Candidates spar at forum

Heading into his second B.C. Election in the Kootenay Central riding Ben Glickman was completely undecided.

Having spent most of his life in the U.S., the transplanted Nelsonite had a perspective on the election and the slate of four candidates that spoke Tuesday night in the all-candidates forum at — hosted by the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce — unlike most of the over 200 people who attended.

He had no long-standing allegiances to any of the parties represented, nor did he necessarily have his mind made up ahead of the Oct. 19 B.C Election day, and he certainly did not harbour any party or non-party prejudices going into the forum at the Prestige Lakeside Resort.

Despite the seemingly American-style politics on display — between Brittny Anderson (NDP), Corinne Mori (independent), Nicole Charlwood (Green Party) and Kelly Vandenberghe (Conservatives) — with some jabs and off-handed comments, he felt the forum was unusually civil.

“There is much more of a basic civility and social contract (in Canada),” he said after the 90-minute forum was over. “In the States, things have devolved to such an extent that there is very little communication between the two sides, and the level of anger and outright hatred, and sometimes violence, is reaching very concerning levels.

“I find that, in Canada, people disagree but they disagree within a certain agreed upon spectrum. A lot of the things that are debated in the States are not even on the table here.”

Glickman did note that, even though three major provincial parties were represented — and one independent — the political ideologies were not far off.

“Fundamentally, we are all in alignment that we are facing some fairly significant issues right across the board, and it’s just different ways of approaching how to deal with them,” he said about the political party divisions. “It’s just a question of which tool is best for the job.”

The issues discussed Tuesday night cut broadly through Kootenay culture, including: the cost of doing business; cutting red tape; public safety; forestry, housing; childcare; education; post-secondary education; healthcare; and how the candidates differed on climate change.

But the underlying theme of the forum was not the strength of party and candidate platforms, but who would be elected to a position that could hold some sway on the governing side of the B.C. Legislative Assembly in Victoria.

In her closing comments, Charlwood explained that, despite only electing three Green Party candidates to the previous session of legislature, a vote for the Green Party vote and, ultimately, a successful candidate was not a wasted opportunity for Kootenay Central.

“No one party deserves 100 per cent of the power that the NDP are asking for as a majority government,” she said. They’ve had that for the last four years and we are just not that impressed with what they have been able to pull off.

“We really believe that a strong third party at the table will depolarize our politics because we do not want to look like it does south of the border. We need more opinions to ensure we have better policy.”

Anderson put the vote into perspective, alluding to gaining representation and a voice for Kootenay Central on the government side of the legislature, as opposed to a voice that would not be heard.

“You are not at the table if you are an independent. You are in the legislature, and you are able to ask a question in question period, you are able to talk about legislation, but you are not in caucus making the decisions about how government will run and function,” she said.

As an MLA on the government side, they sit in caucus six times a week when they are in Victoria and legislature is in session.

“And we talk about every single issue we are talking about tonight and more. And it’s where all of those NDP voices are heard so we can understand each other, what it means in those other communities, so we can work together to deliver the best results for British Columbians,” she said.

The sentiment did not sit well with independent candidate Mori.

“And that description of government is why we are in so much distress,” she said.

Mori explained that opting for an independent candidate offered the advantage of having a representative who was free to advocate for the constituents’ interests without being constrained by party agendas. When the government was not properly controlled, it tended to overstep its boundaries.

Overreach of government authority leads to increased regulation, increased regulation creates a complex and rigid system, and the rigid system contributes to the surge of bureaucratic red tape, she said.

“This bureaucratic expansion further drives the government to grow even larger, which in turn demands more money to sustain itself,” Mori said. “To fund this larger expansion, the government resorts to increasing taxes. Therefore, what started out as over-regulation, results in over-taxation, often with more money going to administer the system than what the system provides back to the public.”

Vandenberghe didn’t have a problem with coming up with solutions to climate change, but he felt the economy has to “get going” first before it was dealt with. The current NDP climate change focus was throwing the province into “energy poverty,” citing a $1 billion deficit and a $112 billion debt.

“Doubling down on something that does not generate revenue is very risky and I think it is foolish. Everything has to be in balance and it’s one thing at a time, but we have to get people happy and fed and housed and caring for their kids … and then you’ve got time to play with those type of things that are important,” he said about climate change. “But you can’t just jump into that right now, because you have other responsibilities.”

Make your choice

The B.C. Election is set for Saturday, Oct. 19.

There is another opportunity for advance voting ahead of that date (from Oct. 16) at select locations, including:

• Nelson - Best Western Baker Street Inn, 153 Baker St

• Creston - Creston and District Community Complex 312 19th Ave. N.

• Salmo - Salmo Valley Youth and Community Centre 206 7th St.