In the lead-up to the Oct. 19 provincial election, Black Press Media asked the candidates in Victoria-Beacon Hill 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?
Sonia Furstenau – B.C. Green Party: I love Victoria-Beacon Hill. It’s the most wonderful place, and we are so fortunate to be able to live here. But I see too many people in this place without access to the services that they need to thrive – without health care, without housing, without quality education for their children. I see too many businesses struggling to get the skilled labour that they need, and an arts and culture sector struggling to survive. We need to approach the role of government and our measures of success differently; we need to focus on well-being, to make sure we’re prioritizing the things that really matter – people, communities, nature, and good governance. We need to look long-term, and focus on making a material difference to the people of Victoria-Beacon Hill.
Grace Lore – B.C. NDP: Global inflation has taken a major toll in jurisdictions around the world, including right here in B.C. Price gouging has amplified it.
Whether it's at the grocery store, the gas station or trying to buy a bike, people in every neighbourhood have said to me, over and over, that everyday costs are having a huge impact on them. Since the B.C. NDP formed government, we've lowered car insurance by $500, cut childcare fees in half, completely got rid of MSP fees and taken action on the things that are driving housing prices up, like speculators, short-term rentals and demoviction and renoviction loopholes.
People can't afford to go back to John Rustad and his long history of fee hikes and making people pay more while he gives the wealthiest 2% a break. People want more relief, and that's exactly what David Eby and the B.C. NDP are going to work on, starting with our newly announced middle-class tax cut that will deliver immediate relief with $1,000 for the average family – every year.
Tim Thielmann – B.C. Conservatives: Safety. Most people no longer feel safe walking downtown. Even paramedics have refused to attend medical emergencies on Pandora without a police escort.
This crime is fueled largely by untreated drug addiction and mental illness. The NDP and the Greens both believe that the solution to the drug crisis is to make it even easier for people to use drugs. The Green candidate, Sonia Furstenau, wants to expand NDP drug policies responsible for doubling annual illicit drug deaths in the last seven years. She compares coffee to fentanyl and wants to normalize, legalize, and subsidize all hard drugs. She would remove any requirements for involuntary treatment and also defund police. This would compound the misery, crime, and chaos that is overtaking Victoria’s streets.
I believe in recovery. It’s what’s truly compassionate. B.C. Conservatives will transform drug consumption sites into recovery centres. We will end the NDP's unsupervised supply programs which are flooding streets and schools with deadly drugs. We will care for those who’ve become a danger to themselves and others, including by providing involuntary drug treatment and care, using the Notwithstanding Clause in the Charter if needed. We will fund the justice system and fairly enforce the laws that protect us all.
Editor’s Note: Tim Thielmann did not respond to the questions by the deadline to make it into the print edition of the Victoria News.
How do you balance the need for housing affordability with homeowners’ desire to not lose money on their investment?
Lore: We need homes for people to live in – our economy and community depend on it. That’s why homes for people are our priority. Our bold actions, like restricting short-term rentals like AirBnBs and taxing those who have second, third or fourth homes that they leave empty, have turned thousands of units into long-term homes.
We’ve made it easier to build homes like townhouses, multiplexes, basement suites, and carriage houses. Students at UVIC are benefiting from hundreds of new units and for the very first time, student housing will be coming to Camosun College. We're also protecting and building non-market housing of all types right here in Victoria-Beacon Hill, from supportive housing to housing for middle-income professionals.
John Rustad and the B.C. Conservatives have said they will undo this work – they’ll make it harder to build new homes and they’ll undo protections for renters. We cannot risk it. We have to move forward – there is more work to do, and David Eby and our B.C. NDP team are committed to continuing to work with the community on housing solutions.
Thielmann: We’ve tried seven years of B.C. NDP policies, and what’s the result? Homelessness has risen by 36%. Rent for the average single-bedroom apartment has doubled, from $1,000 to over $2,000 per month. The cost of a new home has jumped from $850,000 to $1.3 million. Many people who’ve worked hard are losing hope of ever owning a home. We need a new plan.
First, some direct relief. The Rustad Rebate” will remove income taxes on up to $3,000 per month for renters and homeowners, a savings of roughly $100 per month if you rent a single-bedroom apartment.
It’s not fair to B.C. newcomers or to locals to overload our current housing supply. To alleviate pressure on housing and other public infrastructure, Conservatives will take more control over the level of immigration into the province.
An abundant supply is good for all. We have to get B.C. building. How? By guaranteeing shorter waits for development and building permits. By repealing hidden taxes on new homes. And by working with local governments to locate new builds on lower-cost lands. Plus, we’ll create a $1 billion-per-year fund to reward municipalities that take action to get homes built.
Furstenau: The B.C. Greens are focused on making sure that there is non-market, deeply affordable housing available for people. We cannot ask the private sector to fix our housing crisis for us – that is not their role. We’re 40 years downstream of the government abdicating their responsibilities to provide non-market housing, and we can see where this approach has landed us. Instead, we need to create 26,000 new non-market units each year, while ensuring that we protect the affordable housing that already exists.
3) How would your party meet the public’s demand for spending on health care, housing, transportation, infrastructure, homelessness, etc., without raising taxes or ballooning the deficit?
Thielmann: British Columbia’s provincial debt is now $129 billion – more than double what it was when the NDP took office in 2017. They just ran the worst deficit in our history, adding $9 billion in debt this year alone. And what do we have to show for it?
Our annual interest payments are $4.3 billion – enough to build about 15,000 homes each year. B.C. now has nearly one million people without a family doctor. Our hospitals are overcrowded and unsafe with nurses threatened by weapons and open drug use. Teachers lack basic supports needed for safe, productive classrooms.
We don’t need more taxes. We need to grow the economy. British Columbia must become a place people want to work and businesses want to invest. We will reduce regulatory barriers to the development of our natural and agricultural resources, with a focus on environmental and safety standards. We will institute clear rules and timelines for all approvals, including a one-stop process for critical minerals.
We’ll spend wisely. For example, investments into recovery will reduce pressures on our hospitals, police, and courts. An activity-based funding model for health care will suck fat from our top-heavy bureaucracy, freeing investments for more doctors, nurses, and technological upgrades.
Furstenau: We need to make sure we’re investing upstream. We know, for example, that eliminating deep poverty will cost us around $2 billion a year, but keeping people in poverty costs us between $13.4 billion and $18.6 billion. Likewise, our health-care costs are ballooning because of a lack of primary and preventive care. The B.C. Greens focus is on well-being, on solving the root causes of problems, of enabling people to thrive and power a clean, green, economy. Addressing problems at their root cause will not only create healthier communities but it will also reduce costs.
Lore: People need improved health care, education, childcare, and housing more than ever, and now is not the time to make deep cuts to those investments like John Rustad and the B.C. Conservatives are proposing.
People on the doorstep have repeatedly told me they need us to continue to show up for them and invest in services and supports, especially when times are tough. Our B.C. NDP team is going to keep working to build our economy – like expanding support for much-needed trades training – and making smart investments to build infrastructure and strengthen services that keep our community strong and support people. Meanwhile, John Rustad has a long record of supporting the wealthiest 2% while making you pay more, and he'll do it again.
