5 Candidates, 7 Questions, 5 Responses

The following questions were put forward by the Abbotsford/Mission Times in May of 2009, during the Provincial Election, to the candidates (Independent, Liberal, NDP) for the riding of Delta South.

Question 1:

1. The downturn in the economy, which became evident last fall, has had widespread impacts across our province, the country and around the world. Companies and businesses in many sectors are struggling, hundreds of thousands of Canadians have lost their jobs and British Columbia's unemployment rate is projected to reach a record high.

What needs to be done to get our province back into a prosperous position?

Response:

 

The 80,000 jobs lost in B.C. in the first three months of 2009 alone is indeed a phenomenal trend which must be addressed. Better government support for advanced education, skills training and apprenticeships is essential for economic recovery and building a solid foundation for our future. B.C. Green Bonds will finance infrastructure and technology projects and new investment in forestry, agriculture, mining and tourism will create much-needed new jobs. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

The prevailing wisdom is deficit spending on stimulus projects. My concern is the huge debt taxpayers will shoulder and the resulting drag on provincial financial health. All projects must benefit B.C. suppliers and wage earners first. Incentives to stimulate small business growth and employment are also essential: lower corporate income taxes and a tax drop for each local job created would benefit every B.C. community. (Vicki Huntington - Independent)

 

The key to understanding how we get out of the current downturn is to realize that we need to build sustainable industries, not ones built on the fallacy that we can continue to grow indefinitely. In forestry we need to concentrate on value added producers, not the shipment of raw logs. In fishing we need to concentrate on the reclamation of habitat, not on unsustainable open water fish farms. (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

The best thing we can do to grow B.C.'s economy is to continue to build on the strong foundation our government has created over the past eight years. We need certainty in turbulent economic times to help stimulate businesses to invest, take chances, and create jobs. By spending on stimulus projects and putting more money back in people's pockets by cutting taxes, we can get our economy growing again quickly. (Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

 

With my stated views and the kind of changes they bring, we would in fact become a major tourist zone or centre. Freedom attracts capital. We don't have it yet.
So I would stop the destruction or privatization of B.C. Hydro, revert back to public ownership of BC Ferries, B.C. Rail and all hydro water leases.

I would stress decentralized power production and technologies and keep the current small business tax rates. (John Shavluk - Independent)

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Question 2:

Delta's school board, along with boards across the province, have struggled with the need to continually slash spending to balance their budgets year after year. Many in education point the finger at provincial funding levels.

Is the current level of funding for education adequate to deliver a quality education to Delta students?

Response:

It's quite obvious that the current level of funding is inadequate, but we more importantly need flexibility in the government's per-pupil funding formula to ensure alternatives to school closures during times of declining enrolment. We are committed to meeting existing class-size and composition requirements, including for those classes with special needs students. We will provide multi-year funding to help Delta's school board plan with security. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

Obviously not. There needs to be a thorough review of the current funding formulas and a shift in the manner in which school districts are funded. The government requires delivery of certain programs, but does not provide the funding to cover the costs. Nor does it cover the cost of the provincially negotiated wage settlements. It must cover these costs, else school boards will never climb out of the red. (Vicki Huntingdon - Independent)

 

No, especially as it relates to the services required by differentially-abled children. The Green Party would work towards building the community school model, one that provides classrooms, full libraries, recreation facilities, and technology and training areas, fine arts theaters, and studios in partnership with municipalities. By integrating schools back into the community as a whole, the entire community benefits. (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

Education is the most important investment in the future of our province. Our government's last budget ensured that there would be no cuts to education funding in B.C., and we'll increase education funding by over $800 million per year. We'll be able to use that money here in South Delta to fund high quality schools that meet our community's needs, and through a community task force to create long term solutions for our schools. (Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

 

No. Fundamental management needs addressing.
Depending on whom you listen to we spend $5,800 to $8,900 per student per year now.
My choices leave no one behind, supports and encourages teachers/students and lets them get back to teaching/ learning.
Like my daughter, a high school teacher says with her having to buy materials herself now or worry about special needs kids because of the Campbell government's neglect, it will be hard. (John Shavluk - Independent)

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Question 3:

Delta's Hospital has seen many ups and downs over the past few years. Earlier this decade Fraser Health announced deep cuts to the hospital, including reducing its acute care status to sub-acute. This spawned outrage in the community. However, last year the hospital regained its acute care status and underwent a number of improvements, which include an expanded emergency room and the addition of a CT scanner.

What do you see the future holding for Delta Hospital?

