Delta’s four federal election candidates squared off Wednesday for the final time in South Delta.
Organized by the Delta Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsored by the Delta Optimist, the evening meeting at South Delta Secondary was the last opportunity to see Liberal Carla Qualtrough, New Democrat Jeremy Leveque, Anthony Devellano with the Greens and Conservative incumbent Kerry-Lynne Findlay all in the same room making their pitches to voters.
About 200 were in attendance to hear the four answer a variety of questions submitted to the chamber, ranging from terrorism, supporting seniors’ health care needs to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well as a pair of questions on housing from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the other co-sponsor. The candidates all got to answer the same questions posed by the real estate board, reiterating their party platforms, but due to the high number of the other questions, there was no back-and-forth debate as each of those questions were only posed to one candidate to answer.
As far as some of the hot button local issues, Findlay during her opening remarks wasted no time in breaking the news that BBC Broadcasting Inc., the company behind the controversial plan to erect radio transmission towers near the Point Roberts/ Tsawwassen border, lost its appeal against Whatcom County’s rejection of the application in a U.S. court. She used the opportunity to go over all the work that she had done on behalf of her constituents on the issue, noting it’s an example how she works collaboratively with others.
The radio towers came up as a question posed to Qualtrough, who said the issue was an example how the community needs a more effective MP.
“I would suggest there hasn’t been sufficient federal leadership on this initiative. I give credit entirely to the community for their success and any ongoing success,” she said. “There are other federal avenues that can and should be pursued at the various different levels, whether it be between the FCC and CRTC, whether it be in the halls or prime minister’s office, there’s certainly a role to play for your federal representative in issues that so directly impact our community.”
Asked about protecting farmland from industrial development, Findlay, who met with a group of farmers earlier in the day, said she has been working hard to protect Delta farms and her many campaign signs on local farms shows farmers’ support.
“All of this is important because farming is important to Delta and we want to preserve our farmland, and we don’t want to give it as industrial land. We have Tilbury, we have an industrial park. The many pressures to change our farmland to industrial, I would firmly stand up against,” she said.
Findlay was also asked whether her government would provide funding for the George Massey Tunnel replacement bridge, responding that neither she nor her government has received any information about the project from the province. She said she expects a funding request to come on such a major infrastructure project. She added she has been working with the Corporation of Delta in trying to ensure Ladner would not be cut off when the bridge is built.
Asked for his position on the contentious plan by an airline consortium at YVR to barge jet fuel to a new tank farm along the Fraser River, Devellano admitted he didn’t know much about the issue and instead talked about high jet fuel prices. However, on the question posed to him regrading maintenance dredging of local river channels, he responded that a long-term program is needed just as roads and bridges are maintained, otherwise sediment will simply build up once again.
On the issue of local channel dredging, Findlay was in the audience at Delta council’s meeting this week as the civic politicians agreed to have city staff work with Port Metro Vancouver and the provincial government to determine how $1.5 million remaining from the local channel dredging program will be used for future maintenance dredging in Delta. Members of the Ladner Sediment Group were also in attendance at that meeting, pleased that the port will be asked to continue its contribution until an alternative long-term funding source can be secured.
Asked for his position on the proposed Terminal 2 at Roberts Bank, Leveque answered there is no business case for the project, something confirmed by managers at Deltaport, and that the potential environmental damage is immense for the important ecosystem.
“An NDP government, like I said, would reverse the cuts the Conservatives have made to the protection of our lakes and rivers and would also ensure that we had a credible, science-based environmental review process that respected First Nations’ rights, that included robust community consultation, so that no project could go ahead without a community buy-in and community acceptance, and guarantees that the ecological and environmental damage can be minimized and that the business case is worthwhile.” said Leveque.
Regarding Canada Post’s planned cuts to home delivery, which will see Ladner as the first Lower Mainland community to lose the service, Leveque said that plan would be reversed under an NDP government.
The election takes place Oct. 19.
