Why you? What unique traits do you bring?
As a long-time resident of the Peace Region and with the experience I have to do the job, I feel I have the skills and passion to continue representing the region in Victoria.
Experience. We are facing unprecedented challenges in BC. Ensuring that we have a representative with government experience will be key in fixing the challenges caused by 8 years of NDP mismanagement. I know parliament process, legislation, and how to work with everyone elected to try and get our issues to the top of the pile. I believe I have shown that I have tried hard to promote Tumbler Ridge and the issues that are important to the families that live there. Whether it was helping bring the Geopark and support for our tourism opportunities to working with the local mines and helping push for jobs in the region, I have always shown up in Tumbler Ridge to do what I can to help. I believe I have a proven commitment to the communities of the South Peace. From my first days in politics, I have been driven by a desire to help community groups thrive, to drive investment in our region and I will continue doing that.
Why is health care such a big issue in the Northeast? What needs to be done, here and provincially?
We are seeing a healthcare crisis right across the Province but it hits our small rural communities harder. We have to solve the doctor and nurse shortage issue. A lot of our issues can be solved by changing some of our overly bureaucratic systems in the health authorities and putting the money and supports on the front line where it is needed. We have an opportunity to train more local people to hopefully keep them in our communities and we need to look at changing the physician funding model back to allowing a rural advantage like we used to have. If a doctor can make the same amount down south and not have to work nearly as hard, it makes it harder for us to recruit and retain them. I also know we have dozens of foreign trained Health Care workers in our region not working in their trained profession due to red tape or lack of supports and this is another area that we can address to help fill the gaps.
What role does metallurgical coal mining play in the economic mix for the province? Are regulations around industrial development and resource extraction (logging, mining, etc) getting too onerous? Where is the balance between conservation and extraction?
Businesses are finding associated costs with doing business are going up and becoming unreasonable. What sort of relief do you see for small businesses? There was talk a few years’ ago about needing to bring in miners to staff the new mine; while that hasn’t happened, there are a lot of businesses that are needing to bring in Temporary Foreign Workers. What is the balance between finding local workers vs allowing businesses to bring in people from outside the province or country, just to be able to survive?
Mining is one of the main resource opportunities that we are blessed to have in our province, and they can play a significant role in our economic future. I have had a close relationship with our local mining companies as we have worked to not only keep mines open but expand them as well. After 24 years, Quintette is back open which has helped add a new boost into the community and help create some certainty for the families that rely on the jobs in the mining sector. We need to remember that British Columbia has some of the strictest environmental regulations in the world, but we also are one of the highest cost jurisdictions. We need to ensure we find the balance in order to keep these important industries alive in our Province, and not force that investment to other provinces or countries. Unfortunately the NDP have continually created an environment through increased taxes, red tape, and uncertainty that is making it harder for companies to invest in BC. I also personally feel that bringing in temporary foreign workers should not be allowed unless it is a last resort if there are Canadians willing and able to do the work.
Why are we seeing bigger, more frequent forest fires and floods in this area? What can be done at a governmental level to help mitigate this?
There are some very practical changes that can be made to help mitigate forest fires in BC, especially ones that could jeopardize communities. We need to expand a process of selective logging and brush clearing like they do in European countries that has shown incredible success on slowing down fires. When it comes to floods, we will never stop mother nature, but we can be prepared for her by making sure our infrastructure is at a level to handle the changes we are seeing in our province and region. We need to ensure in trouble areas we replace more culverts with bridges, and also look at partnership opportunities with municipalities to help resolve some of the challenges they face on infrastructure upgrades.
What do you think are the most important issues facing the people of Tumbler Ridge? What role does the northeast play on a provincial stage? Pick a group that probably wouldn’t vote for you (loggers, small business owners, trans people, etc) and explain how you would represent them in Victoria.
I know in our region and around Tumbler Ridge the top issues that have come to my office are access to quality health care and affordability. I have spoken a bit about some of the challenges in health care, but the increased cost pressures people are facing on everything from housing, food, and services is making it harder for many people. The NDP have added or increased almost 30 taxes during their time and have done nothing to solve these issues. In my time as critic to the NDP I have done what I can to raise these issues at a provincial level to ensure people are aware and to try to influence change.
This election is unprecedented in so many ways. This is the first time in history we could see independent candidates like myself, who are not bound by a party line have control of the legislature through the balance of power. What that means is for the first time ever, if I am successful in being elected, government could be looking to the Peace Region for support to pass Legislation rather than the other way around. There are huge advantages running as an independent because of recent changes in the legislature giving me the chance to debate every bill, shape legislation, ask questions in question period, sit on committees, and be active in most aspects of the legislature. And every decision or vote I make will be for the people who live here, not what I am told to do for a party. I am excited to ask for the opportunity to represent people in the South Peace again, to work hard to help solve our issues, and to use my experience to help shape a positive future for all of us.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
