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Candidates follow party lines

Few surprises at all-candidates meeting There were no fireworks or surprises at the all-candidates meeting held in Whistler Saturday, May 5 – true to a provincial election generally short on passion.

Few surprises at all-candidates meeting

There were no fireworks or surprises at the all-candidates meeting held in Whistler Saturday, May 5 – true to a provincial election generally short on passion.

A crowd of about 30 eventually swelled to around 80 to hear from the four candidates vying to represent this riding: Liberal MLA Ted Nebbeling; the NDP’s Barrie MacLeod; Peter Tatroff of the Green Party and the Marijuana Party’s Robert Adams.

While Nebbeling stressed his familiarity with Whistler and the need to boost small and medium sized business, MacLeod, a school psychologist who has worked with children and families in the Sea to Sky corridor for a number of years, focused on the need to help the underprivileged including First Nations communities, youth and families under financial stress.

MacLeod said every individual has the right to participate fully in the economy and society, not just those with financial clout, and they need help and funding to do so.

This was a similar tack taken by Tatroff who also stressed the need for an economically diversified economy that is ecologically sustainable in the long term.

Nebbeling used his own success in Whistler as an example of what could be done in this province. He said when he came to Whistler in the late ’70s as an immigrant, B.C. was a land of opportunity that supported people who worked hard.

It was, said Nebbeling, a province that celebrated the success of the small business sector. His personal achievements were echoed in the growth of Whistler as a resort. Whistler became an economic engine for the province through the efforts of small businesses, he said.

"But things have changed much." Nebbeling said now, the efforts of small and medium-sized business, which make up 65 per cent of all jobs, are undermined. He believes the Liberals can turn this tide and make British Columbia "the envy of Canada."

The first step, said Nebbeling, will be personal tax reductions – within the first 90 days of a Liberal government – that will put money back into pockets. This in turn will spark consumer spending and create more tax-paying jobs.

Nebbeling said the new tax-paying jobs will generate the government funds necessary for the health and education sectors.

"I’m very aware of the lost opportunities this province has experienced," he said.

MacLeod said he knows the NDP has an uphill fight on its hands and he acknowledged his party has made some mistakes, but he said the NDP has made changes to improve the quality of life.

He pointed out there are new schools in each of the corridor communities and he said the NDP is committed to maintaining small class sizes. He highlighted NDP initiatives to reduce tuition fees, protect drinking water and create new parks.

MacLeod said his perspective of the Sea to Sky community is different from Nebbeling’s. "I have worked with students, parents and teachers in Whistler and Pemberton." He said he has dealt with families who are inadequately housed and under financial stress. He has also seen "a lot" of substance abuse and counselled people contemplating suicide.

MacLeod said government grants were used to try and address these problems. He noted that it is not only the power brokers who need representation in government.

Tatroff, a University of Victoria political scientist with a history of environmental and human rights activism, told the gathering child poverty and First Nations issues need to be addressed. "There are a lot of First Nations people in this riding," he pointed out.

He highlighted the income gap between many First Nations people and West Vancouverites, for example. "The reserves are in terrible shape… Mount Currie has ambulances going all night," said Tatroff. "Let’s help the people in our own backyard help themselves."

Tatroff said eco-tourism and ecological sustainability are also key in this region. "We are cutting our forests at an unsustainable rate and the Liberals want to cut three per cent more. How long will it last?" he asked. "Will we have forest left for our grandchildren?"

Questions from the audience ranged from the privatization of ICBC, deregulation of B.C. Hydro and changes to the Agricultural Land Commission, to land use plans, public access to the backcountry, library services, education funding and inequities in school and hospital taxes.

AWARE’s Ekhard Zeidler asked Nebbeling if the Liberals would respect Land Resource Management Plans and, specifically, if they would honour phase one of the Lillooet LRMP. He also asked Nebbeling if he would commit to working personally within cabinet to see that phase one is upheld.

Nebbeling would not commit to this but he didn’t foresee any problems.

