Beware single-issue election candidates

Homelessness is a serious issue for Nanaimo. It affects the vitality of our downtown core and puts demands upon our police, health and socialwelfare systems. But it is a serious issue for another reason as well, which concerns me as much as the issue of homelessness itself.

It is serious because it threatens to hijack our upcoming civic election, much as the Colliery Dam issue hijacked the 2014 election. One-issue candidates emerge at times like these. They take up the banner of the cause of the moment and make themselves an easy choice at the polls — they’ve been in the news and therefore have name recognition, and their position on the issue wins our favour.

The problem is that they are onedimensional candidates running on a single issue, without the knowledge, skill and commitment to address the much broader range of issues that now, and will in the next four years, face our community.

I care deeply about the homeless issue. But I also care about tourism, employment opportunities for our young people, medical care for our aging population, infrastructure to support our growing population and a host of other critical matters. I urge voters to look beyond the single-issue candidate and make the effort to identify those with a broader commitment to our community and the skills and knowledge to address all aspects of our collective future.

Sharon B. Speevak Nanaimo