We recently saw the end of another successful session of the legislature. This spring session we also commemorated the one-year anniversary since you elected me as your representative for Delta North.
During the election campaign I heard from you that for too long too many families couldn’t get the services they needed or afford to live in our wonderful community. Over the last 10 months our government has been working hard to change that.
Funding for education has been increased and we have hired 3,700 new teachers to support students. We’re upgrading and building new schools to make sure students are safe and growing communities have places for kids to learn.
Our government has given the Delta School District $4.6 million in funding for school upgrades, $1.6 million to Gibson Elementary for seismic upgrading and recently funding for a new playground at Chalmers Elementary.
Delta commuters will spend less time in traffic thanks to a new moveable barrier system that is being installed on the Alex Fraser Bridge and funding to replace the Pattullo Bridge, making it safer and ready for the growth our community has been seeing.
We eliminated the unfair tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, saving commuters in Delta and the Lower Mainland up to $1,500 a year and have seen decreased traffic volumes as commuters are better able to use all our infrastructure.
We have taken bold steps to make life more affordable for British Columbians. For too long, parents have struggled to find care they can afford. We made the biggest investment in childcare in BC’s history, and our fee reduction program saves parents up to $350 per month for eligible childcare spaces.
To tackle the housing crisis, we made a record $6-billion investment in supply, we have taken action to cool speculation driving up costs for ordinary families, and closing loopholes that lead to fraud and abuse.
Savings for families will increase drastically when we completely eliminate the MSP by 2020, which has already been reduced by 50 per cent this year. We also launched the Fair Wages Commission to get B.C. to a $15-an-hour minimum wage by June 2021.
Our economy continues to grow and is a leader in the country. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada, and we are working hard to create good-paying jobs. We are growing the high-tech sector through new funding for tech-related post-secondary spaces, securing roughly $150 million in federal funding to establish the B.C. digital supercluster, supporting emerging tech jobs.
We are continuing our fight for forestry jobs, and to maintain a healthy small business environment, create good jobs and grow a strong, sustainable economy. We have also launched a new Small Business Task Force.
While B.C.'s New Democrat MLAs were working hard to solve problems and make life better for people, we saw B.C. Liberal MLAs continue to put themselves and the top two per cent first, leaving everyone else to pay the price.
While we took action to make housing more affordable, they have promised to repeal the actions our government has taken to curb real estate speculators. They have opposed our government's plan to reduce childcare fees for parents, and rather than saving families up to $1,800 a year, they believe British Columbians should continue to pay the unfair and regressive MSP premiums.
The problems facing B.C. families came up after 16 long years of B.C. Liberal neglect. It is obvious these problems won’t be fixed overnight. However, step by step, our government is making life more affordable, improving the services people count on, and creating good jobs and a sustainable economy throughout B.C.
There is always more to do, but when government puts people first, and makes choices with them in mind, beautiful things can happen. That is the commitment I have made and that’s exactly what our government has done. We’re putting people first and making life better for families.
Ravi Kahlon is the MLA for Delta North.
