Answers To Pre-Forum Questions – For October 19, 2024 Election
For Vernon, Lumby and Coldstream residents:
The October 3 Environmental All Candidates Forum is now available to watch on livestream at this link: https://www.facebook.com/sensociety/videos/1055992036174681
PLEASE NOTE: the actual forum starts at around 25 minutes. The time before that was used for set-up to ensure that the livestream worked.
For the Vernon Chamber of Commerce forum this is the link: https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-story-510451-2-.htm#510451
A Lumby Chamber of Commerce forum is set for October 10, 7:30 – 9:30 pm at White Valley Community Centre.
VERNON – LUMBY CANDIDATES:
1. BC’s current target is to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030. Do you think this is sufficient, and what will you do to help BC reach that target? If all of BC’s planned LNG projects come online, BC will blow past its 2030 targets. How would you rectify this?
DENNIS GIESBRECHT (CONSERVATIVE)
No response received.
September 30, by email: Regrettably, Dennis Giesbrecht is unable to attend. As election day gets closer, the campaign needs to spend the limited time door-knocking. We wish we had infinite time to attend and do everything, but we had to make the difficult decision to prioritize voter engagement. Giesbrecht Campaign Team
HARWINDER SANDHU (NDP)
With our New Energy Action Framework. We’re taking action to provide certainty for industry, create good jobs, and build a clean economy - one that works better for people, respects First Nations, and protects the climate.
We’re taking action in 4 key areas to ensure the oil and gas industry fits within our climate commitments, and to support new opportunities in clean energy and technology.
○ Bringing in an emissions cap for the oil and gas industry.
○ Requiring all proposed LNG facilities to pass an emissions test with a credible plan to be netzero by 2030 [all facilities in or going through the Environmental Assessment process]
○ Creating a Clean Energy and Major Projects Office, to fast-track investment in clean energy and technology
○ Ramping up B.C.’s production of renewables like wind and solar to power more homes and businesses
We have also eliminated the largest fossil fuel subsidy in B.C. - the Deep Well Royalty Credit - and brought in tough new regulations to slash methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Our New Energy Action Framework will create good jobs and build a clean economy that works better for people, respects First Nations, and protects the climate.
John Rustad and the Conservatives would put all our progress at risk. They don’t believe in climate science.
KEVIN ACTON (INDEPENDENT)
Thank you for the invitation to participate in the Sustainable Environment Network Society all candidate debate scheduled for October 3, 2024 at the Towne Theatre, Vernon, BC.
While all of the topics to be addressed (as reported by Castanet, Vernon Morning Star and others) are of significant concern and interest to most, if not all, Vernon-Lumby constituents, it is my considered position that many of these issues cannot be responsibly discussed or debated in isolation.
I am therefore going to decline participation in favour of other forums and debates wherein all matters important to our communities, stakeholders and residents can be comprehensively and thoroughly discussed and debated.
It is further my considered opinion that certain community challenges cannot be addressed without context, or without a full understanding of due process, allocation of resources to other, perhaps equally compelling, challenges and a full analysis of complex issues that are irrevocably linked.
I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to speak to your proposed agenda issues but I believe I would do a disservice to both the voters and myself should I accept your kind invitation.
ROBERT JOHNSON (LIBERTARIAN) No response received.
2. A just transition means ensuring that no one is left behind economically in the transition to low- carbon and environmentally sustainable economies and societies. What specific supports would you offer to fossil fuel workers, resource-dependent communities, and Indigenous and remote communities as BC moves towards a just transition?
DENNIS GIESBRECHT (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
HARWINDER SANDHU (NDP)
I served as chair of the BCNDP rural caucus in the Legislature and served on the Finance Committee. I grew up on a farm and have lived in many smaller centres all over BC. My colleagues and I have advocated strongly for rural issues. One local achievement I’m particularly proud of is the $15 million for Aberdeen Plateau wildfire mitigation and watershed protection.
We are fighting pollution to take better care of this place we love, while building a clean economy with good-paying, local jobs. CleanBC is one of the most ambitious climate plans on the continent - and it’s working to reduce emissions.
We passed the Climate Change Accountability Act - to legally require government accountability on emission reduction targets. The BCNDP brought in an emissions cap for the oil and gas industry. We are committed to creating good jobs and building a clean economy by supporting new opportunities in clean energy and technology through programs like: rebates for heat pumps, electric vehicles, and home efficiency upgrades. And it’s working - we’ve got the strongest economy in Canada and emissions in B.C. are down despite our growing population. We’re doing it by working together with communities, we’re creating new, sustainable jobs in forestry, mining, energy and innovation.
