Friday October 9, 2020 | VICTORIA & VANCOUVER, BC [Last update 1:30 pm]
Profile by Island Social Trends | Mary P Brooke, Editor
Today Friday October 9 is Day 19(*) on the Election BC campaign trail (*calling September 21 as Day 1, the day the election was called).
The Provincial General Election Day is on Saturday October 24. Advance voting and voting-by-mail are available. Elections BC info.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which requires physical distancing, most campaign activities are done remotely online, both for the media and the voter audiences.
All Candidates Meetings are posted on the Island Social Trends Events page.
BC NDP: Today Friday October 9, BC NDP Leader John Horgan spoke from the Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver at 9:15 am about supporting the BC marine industry so that national and international shipbuilding contracts can be bid on by BC companies. He was joined by Bowinn Ma, the NDP incumbent candidate for North Vancouver.
Horgan said that a re-elected NDP government would continue to support people by hiring workers and investing in businesses who need it the most. It’s about a focus on people and communities, he summarized.
As BC NDP Leader, John Horgan said that a reelected BC NDP government would launch a BC shipbuilding strategy – partnering with shipyards in Vancouver, Victoria and Port Alberni — to continue to be successful in bidding on national and international programs. He also wants to see that “BC-used vessels are made here in BC” (that being a reference to BC Ferries purchasing vessels from countries elsewhere in the world).
“A national shipbuilding strategy needs to be supplemented by a BC strategy,” said Horgan today. “Government working with the private sector will help put pressure on those giving contracts to recognize that the polar ice breaker (contract) has been a long time coming,” said Horgan. “We build boats in BC.”
For years BC Ferries has been building their ships built offshore, and Horgan believes that future BC Ferries vessels should be built in BC. “I ran for office in 2005 because I could not believe the BC Liberals were paying hundreds of millions of dollars on mortgages and training people around the world. Because of those decisions, the ship building industry began to contract in BC. It’s only the national shipbuilding strategy that allowed many of the people working here today to have the family-supporting, family-sustaining jobs that they have,” said Horgan today at the Seaspan Shipyards. “I strongly believe — that as a Maritime province and our coastal communities depending on marine traffic — that we should be in the business of not just repairing, but we should be in a position to build vessels and meet our needs into the future. It’s entirely up to BC Ferries how they conduct their business. We’re just the shareholder after all. There are some governance challenges there.”
Horgan also spoke about child care (after incumbent NDP candidate Katrina Chen addressed media at 8:30 am this morning on that subject), saying he is still promising $10-a-day child care — part of which is about training more early childhood educators — all of which is about enabling women to be taking part in the active workforce.
At 12:30 pm, BC NDP incumbent candidate David Eby (Vancouver-Point Grey) made announcement regarding restaurants and how they are struggling to get back on their feet financially during the current pandemic. Eby has asked for food-delivery app-based services (such as Skip the Dishes and Door Dash) that they voluntarily cap their fees at 15%.
The BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association is in favour of the request for a 15% limit on the app-services fees, with Ian Tostenson, BCFRA president there today with Eby at the 12:30 pm media teleconference in Vancouver.
Eby says on average the fees are presently at 30% of the value of the food order, but that restaurants cannot afford that in their thin margins during the COVID economic challenge. Eby said that if the food-delivery companies don’t comply voluntarily, there will be a legislated cap of 15% after the election under a re-elected NDP government (as is done in other jurisdictions).
Eby says the BC economy will benefit by having more pubs and restaurants operating after the pandemic, and that containment of their costs through third-parties will help the entire sector and local businesses in communities.
BC Liberals: Today BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson addressed media at 10 am, from Bee Haven Child Care in North Vancouver, along with BC Liberal candidate for North Vancouver-Seymour Jane Thornwaite.
He promised a three-level child care support program based on family income, where families earning under $65,000 will get $10/day child care, families earning up to $90,000 will get $20/day child care, and families earning up to $125,000 will get $30/day child care. “It’s not going to be cheap but it’s an investment in our future,” said Wilkinson.
He said the new child care support initiative (under a BC Liberal government) would have a simple online application process.
BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau held a press conference at 12:30 pm today from the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo.
Ambitious action on climate change is an economic opportunity, said Furstenau today. “We have enormous potential in BC to be a world leader in low-carbon solutions,” she said, saying the Green plan is for a clean economic recovery that will reduce emissions and create jobs.
“While COVID-19 requires an immediate response, we must be making investments that position us to build back a more sustainable economy,” the BC Green leader said. “Ambitious action on climate change is an incredible economic opportunity.”
The BC Greens are committing to be carbon neutral by 2045, matching California. They say they would set sectoral targets to ensure industry is contributing their fair share to emissions reductions. They would set an interim target of 2025 to make sure the government is on track to close the gap by 2030.
The Greens would prioritize natural climate solutions and restore forests and wetlands to maximize their potential as carbon sinks.
At 6 pm Furstenau will participate in the campaign launch for Eric Minty, BC Green candidate for Port Coquitlam.
A televised leaders debate will be held on Global TV on Tuesday October 13 from 6:30 to 8 pm.