Response:

The B.C. Liberals' unnecessary downgrading of our Delta Hospital was a travesty. We welcome the decision to restore the acute-care status, but full implementation is still a long way off. We require better diagnostic and treatment equipment and well-qualified staff to ensure this transformation. Incidentally, the provincial government should have fully funded our CT scanner! Better quality care for seniors is a related priority for us. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

Provided the government does not change course again, the future of our wonderful hospital is bright indeed. The people of Delta saved our Hospital and helped make it one of the finest little medical institutions in the province. It is a Centre of Excellence; has a new ER and CT scanner; and the best Hospital Auxiliary and Foundation in B.C. Thanks to the community, Delta Hospital is a glowing achievement. (Vicki Huntington - Independent)

 

We are facing a crisis in B.C.'s public health care system that has been two decades in the making. The Green Party is committed to creating a robust public health care system that guarantees our children the same standard of care we have enjoyed. Delta Hospital is an example of what our system should encourage; local, community based health care. We shouldn't need bake sales to buy bed pans. Or CT scanners. (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

In this last budget, the government made sure that there were no cuts to health care funding. It is important that we have community health care center, including funding to the Delta Hospice Society and sustaining a fully functional hospital. By focusing on wellness and healthy living, we'll be able to reduce hospital trips, reduce wait-times, and ensure everyone gets access to community health care, including at our very own Delta Hospital. (Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

When I get back the $500 thousand dollars provided by Delta South itself and make them find the $300 thousand still short on the scanner, a $500 thousand dollar cushion will exist against probable further coming Campbell neglect.
My pressing Campbell just over his many misdeeds already done will assure our future adequate funding, I promise.I would like to also see expanded "wellness services" in a more prominent role. (John Shavluk - Independent)

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Question 4:

Between the Tsawwassen First Nation treaty, South Fraser Perimeter Road, the proposed rail yard development and Ron Toigo's redevelopment of the Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club, the Agricultural Land Reserve, which is said to contain some of the richest farmland in Canada, continues to face development pressures.

How would your government preserve the existing ALR acreage in Delta?

Response:

New Democrats have always been strong advocates of local food production. From creation of the ALR to introduction of the Buy B.C. program, we have a long history of support for agriculture in B.C. The ALR in Delta has come under greater strain than any other region in the province. We will protect our ALR by toughening the rules for land removal and will strengthen the commission that oversees the land reserve. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

I will urge ALC amendments that would create provincial, not regional panels; a hard edge to the ALR; prohibit nonfarm use unless in the public interest. I would restore funding for enforcement and urge amendments to the Soil Deposit Regulations to remove boulders, rocks and cement from the definition of soil. I will be a constant reminder that the province must honour the commitment to the preservation of agricultural land. (Vicki Huntington - Independent)

 

The best way to preserve ALR land is to create an environment that promotes the profitable farming of locally produced food and to remove subsidies that distort the true cost of imported foods. The B.C. Greens would reform the Agricultural Land Commission in membership process, with members selected in transparent and open competition of qualified individuals conducted at arm's length free from political influence. (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

Preserving agricultural land in Metro Vancouver is a top priority of the B.C. Liberals. We will make sure that it's communities that are able to decide on how their lands are going to be developed. Our government will create a community committee to monitor environmental health of Burns Bog and the ALR. Every project must go through a review process; no irresponsible or ill conceived plans go forward. (Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

 

All should know that the Native Land claim settlements are only to free up those lands for exploitation.Instead of finally solving our embarrassing native question it's only a smokescreen to cause /allow greater exploitation without environmental controls.
I would stop further destruction by these and other means by stopping these games and make the ALR a provincial park if need be to forever remove these temptations from man's greed. (John Shavluk - Independent)

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Question 5:

When BCTC proposed upgrading the high voltage power lines along the right-of-way that cuts through Tsawwassen, many residents banded together to fight to have the power lines buried. Throughout the fight many criticized retiring MLA Val Roddick because they felt she was not doing enough to stop the project that so many in the community opposed.

What would you have done if you were the Delta South MLA at that time?

Response:

The B.C. NDP passed a Delta South resolution committing us to a review and updating of provincial guidelines with respect to public health and safety to ensure that the "precautionary principle" is applied to all future power line installations. Our resolution also calls for regular monitoring of the EMF emission from the Tsawwassen high-voltage lines, and the undertaking of appropriate remedial action as necessary. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

Quite simply, I would have resigned the government caucus. I would have crossed the floor and become an Independent. I would have supported residents in the press and on the ramparts. I would have let the people of Delta know that I believed in their cause and understood their passionate fight to have their government do the right thing. I would have demanded respect for my constituents. (Vicki Huntington - Independent)

 

The transmissions lines imbroglio is a symptom of a government that doesn't understand that a "right of way" isn't the "right way". The key is to remember what problem really is: how do we provide sufficient power to Vancouver Island? If I were the MLA I would have pushed the government to create localized power production on the Island, through solar, wind, tide, and biomass -- all sustainable power production methods. (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