I’m so proud of the $8 million grant we secured for Tolko industries. I’ve toured Tolko sites with the Thorlakson family with my government colleagues many times and I’ve witnessed the difference these grants are making. My late husband and his father worked in sawmills for decades. I’ve seen first-hand the impacts of mill closures in MacKenzie and Terrace. These job losses are devastating.
KEVIN ACTON (INDEPENDENT) No response provided.
ROBERT JOHNSON (LIBERTARIAN) No response received.
3. Do you support legislation that safeguards biodiversity and protects and restores intact forests, which play an indispensable role as carbon sinks and in reducing climate impacts like droughts and flooding? If you don’t, why not? If you do, how do you think this should be done?
DENNIS GIESBRECHT (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
HARWINDER SANDHU (NDP)
In BC, we are fortunate to live in a place that has the greatest diversity of wildlife, ecosystems, and habitats of any province or territory in Canada. Conserving forests, lands and oceans supports our environment, and it benefits local communities and economies, from tourism and recreation to sustainable fisheries.
David Eby and the BC NDP are taking action alongside First Nations, communities and partners to both conserve nature and support sustainable jobs. Together, we’ve delivered over $150M to protect watersheds, estuaries, inter-tidal zones, and critical salmon spawning habitats.
We’ve also launched a $300M First Nations-led conservation fund in partnership with BC Parks Foundation, to help protect more rare forests. This has ensured unprecedented deferrals and protections within old growth forests, in partnership with First Nations.
David Eby and the BC NDP will keep taking action to move forward conservation – we are committed to conserving 30% of BC by 2030.
KEVIN ACTON (INDEPENDENT) No response provided
ROBERT JOHNSON (LIBERTARIAN) No response received.
4. The Okanagan Valley is a bioregion that is experiencing both water quantity issues (ie. droughts, increased demands) and water quality issues (ie. boil water advisories and increasing algae blooms, including toxic algae). What policies and practices would you advocate for, to minimize future water problems?
DENNIS GIESBRECHT (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
HARWINDER SANDHU (NDP)
I’m so proud of the work we’ve done to conserve BC’s natural beauty and critical biodiversity. Healthy watersheds are important for people, communities, local economies, food security and the environment. With climate change arriving faster than predicted, with more floods, droughts and wildfires, we need to protect and care for our watersheds.
I’ve met with local farmers in Summerland who showed me the positive impacts our programs are already having. We know there’s more work to do.
David Eby and the BC NDP will take action to support our watersheds by:
○Creating the $100M Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program to support food producers to store and improve their water supply for irrigation and livestock.
○Making real progress to prevent biodiversity loss and watershed impacts by working with First Nations, communities, advocates and industry to defer logging of over 2.4 million hectares of BC’s most at-risk old growth forests in watersheds throughout BC.
○Keeping BC’s lakes, rivers and waterways healthy and free from pollution and invasive species.
David Eby and the BC NDP will keep taking action to support healthy watersheds alongside communities, First Nations, farmers, businesses and advocates.
KEVIN ACTON (INDEPENDENT) No response provided
ROBERT JOHNSON (LIBERTARIAN) No response received.
5. If elected, how would you create more healthy, equitable, and sustainable food systems in your region and in the province?
DENNIS GIESBRECHT (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
HARWINDER SANDHU (NDP)
Taking care of our water, food systems and climate is deeply important to me. I feel a responsibility to leave behind a healthy planet for our kids who deserve nutritious food, clean air and safe water.
We are supporting local food security for British Columbians, with more than 4,500 hectares (11,300 acres) leased by new and young farmers through the B.C. Land Matching Program.
By helping to match new farmers with affordable and productive farmland, we are supporting them to start and grow agricultural business which helps ensure that we have more fresh local food available to feed and nourish our communities.
The BCNDP brought back the Buy BC program to support small family-run businesses, new entrepreneurs and more established companies in B.C. expand market reach, increase brand exposure and build consumer awareness of local agriculture, and food and beverage products.
Since the BCNDP relaunched BuyBC the program has supported more than 400 B.C. producers, processors and associations with $12 million to support their efforts to increase food sales, product promotion and food security in B.C.
In 2023 we launched the Indigenous Food Security and Sovereignty Program which is supporting more than 60 projects ranging from community food security to climate-change adaptation to the revitalization of traditional food production.
