Premier Christy Clark heard a plethora of South Delta issues during what may have been a pre-election visit Monday.
The Liberal premier met with constituents, business and community leaders in a roundtable discussion at the Town and Country Inn, which was closed to the media and general public.
In an interview with the Optimist immediately following the meeting, Clark, who earlier in the day met with North Delta community members at the Delta Lion Pub and Bistro, said she wanted get up to speed and connect with those who are making a difference in South Delta.
"I committed to opening up government when I got elected in March. So, I've been doing town halls all across the province and this is part of it. It's a smaller group, it's more focused, but if you don't hear what people have on their minds, you can't run a government that reflects citizens' priorities...," Clark said.
Some of those who participated in the South Delta meeting included Burns Bog Conservation Society president Eliza Olson, Delta school board chair Dale Saip, Ladner Sediment Group's Mike Owen, Tsawwassen First Nation chief Kim Baird and representatives with the Delta Chamber of Commerce and Delta Farmers' Institute.
Clark noted some of the big issues in the riding remain agriculture and protecting farmland, as well as Deltaport and the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
The premier said Delta is unique in that the community, as well as Vancouver and Prince Rupert, are "the face of Canada to Asia" when it comes to exporting Canadian goods.
It's not clear when the premier will call an election, but there's speculation she could call one sometime this year. In the 2009 election, the ruling Liberals lost the Delta South riding to independent Vicki Huntington.
When she paid a visit to South Delta earlier this year during her Liberal leadership campaign, Clark was asked how the party could win back support in the riding. She responded that she intends to change the culture in Victoria so government listens to communities. Former school trustee Kelly Guichon recently announced she's seeking the Liberal nomination in Delta South. She said she likes what she sees in Clark, especially the new premier's "families first" agenda as well as attitude toward open government.
Earlier this year, during the Liberal leadership campaign, former Delta South MLA Val Roddick noted interest in the party in the riding was high and that she wouldn't be surprised if membership reaches or surpasses the all-time high set in 1999.
Meanwhile, Nic Slater, who ran for the New Democrats federally in Delta-Richmond East in this year's federal election, was acclaimed the NDP candidate in Delta South.
In the 2009 provincial election, Huntington narrowly beat the Liberals' Wally Oppal, due in large part to many traditional NDP voters switching to Huntington as a strategic move.
In a recent interview, Slater predicted Huntington and the Liberals will have to fight for every vote next time.
It's not clear whether Huntington will run again as an independent in the next election or perhaps join the Conservatives led by former longtime MP John Cummins.
As far as the possibility of her joining the Liberals, if she was interested in doing so, George Abbott during his leadership bid made a very pubic overture to get the independent, but Clark during the leadership race would only say that's something the caucus would have to discuss.
