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Sheila Malcolmson, BC NDP

Jan 28, 2019 | 2:48 PM

NanaimoNewsNOW reached out to each candidate in the 2019 provincial byelection, asking for a brief bio and answers to the same three questions surrounding important local issues.

The responses below are unedited.

Biography/contact info:

Website: sheilamalcolmson.bcndp.ca

Email: sheilamalcolmson@bcndp.ca

Campaign Office: #16 – 1588 Boundary Crescent, Nanaimo

Phone: 778-441-4559

Twitter: https://twitter.com/s_malcolmson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheilaMalcolmsonNDP

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SheilaMalcolmsonNDP

I love serving the people of our community.

During my 29 years in this region, I have served as an Island Trustee, Chair of the Islands Trust Council, and MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith. Now I am running to be your MLA because I want to keep building on the energy and opportunities we’re seeing in Nanaimo. As your MLA, I’ll keep working with Mayor Leonard Krog and Premier John Horgan to turn things around after 16 years of BC Liberal choices that hurt people.

I have a proven record of working with everyone in our community to get results for people. As Chair of Islands Trust Council I worked with all levels of government for fair ferry fares, marine safety and oil spill prevention. I’ve also worked as an energy policy analyst, small business operator, and an ocean kayak guide on Vancouver Island. My degree is in Environmental and Resource Studies.

 

Question 1: What is your top priority specific to Nanaimo which you would work to address if elected to the legislature?

As your MLA, my goals will be to make life more affordable for Nanaimo families, provide the services that people need like health care and education, and to generate jobs of the future by building a sustainable economy in a healthy environment. With these goals in mind, my priorities for Nanaimo include:

• Making it easier for people to access basic health care services with an Urgent Primary Care Centre;

• Making homes more affordable for Nanaimo families by curbing unfettered real estate speculation and building affordable housing;

• Working with the private sector to provide harbour to harbour foot passenger ferry service to Vancouver;

• Standing up for our coast by cleaning up pollution and taking strong measures to guard against oil spills.

In the past 18 months, the John Horgan government has undertaken very important steps for the people of Nanaimo. We’ve got more ambulances and paramedics, more teachers, and more care hours for our seniors. We’re building affordable housing, and 2,700 Nanaimo kids now have access to affordable child care. Ferry fares are frozen. Nanaimo Hospital is finally getting a badly-needed new ICU.

Let’s keep in going! I look forward to working with you to build a better Nanaimo.

 

Question 2: The current approach to Nanaimo’s homelessness issue is causing much angst in the community. What made-in-Nanaimo solutions would you lobby for to address the crisis?

The homelessness crisis hit our community hard. We needed prompt action to relocate people from Nanaimo’s tent city into modular housing, but this is only a short-term solution. We need long term solutions that provide stable housing along with the necessary supports to help people make the transition from homelessness to healthier lives.

In the short term, it is crucial to improve safety and security at the modular housing. Some key steps have already been taken with regard to light, points of entry, and more security and I am committed to working with neighbours and all levels of government to ensure that more is done.

More importantly, we need to work with the city and agencies to provide long-term solutions, including permanent housing and supports. The homelessness crisis was fuelled by 16 years of poor choices by the BC Liberals – skyrocketing housing prices, growing poverty, and deep cuts to services. We need to address all these issues to ensure that people have a home, and that we never have to return the kind of tent city we saw in downtown Nanaimo.

 

Question 3: The current NDP government is taking steps to “cool” Nanaimo’s real estate market, lowering home values in the interim. Do you support this approach? Why or why not?

When housing becomes unaffordable for people, government should take action.

But the BC Liberals refused to do anything while housing prices spiralled out of control. They allowed unfettered real estate speculation. And the BC Liberal money laundering scandal made things even worse.

Now John Horgan and the BC NDP are taking measures that are working to calm the housing market. One of these measures is the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, which means higher taxes are applied to homes that sit empty in Nanaimo. No one pays the speculation tax unless they own multiple houses they leave empty for more than six month a year.

This is an important tool to help make homes more affordable for people in Nanaimo.

It is part of the BC Government’s 30-point housing plan that includes record investments in building new affordable supply, including almost 300 new not-for-profit affordable homes announced last year for Nanaimo. We can’t afford to go back to the BC Liberals and a return to unlimited real estate speculation. As MLA for Nanaimo one of my key priorities will be affordable housing.