We're providing $100 million dollars for water infrastructure for farmers and food producers to help make irrigation more efficient, and to build infrastructure to improve water availability and storage. This funding is supporting hundreds of farmers with water storage projects, such as agricultural dams and dugouts, and projects to improve water-supply systems for irrigation and livestock. We will keep working with local farmers across the province.
KEVIN ACTON (INDEPENDENT) No response received
ROBERT JOHNSON (LIBERTARIAN) No response received.
KELOWNA - LAKE COUNTRY - COLDSTREAM CANDIDATES:
1. BC’s current target is to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030. Do you think this is sufficient, and what will you do to help BC reach that target? If all of BC’s planned LNG projects come online, BC will blow past its 2030 targets. How would you rectify this?
ANDREW ROSE (GREEN) No response received.
ANNA WARWICK-SEARS (NDP)
I have worked on climate issues for my entire career – looking at climate impacts now and in the future, and how we can respond to them. I take this very seriously. I chose to run for the NDP because they recognize the existential threat posed by climate change, and as the government in power, they have the ability to take action.
The world is shifting toward clean, green energy. Solar is rapidly getting cheaper. Offshore wind technology is getting better and better. BC is expanding these renewable energy sources. The best way forward is to keep moving on the BC NDP’s CleanBC plan, and Energy Action Framework and continue to look for more opportunities to reduce emissions and demands for GHGs.
I trust that the NDP is taking emission reductions seriously, and is moving in the right direction. I also know that John Rustad would increase oil and gas production, tear up the CleanBC plan, and take us backward. He calls climate science “a lie” and says “we should not be trying to fight climate change”.
In the short term, my plan to help reduce emissions is to re-elect David Eby’s BC NDP. If I am elected, I will work with the party as we together accelerate the adoption of climate solutions.
KEVIN KRAFT (INDEPENDENT)
I want to be clear in stating that I do not believe British Columbia will succeed in achieving its ambitious goal of reducing emissions by 40% or its further goals of 60% and 80%. While well-intentioned, such a target is likely to fall short, drawing criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. I do, however, support practical and logical approaches to electrification, as well as the development of LNG as a viable solution to reduce global emissions, in a cold climate I also believe that relying on a single utility is illogical currently. British Columbians are in a unique position to lead, not only in terms of industrial innovation but also in advancing environmental sustainability. It's shortsighted to treat climate change and emissions as issues isolated to BC. Instead, we should view this challenge as a global one, where BC can set an example. We have the potential to lead our citizens into an era where prosperity, thoughtful planning, responsible production, and environmental protection coexist. This is the path forward: one that balances economic growth with sustainability for future generations.
TARA ARMSTRONG (CONSERVATIVE)
No response received.
September 21 email: I will be following the directions of the central campaign.
2. A just transition means ensuring that no one is left behind economically in the transition to low- carbon and environmentally sustainable economies and societies. What specific supports would you offer to fossil fuel workers, resource-dependent communities, and Indigenous and remote communities as BC moves towards a just transition?
ANDREW ROSE (GREEN) No response received.
ANNA WARWICK-SEARS
Under the BC NDP’s new energy action framework, announced in 2023, the BC government is working to fast-track investment in clean energy and technology and create good, sustainable jobs in the transition to a cleaner economy; as well as accelerate the electrification of B.C.’s economy by powering more homes, businesses and industries with renewable electricity.
Transitioning to a low-carbon economy will be a net-gain of energy jobs. The future green economy will include many jobs for skilled workers to build new energy generation and transition systems, and construction jobs for retrofitting homes and building new energy-efficient buildings. As we move forward, it will be important to work with communities to create new employment opportunities based on existing community needs and geography.
The BC NDP, working with BC Hydro, is already exploring Indigenous ownership opportunities in electricity and transmission investments. For example, the Haida have recently installed a 2-megawat solar farm, as part of their goal to 100% eliminate diesel-powered electricity generation on Haida Gwaii by 2030. Their electrical company is owned and run by the Haida.
The BC NDP has provided significant funding, Community Transition Rapid Response team, and an additional $185 million over three years to provide comprehensive supports for workers and communities impacted by old growth deferrals. Most of this support is available not just to workers but also to their families – as gender-based violence can increase with economic uncertainty and job loss and ensuring retraining and employment opportunities during a transition for families is critical.
John Rustad’s party will build more oil and gas projects, and green energy jobs will not be a priority, leaving BC behind other economies in BC and globally.
