Wildfires spark debate
Watts talks climate while Lee, Wilkinson take issue with management
Wildfires, seniors’ care and housing affordability were among the topics debated by BC Liberal leadership candidates in Kelowna, Saturday.
This past summer, the Okanagan and swaths of B.C. were hit by wildfires, and candidates were asked how they would respond to fires in the future.
Andrew Wilkinson said government should be securing and protecting communities so entire towns do not have to be evacuated.
“We’re going to have to do a better job of getting rid of that fire wastewood out there that’s a risk and causing major fires, destroying major communities,” he said.
Michael Lee also said the government needs to better manage deadwood.
“Our forest management practices need to continue to be looked at,” he said. “The devastation that this causes is tremendous, and as a province we can’t afford that.
“We need to better prepare our forests for the next fire season.”
Sam Sullivan and Dianne Watts highlighted the impact of climate change on increasingly devastating wildfire seasons.
“As we look at how climate change affects all of our lives, we have to really make sure we are paying attention to what we are doing to the environment,” said Watts.
To improve care for seniors in B.C., Todd Stone highlighted the need to invest in more long-term beds and to support the people who look after seniors.
“I am proposing a caregivers’ tax credit to help offset some of those costs,” he said.
Watts said a key issue concerning seniors is having access to affordable housing, where seniors can “age in place.”
“Making sure we move into using technology and assisting people to stay in their homes longer, that they have access to doctors and nurse practitioners and access to the supports they need in home care, those are the things that make life of a senior really worth living and living with dignity,” she said.
Wilkinson said it is important to ensure seniors continue living healthy and active lives.
“The core of being healthy in those senior years is being active and engaged and using your brain and getting out and having fun,” he said.
“The second part is people being able to age at home.”
Wilkinson said he would like to see the home care industry integrate more with the technology sector to provide better care for seniors.
Sullivan suggested broadening the current health-care system to include elements of privatization.
“We need to get through this sense that we cannot bring privatization into the system,” he said. “It can be done. It can be done well and it can make the whole system more efficient.”
Whether it’s living at home or in an assisted living facility, Lee said there needs to be more choices for seniors.
“We need to build more spaces,” he said. “We need quality in terms of social interaction and not having isolation.”
Sullivan directed a question to Mike de Jong, asking what he would do as leader to address the issue of rising house prices.
“There’s no question that the market in certain parts of B.C., including here, appreciated very rapidly,” said de Jong. “Housing will never be affordable if it isn’t available — we need to build more.”
De Jong said he would legislate for it to only take 10 months to approve housing applications to increase supply.
BC Liberals are to vote in February.
It won’t go down in history as “the great debate,” or the turning point in the BC Liberal leadership campaign, but Saturday morning’s affair at the Coast Capri Hotel easily scored an eight out of 10.
It began with a welcome by local MLA Norm Letnick, trying to do his best Michael Buffer (“Let’s get ready to rumble,” or something along those lines). Moderator Jas Johal read the ground rules. Each of the six finalists gave recognition to Ben Stewart, presently fighting it out to be the Westside-Kelowna MLA again. Then it became nasty. Dianne Watts was immediately put on the hot seat by opponents Todd Stone and soon Andrew Wilkinson, who coincidentally drew numbers and were seated on each side of the former mayor of Surrey.
“We lost the election because we stopped listening,” said Watts, who was not a candidate in the 2017 provincial election. “We did not connect with British Columbians, a lot of the trust was lost and we have to work to win the 11 ridings (which we lost) back.”
The format allowed for candidates to ask questions of one another. It’s easy to see who the frontrunners are. Sam Sullivan wasn’t asked anything, although he engaged in some entertaining banter with Mike DeJong, nudging his wheelchair up close to go at it with the former finance minister.
Very little was asked of Michael Lee, who came across as a really nice guy with sincere ideas.
DeJong was the comedian, other times the peacemaker.
“B.C. needs you to make the commitment that when this is over, we all take off our (campaign) buttons and all put on one button, a B.C. Liberal button, and we are going to beat the NDP,” DeJong said.
The format was good, the event well-publicized, and unlike most federal Conservative rallies staged in 2015, everyone was invited. The doors were open to the public and not just party members (although a few more chairs would have been nice.)
On the stage, as expected, there were continuous shots at the present NDP government as well as the Greens. Nothing was said of the federal Liberals. The United States was mentioned only once.
Candidates agreed on most issues, including proportional representation, fire season, and the high-tech sector. Several candidates commented on their own upbringing and family situation, in particular with their aging parents. Candidates, at times, gave specific references to the Okanagan Valley. DeJong mentioned UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, several times. Stone made note that he’s the only candidate from the Interior. There was also homage to WAC Bennett and Bill Bennett, as well as kind words for predecessors Christy Clark and Gordon Campbell. I liked many of the comments made. Sullivan wants to create some open competition for ICBC. On the opioid crisis, the former Vancouver mayor said, “There were 2,000 people over the last two years who died. Almost every one of them was preventable.”
DeJong, meanwhile, suggested moving the forestry and agriculture ministries to cities close to the people who are directly affected.
If I had to pick a winner, I’d go with Dianne Watts. She was tough, convincing, well-organized, and held her own when it appeared as though she was being picked on, for no other reason than being an outsider.
“Please do not lie,” she said to Stone, once the microphones were cut off. The audience clearly heard her.
This, of course, is just my opinion. If you asked 10 people who were at the meeting, you will probably get 10 different answers. There wasn’t that Brian Mulroney-esque “You had an option, sir” knockout punch by any of the candidates.
Which of the six candidates stands the best chance of being promoted from leader of the opposition to premier? I think any one of the six is capable of winning because it’s the NDP/Green’s election to lose, whenever that might be.
Saturday’s leadership debate — the fourth of six — can be found online. The debates will resume in the New Year.
James Miller is valley editor for Okanagan Newspaper Group. To contact the writer: james.miller@ok.bc.ca.