Bryce Tippe one-on-one

Over the next few weeks, Castanet News will feature each of the candidates seeking your vote in each of the four Central Okanagan ridings ahead of the Oct. 19 provincial election.

Today, we focus on BC Green Party candidate Bryce Tippe, who is running in the Kelowna Centre riding.

Bryce Tippe touts himself as a different kind of politician.

Entering the political arena for the first time as the Green Party candidate in the new Kelowna Centre riding, Tippe says people shouldn’t make assumptions about him based on his party affiliation.

“I think my biggest challenge when I talk to the constituents is assuring them that I’m not just caring about climate and can also prioritize other things,” said Tippe during a one-on-one interview with Castanet News.

“I am not an ideologue motivated by some arbitrary ideology. I am a serious person who has a lot of great ideas for British Columbia policy-wise, and I would love to be able to be given the chance to apply that.”

Getting into politics

Tippe says he got interested in politics after graduating high school during the recession in 2009 and at the height of unrest through movements such as Occupy Wall Street.

“There has been a lot of disillusionment and a lack of faith in institutions and worldwide, a lot of anti-democratic movements within established democratic countries. For me, that’s something that is quite concerning.

“I think a lot of people in power dismiss these grievances and I don’t think that’s conducive to a healthy democracy. My concern is that politicians and people in power aren’t properly representing the interests of common people.

“I think politicians for too long have been allowed to be their own police and I would like to see that change.”

Tippe says reforms could be brought forth to make politicians more accountable, transparent and representative.

Safety and mental health

Tippe says he has had two interactions with homeless individuals concerning drug use requiring calls to paramedics.

“I have had first hand experience with this, but some of the other candidates I am running against, for example Kristina Loewen (BC Conservatives) in an interview in February said there deserves to be a stigma around drug use and that is why we need to recriminalize it.

“So, I guess let the jails deal with it? Substance abuse is a mental health issue. I don’t like the output either and getting threatened by someone on the street, but I understand we’re not going to solve the issue by just putting people in jail.

Decriminalizing drug use

“There was a study done a few years ago nationally by the RCMP and they looked into what would the effect be if we treated substance abuse as not a crime issue but a health issue. They said if we were to do this, if we decriminalized hard drugs we would then need to make sure the health care system has the capacity to deal with it. That's what the NDP didn't do. They decriminalized it and we didn't have the capacity.

“We can’t just wave a magic wand because we don’t like something and wish it away. We actually have to understand the cause of the issue and the necessary components that will make up a solution that is realistic.”

Housing

“One of the things I would be in favour of, and I don’t know how the Green Party feel about this, but I think we should ban foreign ownership. If you want to own real estate within Canada, you either have to be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.

“We shouldn’t be a safe haven for rich, foreign nationals to be able to keep their money in case one of their autocratic regimes seize their assets.”

Why Bryce?

“I care about quality policies. I’m not an ideologue, I am pretty much pragmatic in everything I want to accomplish.

“I know when people hear BC Greens they have a very simplistic idea of what it is. But, I can promise you if I get into the legislature, unlike other candidates, I would listen to my constituents first, my values second and my party third.

“If you vote for me, you’re voting for change.”

You can see the complete interview in the player above.