"We have never indicated we would argue over" LRMP decisions to date, said Nebbeling "So I don’t see any changes."

Nebbeling acknowledged the "enormous time" and effort that has been spent reaching consensus at the local level for the various LRMPs and he said he supports more government decisions being made at a local level.

"If we have adopted phase one (of the Lillooet LRMP) and it is enshrined… I think you will not see any provincial government interfere… I don’t recall that we have ever said we will reverse this process," he said.

"What is your stance on public access to public lands that we own and have a right to access?" asked someone else from the crowd.

Nebbeling said he has "had a really big battle" with the B.C. Assets and Lands Corporation which "tried to have a strategy where public land was less and less accessible." Nebbeling said the goal is to balance public use with commercial use "so visitors who don't know our backcountry can see it."

Tatroff said areas have to be set aside in the backcountry for certain types of public use – like snowmobilers and cross-country skiers – to avoid conflicts but his real concern is commercial intrusion into parks like Garibaldi "There are so many diverse groups who want to use this area. I worry our parks will become economic centres only."

Adams said he thinks commercial permits are "just another tax grab." He noted permission is needed to take someone on a walk to simply "show them a dandelion."

Despite a B.C. School Trustee Association push to have local trustees highlight education issues in their respective districts, there were no trustees or Parent Advisory Council representatives present at the Whistler all-candidates forum to highlight Howe Sound school issues. That task was left to Grade 10 Whistler secondary student Kim Fenwick.

"We had course selection yesterday," Fenwick told the candidates. "And I am in a situation where I am not going to be able to take a very important course due to a lack of teachers and funding." She wanted to know what candidates planned to do about this, particularly in Whistler where the high cost of living makes attracting teaching staff a challenge.

Nebbeling said there is no money to increase education funding at this time but the immediate Liberal plan is to allow school trustees more flexibility with funds to focus on district-specific needs.

Janine MacLeod said she was worried about "creeping corporate involvement" in post secondary education. She said research at universities, like UBC, has strong ties with companies. "How will the parties preserve post secondary education in integrity and accessibility?"

Tatroff said free tuition is needed at universities "as long as you have got the marks and as long as you stay in B.C. to work… it’s done in many countries," he said. "If we are going to change our economy we need to educate the people in this province."

Nebbeling said he would not go as far as free tuition for all students. "But doctors would get studies with a commitment they will work for five years in rural areas," he said. "This province is not in a position to even begin thinking of eliminating tuition fees."

Garry Watson told the candidates there is "enormous tax inequity in this district" when it comes to paying school and hospital taxes. Watson said the average permanent Whistler resident pays six times more school and hospital tax than other residents in this district, yet the average income is lower than in other communities. He asked if the Liberals would consider moving to an income tax-base approach.

Nebbeling said the Liberals are talking about doing away with the school tax altogether but in return, communities must take on additional responsibilities for other things like roads. He said this would not happen in the near future but perhaps in a year or two once a new government has more financial manoeuvrability.

Tim Wake wanted to know what financial tools a Liberal government would make available to a community like Whistler which needs to compete at an international level. "We need enough funding to drive this economic engine and keep it going," said Wake.

Nebbeling said the answer lies in the Liberal’s Community Charter which will replace the Local Government Act. He said no downloading of responsibilities will occur without the corresponding financial tools to pay for them. Nebbeling said under the Charter, communities will be free to come up with innovative ways to generate funds – like a resort tax – as long as there is no conflict or negative impact on neighbouring communities.

For starters, he said, the Liberals have already committed to returning 75 per cent of all police fines to the communities in which they were generated. This revenue would go to bylaw enforcement and youth programs.

MacLeod took issue with the Liberal Charter and its potential for leading to unilateral decisions. "I believe we have to have a lot more communication up and down the corridor. We have to work together," he said. "Whistler could be a shining example but everything around it could end up being a waste land," he said.

"We need even more consensus to go to Victoria instead of Whistler fighting against Squamish and that kind of thing."