More detail on selected questions.
1. Do you support the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline?
The Green Party opposes the Kinder Morgan Pipeline. The benefits to BC are not worth the risks. Also, the National Energy Board was flawed in their process of moving forward with the pipeline.
2. Should the province intervene further to cool real estate prices?
The Green Party will introduce a housing strategy on the primary purpose of providing homes first, and a means of investment second.
3. Should schools be built before anticipated population growth?
The Green Party would look at the complexities and reasoning for doing this prior to making a decision.
4. Should modest tolls be placed on all bridges and major highways to fund TransLink?
Tolls on the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges put a huge financial burden on the commuters using those bridges to get to work. It also creates congestion on the other arteries, many commuters look at alternative routes to avoid the tolls. The Liberals and NDP announcements regarding toles sound great but they are not responsible decisions. The BC Greens would work with the local Mayors to find a fair and sensible way to move forward with a more sensible plan.
6. Should political donations be capped for MLAs and parties?
The BC Greens made the decision to turn away all corporate and union donations last year. We did not want elected MLAs to go into parliament with any expectations from corporations or unions that had funded our campaign. The NDP says they will ban corporate and union donations if they form a government, yet hundreds of thousands of dollars keep rolling into their campaign office. Any NDP MLAs elected will be spending the next 4 years in parliament knowing that they received huge amounts of union donations to be elected.
7. Would you support a moratorium on removing land from the ALR?
The BC Greens want to support and encourage farming in BC. Presently 70% of our vegetables come from the states. We feel we can help farmers so that a higher percentage of our food can be provided by local farmers. Please note that the BC Liberals decreased farm area by7.9% and opened up 90% of ALR to industrial activities.
8. Should B.C. allow 18-year-olds to smoke legal marijuana?
The legislation was just released and there has not been enough time for our party to do the research and come up with the best policy. We鈥檙e looking to support developing industry in BC, protecting small distributors from big money and large corporations, and we recognize that the punitive, war on drugs model had not only failed but been a drain on our economy in policing and health costs. We also would be looking at proactive education so people understand the risks associated with prolonged cannabis use so that, while it will be legal, they will be making an informed decision if they choose to use.
9. Would you support raising provincial taxes to help house the homeless?
The BC Greens have a developed plan to help with income security, health issues, and affordable housing to help with our serious homeless situation. This plan also includes helping 19 to 24-year-olds that are transitioning out of foster care. Please read more at http://www.bcgreens.ca/platform
10. Should addicts be prescribed heroin/opioids to help control the overdose crisis?
Fentanyl is one of the biggest crises facing this province right now, and we need aggressive action to tackle it. Last year, 931 people died of an illicit drug overdose death in B.C. Substance abuse is a symptom of our failure as a society to protect those most vulnerable and help give people support with healthy ways to cope with stress and trauma. We need substitution drug programs, therapeutically administered, to wean people off hard substance use. We will make prevention, education, and harm reduction top priorities through our Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. BC Greens will develop an immediate response to the fentanyl crisis that invests in treatment on demand, drug substitution, early-warning monitoring systems, and coordinated response.
