Thread by @NDickinsonWilde

#BCPoli #yyj Oak Bay Gordon head's online all candidates meeting on now. facebook.com/VictoriaChambe…
I was a couple minutes late, so not going to report introductions since I missed Murray Rankins'

#BCPoli #yyj Present are:
@NicoleBCDuncan of the @BCGreens
@HelmeRoxanne of the @bcliberals
@MurrayRankinNDP of the @bcndp
Moderated by Bruce Williams of the Victoria chamber of commerce

#BCPoli #yyj Housing everyone agrees housing is an issue. @NicoleBCDuncan says we need to do more to prevent speculation.

#BCPoli #yyj What role for Post Sec in affordability
Murray: Taught at Uvic for years. Raised 100s of thousands for Camosun. BC NDP have eliminated student loan interest, and brought out grants. Dr Weavers lab is at the Uvic centre for excellence on climate change.

#BCPoli #yyj What role for Post Sec in affordability
Roxanne: We are priviledged to house thise two great institutions. They have long played key roles in training and upskilling. Critically important post pandemic. Some tourism workers may need to permanently change fields

#BCPoli #yyj What role for Post Sec in affordability
Nicole: Post sec institutions play an important role both pandemic and with transitioning industries. Need to work with workers and communities to plan training. BC Greens support partnerships to expand training options.

#BCPoli #yyj What role for Post Sec in affordability
Murray: amplifying Nicole's comments about just transition which is essential for our future.

#BCPoli #yyj Childcare
Nicole: Cost of living includes high cost of childcare. SUpport up to 500/month for families with children under 3. Looking for professional dev for existing non-certified childcare providers.

#BCPoli #yyj Childcare
Murray: BC Liberals spent years ignoring this. The BC NDP created more spaces in their first 10 months than the BC Liberals created in 4. BC Liberals can't do $10/day childcare when creating gaping budget whole by PST cut.

#BCPoli #yyj Childcare
Roxanne: The numbers speak for themselves. The NDP have failed specatacularly. The BC Liberal platform has a means tested $10/day childcare. Support a variety of providers. Important to get mothers back to work.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Roxanne: BC Liberals will end 24/7 camping. It is a public safety issue not just for public but those camping. The community is not homogenous. I know the people in those camps. There are 3 communities.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
1/3 criminals without mental health problems preying on the vulnerable
1/3 with mental health and possible drug issues
1/3 just down on their luck
Need to seperate them and institutionalize them in some kind of facility

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Nicole: BC Greens are comitted to dealing with the underlying issues - mental health, supports for drug addictions, and cost of living. Mental health needs to be covered by MSP, including specific resources for youth.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Nicole: Need to invest in community level supports, and increase capital construction of supportive living. Need a safe supply to reduce harm, decriminalize drugs.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Murray: Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own neighbourhoods. AND everyone needs a place to feel at home. The BC Liberals can't be trusted to deal with this issue. Law and Order approach just disperses the problem.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Murry: Before COVID hit, overdose deaths were 36% down. In September launched extra supports. Need to accelerate the whole continuum of care - prevention, safe supply, treatment, recovery

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Roxanne: Look at the streets. The reallity is this has happened under the NDP watch. Min of mental health and addictions provides no very needed services

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Murray: Judy Darcy has worked her tail off on this issue. We saw a reduction in overdose deaths pre-pandemic. Pandemic has increased homelessness. Mental Health & addictions ministry is NOT an extra layer of beaurocracy

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Nicole: The BCGreens through CASA were deeply involved in pushing the min of mental health. Everyone agrees we need to do something about homelessness.

#BCPoli #yyj Employer health tax reform to support business
Nicole: BC Greens would focus on progressive taxes rather than regressive. Progressive are those like income or corporate that pay more at higher income levels. Need to lobby feds for a fair share of health transfers

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Murray: This has been a hard year for businesses. When NDP formed government we removed MSP the single best tax cut for BC residents. We deffered EHT premiums for 6 months, and more reductions for tourism businesses.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Murray: 85% of businesses dont' pay EHT. Carol James has committed to reviewing it.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Roxanne: EHT is a disinsentive for businesses to flourish. We need to review all taxes the BC NDP have brought in. Need strategic governance. Need to change speculation tax to target foreign speculators.

#BCPoli #yyj mental health (root cause of homelessness etc)
Murray: repeats last 2 sentences again. and suggests the BC Liberals will bring MSP premiums back
Roxanne: No one is bringing the MSP back

#BCPoli #yyj post pandemic economic pivot?
Murray: Env law has been central to my career. We owe it to future generations to work together. Can't let Andrew Wilkinson undue all the hard work to protect the environment. BC Liberal climate platform is a disaster.

#BCPoli #yyj post pandemic economic pivot?
Murray: Clean BC was a Green and NDP shared project. Andrw weaver thinks it is great.

