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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013
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FROM THE ENVIRONMENT TO HEALTH CARE
Issues abound at candidates’ meet BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
New Westminster candidates vying to be the city’s next MLA tackled a variety of topics at Sunday’s all-candidates meeting. About 60 people attended the meeting sponsored by the Queen’s Park Residents’ Association and fielded questions about topics, including health care, seniors’ issues, transportation and the environment. Hector Bremner (B.C. Liberals); James Crosty (independent); Judy Darcy (NDP); Paul Forseth (B.C. Conservatives); and Terry Tether (Green Party of B.C.) attended the event. “I have to say that I am deeply, deeply concerned about waste incineration,” Darcy said. “I think that we need to be working very closely and encouraging all of the entities at a community level, the health authority, our schools, every level of government to be reducing waste. ... Our first line of dealing with this has to be reducing waste. We also have to look at the broad range of things that contribute to climate change.” Crosty said he opposes waste incineration in New Westminster. In addition to an industrial property in the Braid industrial area, he said there’s also been talk of a waste-to-energy facility being contemplated as a new heat source for Royal Columbian Hospital. “I am vehemently opposed to it,” he said. “The bigger picture here is the truck traffic coming through New Westminster.” Teather is also opposed to having an incinerator in New Westminster. “We view waste management as an investment. It’s an area we believe we produce a lot of jobs,” he said. “We firmly believe that we expect producers to carry a responsibility for the recycling all of their materials in order not to have to deal with incineration problems in the future.” One attendee questioned how candidates would prioritize health care, education and the environment. Forseth said the province has constitutional responsibilities to provide health care and education so those are priorities, while environmental issues are handled through a series of rules and regulations. He said the B.C. Conservatives wouldn’t be changing
Political play: Independent candidate James Crosty banters with NDP candidate Judy Darcy at Sunday’s all-candidates meeting. Jennifer Gauthier/THE
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omy. That’s the only way,” he said. “We the way those issues are prioritized. “I would consider the environment, as cannot tax and spend our way to provide the Greens have for 30 years, the most services or to improve our quality of life. important of these three options,” Teather That’s why we need conservative values said. “The reason I say that is we need to to be able to move forward, to grow the look seven generations down the road, we economy appropriately to pay for the social services we want.” don’t need to look one or two Most candidates indicated generations down the road. We RELATED STORY they’re committed to taking need to look seven generations What about action to ensure all residents down the road if we are going education?: have access to a family doctor. to have a sustainable lifestyle. Candidates grilled on Bremner said the Liberals There is no point having excelschool issues. are already committed to ensurlent health and there is no point See page 3 ing all British Columbians have having an excellent education if access to a family doctor. you have nowhere to live.“ “By 2015, the GP for Me program will According to Forseth, more money than ever before is going to provinces from get a family doctor for anybody who wants Ottawa for health care. While it’s easy for one. It’s a simple commitment. The money politicians and governments to say they’ll is there,” he said. “We have created more spend more money, he said the money has new physician spaces since 2001 than any government in British Columbia’s history.” to come from somewhere. Both Teather and Darcy said their par“We’ve got to be able to grow our econ-
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ties would look at expanding the education opportunities at the post-secondary level to ensure there are more family doctors. “The NDP also believes we need to put in place health care teams, health-care practices, community health-care centres that have a wide range of health-care professionals. …That’s also a more cost effective solution,” Darcy said. “You get the care and attention that you need from a professional.” On the issue of seniors, Darcy said the NDP is committed to creating an independent seniors advocate. “I have been one of the people who has advocated very, very strongly in favour of an independent seniors advocate, one with resources and a budget so that they really can go and investigate complaints because our seniors and their families are ◗Issues Page 4
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