports him".

Twa also supports a new medical clinic for Sooke. "You need a strong MLA in Victoria to ensure VIHA comes to the table to ensure necessary funding."

At the all candidates meeting held at EMCS in Sooke, May 4, Jody Twa relied heavily on his past six years as the Mayor of Colwood for his responses to many of the questions and issues brought up by the audience. He acknowledged the importance of sport-fishing and commercial fishing, noting the sport fishing is part of the backbone of the Sooke economy. He said he would seek public input on whether or not to ban wild game trophy hunting. He acknowledged that it will take some changes in social behaviours in order to become a healthier society, noting that the current rate of provincial health care spending will "bankrupt the province in the near future".

"We need to teach our young generation about reducing the carbon footprint," said Twa. He is proposing that two new highschools be built in the Westshore area to replace the aging Belmont Highschool. He noted that the BC Liberals have built new universities in the province over the past 7 years, in many cases enabling more students to live closer to home (which reduces travel and accommodation costs).

Twa closed his May 4 presentation by saying he is the best candidate to get the necessary funding (from the provincial and federal governments) for the needs of the Juan de Fuca riding. He is in favour of land use being decided by local governments.      MM

 

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All three candidates have been contacted to place an ad or update their posting/comments as shown here.