KEVIN KRAFT (INDEPENDENT)
The current emissions targets will be leaving many behind, and we’re seeing the real-time consequences in a different industry. The provincial governments lack of guidance and direction for the forestry industry has caused mill closures and industry shifts that are having a devastating economic impact on small communities and families who depend on these industries for their livelihoods. While we discussing reducing fossil fuel use, it's crucial to recognize that their use won’t end anytime soon. Industries that rely on fossil-based products—plastics, fabrics, materials, and recyclables—will continue to operate. We need to be realistic and avoid prematurely dismantling key sectors before a transition is even considered. As we shift to greener alternatives, we must ensure our electrical grid is equipped to handle the increased demands. Pushing for electrification without addressing infrastructure gaps could destabilize both our economy and communities
TARA ARMSTRONG (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
3. Do you support legislation that safeguards biodiversity and protects and restores intact forests, which play an indispensable role as carbon sinks and in reducing climate impacts like droughts and flooding? If you don’t, why not? If you do, how do you think this should be done?
ANDREW ROSE (GREEN) No response received.
ANNA WARWICK-SEARS (NDP)
I am a huge supporter of habitat restoration and protection, whether on land, in freshwater, or in the BC coastal waters. The creek restoration in Polson Park is a local case study, where the City of Vernon, working with the Okanagan Indian Band, has reduce the risk of future flooding while improving salmon habitat, by removing the concrete channel for that section of Vernon Creek. There are many opportunities for projects like this in the Okanagan.
We have a lot of work to do with preserving intact forests in the Okanagan, due to the increase in climate-change driven weather conditions that make our forests more at risk of wildfires. The BC NDP recently gave a $15 million grant to reduce fuel loads around our essential water infrastructure on the Aberdeen plateau, and for Greater Vernon Water, the District of Lake Country, and the Okanagan Indian Band to work together to develop a forest management plan. The province is working to get to where we can use more ‘cultural and prescribed fire’ around BC, as a way to maintain our forests over time.
The BC NDP have been making steady progress on improving protection of old growth forests with Indigenous partnerships. There are many steps to protect old growth, and the BC NDP has started by deferring logging on 2.4 million hectares in BC’s most at-risk old growth forests. For example, the Twin Sisters Park was established in 2024, in the Treaty 8 First Nations area of Northeastern BC. It is an area of cultural and spiritual significance, and is home to at-risk species, grizzly bears and wolverines. The park will help restore healthy ecosystems and watersheds, including vital caribou habitats.
The BC NDP also repealed the “unduly” clause in the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation to ensure that “timber supply” no longer has priority over all forest values. This means that biodiversity, watershed protection, cultural heritage, and other forest values will have a significant role when making forestry decisions. Until this change, any efforts to address these other objections would always be secondary, in law, to resource extraction
I’ve been very impressed with BC’s innovation in the forestry sector, to support the development of products like mass-timber, that can replace steel beams in many buildings, and create sustainable jobs while allowing us to make the best added-value use of our forest products.
John Rustad has promised to return to clear cutting, including old growth.
KEVIN KRAFT (INDEPENDENT)
I believe there is an opportunity to implement legislation that protects our watersheds and biodiversity. Increasing high-elevation water storage and retention is a logical step to ensure a healthy ecology and biology from top to bottom. Without water, there is no food or thriving ecosystem, so it requires greater priority and investment from the provincial government. While I support the forestry industry, I also advocate for selective logging and limiting forest floor disruption. I would work to increase the easement around water tributaries from 15 meters to 30 meters on both commercial and private logging lands. Additionally, I would encourage the provincial government to protect old-growth forests and collaborate with woodlot managers to adjust the AAC cycle. Each cycle could include a percentage of bordering old-growth forest as a measure to preserve these critical areas. This would be a step in the right direction for sustainable forestry and environmental stewardship.
TARA ARMSTRONG (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
4. The Okanagan Valley is a bioregion that is experiencing both water quantity issues (ie. droughts, increased demands) and water quality issues (ie. boil water advisories and increasing algae blooms, including toxic algae). What policies and practices would you advocate for, to minimize future water problems?
ANDREW ROSE (GREEN) No response received.
ANNA WARWICK-SEARS (NDP)
Everyone in the Okanagan loves our lakes and wants to protect them. I have spend the past 18 years helping communities solve water supply and water quality challenges in the valley. With climate change, we will have more frequent and intense droughts and increased demands (crops need more water when the air is hot and dry), as well as more floods. One of the reasons that I am running for the BC NDP is that I want to continue to make progress on climate mitigation and adaptation, in a way that works for our valley.