I would have done then what I promise to do if you elect me on May 12th. More often than not, by the time that something comes to a vote in the house, the die has already been cast. I can be a voice around the Cabinet table, and shape projects so that they respond to the needs of the people here in Delta South. The most important job of an MLA is to represent their constituents, and I promise to put our local issues front and centre. (Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

 

Hindsight being 20/20 this could not be fought by a sitting liberal because Roddick was party to it just as a Liberal. Know that if I was MLA I would have found examples where other jurisdictions were not just railroaded but treated properly with money being secondary to the people's safety and wishes. The way I see it had we had someone like me it would have been done underground. (John Shavluk - Independent)

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Question 6:

Construction of the third berth at Deltaport is well underway and the possibility of the construction of Terminal 2, which will bring with it three more container berths making it six in total, is on the horizon.

Given the global economic climate, the expansion of the Panama Canal and the desire for more container traffic in Prince Rupert, is another container terminal needed here?

Response:

It's not for me to determine whether another terminal is needed here. Deltaport is a federally-regulated facility that provides an economic stimulus to our region and many good jobs for members of our community. However, as I have so often said, the health, safety, environmental and social risks associated with port development cannot inconsiderately be downloaded on the people of South Delta as has been the case to date. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

I don't believe so. Presumably the issue is being studied carefully. Certainly the additional terminal would not be needed if the transportation infrastructure was used efficiently: the supply and distribution chain, labour and management should be required to examine existing practices and adopt an approach to productivity that equals that of our international competitors. Use our infrastructure efficiently and we wouldn't need to spend billions building more roads. (Vicki Huntington - Independent)

 

No. In fact we need less imports, not more. It is time to wean ourselves off the false economy of exporting jobs to places where the time that people put into creating products are arbitrarily valued less than we ourselves would accept. Labour unions in North America fought for decades for fair wages, and we were a better society for it. Don't all workers deserve the same respect? (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

Our economic strength is dependent on our capacity to support trade and shipping with people across the Pacific. We need to keep competitive. You can't ship goods to the centre of North America through the Panama Canal -- it's going to require smart expansion of ports. Prince Rupert is part of that plan, but so is an expansion of Deltaport. It's going to ensure the continued growth of the B.C. economy.
(Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

 

No I said for years we are duplicating many West Coast communities already expanding their own ports as well and going to be looking at taxpayer concessions when traffic just isn't there.My philosophy is about quality life not just a job.
Let's put a hundred dollar toll on containers not bound for Delta itself and use this to arm ourselves against the larger illness that development will surely bring.
(John Shavluk - Independent)

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Question 7:

With increasing ferry traffic, trucks traveling to and from Deltaport and a tunnel that has remained relatively unchanged for 50 years, traffic congestion and safety has become an issue at the forefront of many South Deltans' minds.

What needs to be done to improve the traffic situation?

Response:

Congestion and safety on highways 17 and 10 are already at unacceptable levels. The tunnel's lifespan is being greatly shortened by the volume of container-truck traffic it now receives and was not designed to handle. Given that barge or greatly expanded rail transport were not adequately explored options, a specially-designated highway to channel the container-trucks out of Delta is a must, but the SFPR location was poorly chosen. (Dileep Athaide - NDP)

 

TransLink must concentrate on south of the Fraser. We need light rapid rail; additional, efficient 601s instead of transfers at Bridgeport to an inconvenient RAV; more flex hours and more home businesses. We need additional tunnel lanes to cope with valley development. And we need a truck route that complements the community instead of destroying agricultural land and heritage sites. In short, we need creative solutions that respect public input. (Vicki Huntington - Independent)

 

More roads don't solve traffic problems. The only way to improve the traffic is to rethink the way we build and design our communities, not the roads that connect them. By working with municipalities to design and implement incentives for employees that work close to where they live, we will be able to move away from the American sprawl model of urban planning. (Duane Laird - Green Party)

 

We need to reduce congestion and make sure that ferry and port traffic have a fast and safe way to get where they are going without disrupting community traffic. By developing the South Fraser Perimeter Road, we'll be able to reduce truck traffic and noise, improve safety, and decrease the strain on the George Massey Tunnel by allowing traffic that doesn't need to go through Vancouver to travel south of the Fraser.
(Wally Oppal - BC Liberal Party)

 

Stop the port expansion and the Gateway project as the Alex Fraser Bridge will only become a parking lot.Yes B.C. rail back in our hands with proper laws and container traffic would then be moved by rail out to the valley and beyond for distribution instead of more dangerous trucks on the roads. It takes a people first mentality bearing in mind we do live in a corporate world. (John Shavluk - Independent)

source:
http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/news/Where+candidates+stand+some+issues+South+Delta/2827047/story.html?id=2827047