#BCPoli #yyj post pandemic economic pivot?
Roxanne: Green is a state of mind. I'm obsessively opposed to waste. Put up your hand if you're not concerned about the environment. Thinks no one would put up their hand. Private business will innovate to get us where we need to be.

#BCPoli #yyj post pandemic economic pivot?
Nicole: Green party and Greens are excited about the economic opportunity to position BC as a world leader on low carbon solutions. We support clean hydrogen and biofuel strategies to replace O&G. Integrated GHG lens for gov procurement

#BCPoli #yyj post pandemic economic pivot?
Nicole: need to priotize investments in transportation electrification. Need a just transition for O&G industry workers

#BCPoli #yyj transport alts from single occupancy.
Nicole: BC Green plan is for livable cities. Need walkable neighbourhoods. Will work with local governments to establish a regional plan - prevent disjointed solutions. Need to ensure Translink & BC Ferries are financially stable

Whoops, got pulled away by animals

#BCPoli #yyj Indigenous issues
Nicole; BC Greens are committed to reconciliation. Partnership is needed on a whole range of issues. We are past due on including indigenous communities on how to resolve the gaps in the graduation rate. Need to have meaningful partnerships.

#BCPoli #yyj Indigenous issues
Roxanne: BC Liberals are committed to reducing economic and social issues for first nations. Need to work with federal and industry partners to create economic opportunities. BC Liberals under Campbell took huge strides. We still have a lot to do.

#BCPoli #yyj Indigenous issues
Murray: one of the challenges of our time. We have to decolonialize our institutions. Proud of the Horgan gov for introducing UNDRIP (supported by all parties). Visited many impoverished first nations as a negotiator - gov to gov relationship

#BCPoli #yyj Balanced Budget?
Murray: Going to take a while. Can't be an austerity budget. Can't do a PST cut taking 10bn out of the government coffers. Put people at the center of the recovery

#BCPoli #yyj Balanced Budget?
Roxanne; Will be a deficit budget for the foreseable future. PST is a regressive tax. Need consumerism and business happening to lead to recovery.

#BCPoli #yyj Balanced Budget?
Nicole: We need to grow our economy by investing. But need to invest in the right places, not O&G. Need a green conversion now so that we can return to a balanced budget in the future.

#BCPoli #yyj Closing:
Roxanne: NDP Gov spent 3bn BC Lib operating surplus with not a cent saved. sm bus and tourism have been hard hit - as much as 50% of sm bus may fail. What have the NDP done in the face of this crisis. Feds provided bns in emerg funding. NDP have been silent.

#BCPoli #yyj Closing:
Roxanne: Instead they were campaigning. Need to eliminate EHT and PST to stimulate economy. Taxation on a devasted private sector won't work.

#BCPoli #yyj Closing:
Nicole: We need a government that doesn't focus on the election cycle. Good government is transparent and accountable. Works across party lines to support evidence based solutions. Not spending bns on proping up O&G.

#BCPoli #yyj Closing:
Nicole; We will respond in a meaningful way to respond with urgency the climate emergency we are in. Women represent more than half of our population and we should have that in the MLAs. Need to prioritize policies.

#BCPoli #yyj Closing:
Murray: The BC Liberals wont' tell us about their taxes until some commission decides. I was nominated as the hardest working MP. I will do the same as an MLA. We need to build back better. Keep our environmental values at the centre of our recovery.

#BCPoli #yyj Closing:
Murray: Horgan has shown he can navigate the health challenges of this time. We need a strong team around him to support him on that and the environment.

#BCPoli #yyj hat's a wrap. In my rush, I missed my conflict of interest note:
I'm the volunteer co-ordinator for @GordBaird_LJDF running for the @BCGreens in Langford - Juan de Fuca, so am distinctly not neutral. But, I aim to be impartial in reporting.

#BCPoli #yyj So I generally get a bit judgy at the end of my political livetweets. I only tag the good things, but if any candidates read, feel free to engage me if you disagree on anything I'm saying - negative or positive.

#BCPoli #yyj @MurrayRankinNDP spoke well and his years of MP experience were standing him in good stead. He also seemed believable about the environment and first nations issues.

#BCPoli #yyj
However... Horgan also talks as if he cares about the environment and is pushing CGL and billions more O&G subsides than the Liberals did so. Given that Murray is joining that solidly whipped team, I've got qualms.

#BCPoli #yyj
Interestingly Roxanne seemed content to only attack Murray and the NDP history and seemed to avoid discord with Nicole. You're supposed to go after the one directly above you in the polls so does she have internal polling that says she's in third?

#BCPoli #yyj
@NicoleBCDuncan was in fine form. Really could tell that she cares about the community. Murray also agreed with her multiple times.

#BCPoli #yyj
Roxanne's comments on homeless issues were pretty problematic, and ugh institutionalization is not the answer. Housing is the answer for the majority.