To address water shortages, we need to expand storage, either on-farm, or by expanding reservoirs. We can also improve infiltration by reducing hardscapes and expanding wetlands, which will allow us to increase storage in groundwater. And wherever possible, we should be targeting major leaks in our water supply systems, and upgrading irrigation. The recent BC NDP funding to improve on-farm water supply systems has been very helpful, based on the feedback I have had from farmers.
Water quality is a multi-factor issue, with many different types of interventions. One of the most impactful things we could do is to reduce runoff from our roads, entering the storm water system that flows into lakes and streams. This runoff carries pollution from everything from brake lining to pet waste. An emerging cause of algal blooms is that nutrients are entering the lake from ash and erosion related to wildfires. This will take a long time to address, so it benefits communities to move on the pollution that is easier to control. The BC NDP is an active partner with Okanagan communities to monitor water quality, and to address specific sources of pollution – like the nitrate pollution in the Hullcar aquifer in the North Okanagan.
Another important issue for water quality is to stop the invasion of zebra and quagga mussels. The BC NDP is working together with all levels of government to reduce the risk of an invasion, including with the Okanagan Basin Water Board, BC Hydro, the Government of Alberta, US states and Canada Border Services.
KEVIN KRAFT (INDEPENDENT)
This region is unique in that it has two high-elevation water utilities serving different communities, making high-elevation water storage critical for supporting season-long ecological systems from top to bottom. These systems help ensure consistent water flow, benefiting both the environment and the communities and industries that rely on them. In contrast, the valley-bottom lake water systems face additional challenges, requiring more extensive filtering and pumping to ensure clean water reaches homes. Moreover, these valley-bottom systems are under significant threat from invasive species like Quagga and Zebra mussels, which could have devastating effects on water quality and infrastructure. While drought and changing weather patterns increasingly affect water storage, we must make progress in modernizing and adapting our water management practices. This means investing in technologies and infrastructure to address the current and future challenges. Proactive measures to safeguard high-elevation storage, improve filtering systems, and protect against invasive species are crucial steps toward maintaining water security for the region. By taking these actions now, we can better prepare for the evolving climate and the needs of our growing communities
TARA ARMSTRONG (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.
5. If elected, how would you create more healthy, equitable, and sustainable food systems in your region and in the province?
ANDREW ROSE (GREEN) No response received.
ANNA WARWICK-SEARS (NDP)
This has been a challenging few years for farmers. The heat dome and the floods of 2021, the extended drought from Fall 2022 through 2024, and other extreme weather events hammered many different kinds of farms and farmers. As well, the closure of the BC Tree Fruits cooperative created a crisis for apple and pear growers, that otherwise had a good crop. This succession of negative events illustrates the kind of challenges local producers are facing. I would like to see the development of a local food ethic, where people make it a priority to support their local farmers and maintain our local food security. The supply-chain failures in recent years illustrate how important this is.
Other solutions include encouraging value-added products, like Karma juice beverages, SunRype, and local wine and cider production. In many cases, agri-tourism can also be part of the solution, helping farmers with another income channel to help weather the ups and downs of climate and weather.
The BC NDP are working closely with Okanagan fruit producers to help re-establish local controlled-atmosphere storage for their fruit. This spring, they rolled out an $80 million program to support agricultural water infrastructure, and gave an extra $3 million to support an agricultural extension program, helping farmers respond to the ongoing drought.
If elected, I will work closely with producers in my riding, to find local solutions to local food system issues. If John Rustad is elected, and cuts core budgets to provide tax cuts to the top 2%, there will be few resources to support BC farmers.
KEVIN KRAFT (INDEPENDENT)
I would foster collaboration between government, industry, agriculture, and environmental stakeholders to strengthen food systems. Supporting local agriculture is key, with incentives such as grants and tax credits helping farmers adopt sustainable practices while reducing reliance on imports and lowering global carbon footprints. I would also look to our post-secondary institutions for leadership in establishing an Aggrotech/Agricultural Faculty here in the Okanagan. Protecting agricultural land is crucial to ensure it is preserved from urban sprawl and industrial encroachment, while promoting efficient land use to maximize productivity. Balancing ecology and industry are essential, ensuring sectors like forestry and fisheries operate within environmental standards to safeguard surrounding agricultural lands and food systems. Promoting sustainable technologies, such as water-efficient irrigation and renewable energy on farms, can help reduce environmental impacts and preserve natural resources. Finally, enhancing local distribution networks to improve access to healthy foods would ensure that all communities benefit from a sustainable, locally grown food system. This approach balances the needs of the economy, agriculture, land protection, and ecological health for the long-term.
TARA ARMSTRONG (CONSERVATIVE) No response received.