In every election, the North Shore News sends questionnaires to candidates running for office and publishes their responses. These are the responses from North Vancouver-Seymour's candidates in alphabetical order.
Independent
Name: Mitchell Baker
Age: 55
Do you live in the riding?
Yes, for my entire life.
What will your government do to address the climate crisis?
Channel funds to those working on the entire ecosystem, not just urban areas. Wildlife/ forest management, fishing and freshwater management improvements are critical. Focus on province-wide solutions and bigger picture.
How will your government make housing more affordable?
Strategically open Crown land for development. Roll back costly building code changes. Remove restrictive language on private land development. Developers build supply, Government needs to be the policy support to remove impediments.
How will your government improve access to health care?
Open more urgent care centers, allocate funding for consistent standards of care. Reduce provincial administration to care staff ratio and direct more resources to the front lines. Fast-track qualified immigrants to ease healthcare staff shortages.
What is your plan for a vibrant B.C. economy?
Encourage the revival of small businesses by removing recently added financial burdens. Balance resource use and industry with environmental stewardship. Promote tourism and back country access while investing its revenue in ecosystem maintenance.
What will your government do to address homelessness and public safety?
Build transportable, temporary microhomes from waste materials on unused land; include basic life/safety supports. End the revolving door for criminals; increase police funding = more manpower; prosecute drug dealers; enforce stricter incarceration.
How will you advance Indigenous reconciliation?
Stop imposing government-driven solutions. Support Indigenous nations in protecting against exploitation by corporate entities. Engage in wrap around conversations to promote broader reconciliation.
Website and social media accounts:
mitchellbaker.ca @mitchellbakerbc
Conservative Party of BC
Name: Sam Chandola
Age: 35
Do you live in the riding?
I live just one block from where the riding’s borders are. I moved to the North Shore five years ago.
What will your government do to address the climate crisis?
We need real solutions for the climate crisis. Our proposal is to invest in carbon capture R&D, then export that technology to China and other major carbon emitters to truly create a meaningful impact while creating local jobs.
How will your government make housing more affordable?
Our Get BC Building policy guarantees 6 month development permit processing, eliminating delays and igniting a housing construction boom. Our proposal to make rent and mortgage tax deductible provides immediate relief. And we want to build new towns.
How will your government improve access to health care?
By implementing Activity Based Funding - a proven model in Europe to reduce wait times while incentivizing investments in doctors instead of admin. And expanding universal healthcare to cover select procedures in non-government clinics.
What is your plan for a vibrant B.C. economy?
Drive private sector jobs by cutting small business tax to 1%. Focus on attracting investment, scrapping the carbon tax, boosting the resources sector, providing certainty in land use, and cutting BC’s deficit in 2 terms without slashing services.
What will your government do to address homelessness and public safety?
Zero tolerance for violent and repeat offenders, and end catch-and-release by appointing principled judges who put victims first. Build supportive housing to address homelessness, but in appropriate locations, not next to families and children.
How will you advance Indigenous reconciliation?
Empower First Nations economically with UNDRIP as a guiding framework. Provide capacity building investments, loan guarantees for major resource projects, and create opportunities to prosper through collaborative return of land and forests.
Website and social media accounts:
https://www.samchandola.ca/
BC NDP
Name: Susie Chant
Age: 63
Do you live in the riding?
Yes, for 38 years
What will your government do to address the climate crisis?
By encouraging more electric vehicles, getting you a better deal for a home energy retrofit, moving BC’s school bus fleet to electric, using alternate power sources. Our CleanBC climate plan is the most ambitious in Canada.
How will your government make housing more affordable?
Continue to build homes for a variety of residents, such as middle income housing in North Van and new student housing at Cap U. We are returning existing units to the market by increasing the speculation tax and cracking down on short-term rentals.
How will your government improve access to health care?
Since April of this year, we’re connecting 588 people per day, on average, to a family doctor. We are building a new patient care tower at Lions Gate Hospital opening Feb 2025. We are hiring more doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
What is your plan for a vibrant B.C. economy?
We’ve got the highest minimum wage in Canada and the highest wage growth among provinces. And we’re also taking action to make sure businesses can keep growing in our cities through Industrial Land Reserves.
What will your government do to address homelessness and public safety?
We’re acting now to get people housed. Almost 6,000 supportive homes have opened since 2017. 2,700 more are on the way, with more to build.
How will you advance Indigenous reconciliation?
Our Declaration Act Action Plan is our plan to advance reconciliation together with Indigenous Peoples. We will continue to work government to government with all of the nations.
Website and social media accounts:
https://susiechant.bcndp.ca/ Instagram: susiechantnvs Twitter: @susiechant_nvs
BC Green Party
Subhadarshi Tripathy did not provide a response to the North Shore News questionnaire.
