Q: Do you support regional road and crossing tolls?
Vicki Huntington (Independent): It depends on who would pays and who would benefit. People in South Delta are tired of filling TransLink coffers while not receiving adequate service. Nor are tolls fair to people living south of the Fraser. My preference, by far, would be the introduction of 'congestion pricing' - a cost for travelling at peak periods which would be applied to everyone and be much fairer. It works well in other countries, so why not here?
Bruce McDonald (Liberal): The roads have to be paid for in some manner. As shown around the world, tolls, properly done, can be a fair and effective tool but the money collected must be specific to the road system. I do not believe they should be selective, however, my preference would be to have much lower cost tolls but apply them on all crossings.
Nic Slater (NDP): The NDP will maintain the existing tolling structure, and has no plans to make changes to it. I believe a discussion with stakeholders would need to take place as to tolls when new infrastructure is being introduced.
Q: What do you think about the current funding formula for education?
Vicki Huntington (Independent): Per-student funding is not working. As enrolment (and thus funding) declines, many costs remain fixed, which leads to chronic budget deficits. We must review the funding formula, and perhaps move to core block funding for school districts topped up with a per-student allotment. The province must also fully fund any new program costs or negotiated wage increases that it imposes on school districts.
Bruce McDonald (Liberal): The funding formula needs to be evaluated on a continuous basis. We do need to bring more money to the table but that can only be done if we have a viable economy. The proposed 10-year agreement would permit proper long term planning. The Education Ministry also needs to be more accessible to and aware of local communities. The current funding problems for bussing in Delta demonstrates how out of touch the bureaucracy is in relation to Delta's transportation problems.
Nic Slater (NDP): The B.C. Liberals used the funding formula to justify their cutbacks to public schools. The B.C. NDP wants to put more resources into classrooms to make sure that students get the support they need with more teachers, education assistants, librarians and counsellors.
Q: What more can be done to protect farmland?
Vicki Huntington (Independent): The government first needs to commit to preserving farmland. We need a hard edge around the ALR and a meaningful funding increase to the Agricultural Land Commission so that it can achieve its mandate. Industry and developers must make better use of existing industrial lands. And we need to move away from regional panels that hear land exclusion applications and get back to provincial panels that have fewer conflicts of local interest.
Bruce McDonald (Liberal): The farm community and farms in Delta are critical to our way of life. The province recognized that the Agricultural Land Commission was underfunded and has added resources but more needs to be done to support the system.
We also need to do a better job of increasing public awareness of the difficulties farmers face in suburban areas like Delta. If we don't support the farmers, we will not preserve the land.
Nic Slater (NDP): The B.C. NDP will protect the Agricultural Land Reserve and strengthen the Agricultural Land Commission. As well, we have a number of programs designed to help growers, including Feed BC, which will promote sales of B.C. produce to hospitals and care facilities, and Buy BC, the marketing program that was cut by the B.C. Liberals.
Q: What do you identify as the biggest needs as far as transit improvements south of the Fraser?
Vicki Huntington (Independent): We need better routes. Getting to North Delta, Surrey or White Rock can take hours and is arduous and frustrating. Seniors need a twice weekly 601 that runs downtown so they can make specialist appointments, shop and visit friends and family - all without feeling overwhelmed. We need a return to full HandiDart service for our disabled and seniors communities. We need a Canada Line extension that joins a light rail system south of the Fraser.
Bruce McDonald (Liberal): The transit system and governance need to be reorganized. The current organization is committed to a Vancouver-centric operation where everything south of the Fraser is a second priority. The three universities in the valley have over 30,000 students between them. The Hydro rail line from Scott Road to Chilliwack could provide a spine for a new effective system into the Valley. In Delta we need more direct busses into the city and they need to run regularly for longer hours.
Nic Slater (NDP): We need more frequent service and more options for our community to ease gridlock and get people transported faster and more reliably. New Democrats will invest a portion of the carbon tax revenue to support transit options and service. The Liberals proposed referendum for regional transit is just a way to delay and posture.
Q: What can be done to better meet the needs of the growing seniors population?
Vicki Huntington (Independent): Regrettably, most of the B.C. Ombudsperson's recommendations to improve services for seniors were ignored. We can start by providing one-stop access to information and services. The new seniors advocate's duties fall far short of what seniors demanded and the act needs amending to create an advocate independent of government and who reports to the legislature. We need transit service that seniors can actually use. We need affordable housing and secure, accessible long-term care.
Bruce McDonald (Liberal): The province has recognized that seniors want to stay at home and be independent. A $20 million fund has been allocated for a "Better at Home" program. At the same time new better care homes are being established, half are government, half are private.
Our current facilities also need to be better supported. An example being our own Delta View hospital, which I believe is very much underutilized. This issue is, and will be, a high priority with me.
Nic Slater (NDP): The NDP has a plan to expand home support and community care for seniors, people with disabilities and people with chronic and complex conditions. We also aim to improve service levels in B.C.'s residential care facilities, including improved standards of care for bathing, toileting, recreational activities and culturally appropriate care. An NDP government will also establish an Independent Seniors' Representative to make sure that our elders are treated with the respect they deserve.
Q: What should be done to help the B.C. film industry?
Vicki Huntington (Independent): The government has turned its back on B.C.'s film industry - after years of helping to build it. Increasing the tax credit and taxing it as a manufacturing industry will help it remain competitive with other jurisdictions. There are too many jobs and too much expertise in B.C. to risk losing our local film industry. I met with industry leaders, wrote to the responsible minister and penned an MLA Report on this issue.
Bruce McDonald (Liberal): The province is providing $380 million in subsidies at the present time and has committed to reassess that position on an ongoing basis. Everyone wants the industry to survive and prosper but there are many important industries and they all have to be treated fairly.
Nic Slater (NDP): We need to restore B.C.'s competitive edge in the film industry. An NDP government will increase both domestic and foreign-production tax credits to help strengthen and grow B.C.'s film and television industries. Our plan is to increase tax credits to 40 per cent of labour costs for both foreign and domestic productions shot in B.C., which will get us back on track to growth and more jobs.
