Four candidates are campaigning to represent the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding as MLA. General election day is October 19.
Christopher Hergesheimer (Green Party of BC), and Randene Neill (BC NDP), Greg Reid (Independent) and Chris Moore (Conservative Party of BC) were asked the following question:
What do you believe is the most important issue in the riding and how would you work to address it if your party forms government?
Here is the response from Christopher Hergesheimer (Green Party):
I believe that the most important issue in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding is the division we are currently experiencing.
We are divided along political and socioeconomic lines, by transportation options and access. We are divided into municipalities and rural areas, identifying as either longtime residents or new community members, and to make matters even more challenging, the population is divided based on what their most important issues are.
Our individual, singular issues ought not dictate the communal directions and policies for the benefit of many. This division is hindering agreement on shared priorities and slowing down collaborative solutions.
As your MLA, I will engage the community in creative ways as I have done for more than a decade — leveraging my established relationships in the community with social services, local businesses and government to provide opportunities to connect with each other. I will be accessible to my constituents to gain a clear understanding of their concerns and use my 20 years of community service to deepen relationships that will break down silos that impede our local work.
Through this process I will implement democratic solutions that will lead to direct action on the ground.
My plan to bridge the division we experience as a community is to be a champion for cross-party collaboration at the provincial level and to be a strong voice holding power accountable, with the goal of serving the needs of the community I call my home.
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