BC United party leader Kevin Falcon chose the growing community of Chilliwack to pitch his plan to fix the problems plaguing B.C.

About one year out before the next provincial election, Falcon breezed into Smoking Gun, a downtown coffee shop in Chilliwack on Tuesday (Oct. 24) to share his vision for the newly renamed BC United party.

香蕉视频直播淚 think we香蕉视频直播檙e at a time in history when there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of division in politics right now, across North America and around the world. So uniting people together with a common purpose to try to fix things is something I think a lot of people can get behind,香蕉视频直播� Falcon said in an interview with The Chilliwack Progress.

From health care, crime, and drug policy, to BC Ferries, transportation and infrastructure, a lot of things 香蕉视频直播渁re broken香蕉视频直播� right now, he said, 香蕉视频直播渁nd need fixing.香蕉视频直播�

He points to the effort by the NDP to decriminalize small amounts of hard drugs as a 香蕉视频直播渇ailure.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淗onestly, it was like throwing fuel on an already raging bonfire and made things so much worse,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚 think if we get back to providing proper treatment for folks struggling with addiction, and make sure we fund it so that they get the care they need and deserve, and we will start to get different results than what we香蕉视频直播檙e seeing on the streets today.香蕉视频直播�

It ended up being a 香蕉视频直播渞eckless香蕉视频直播� mistake since it was rolled out without having 香蕉视频直播渢he proper guardrails香蕉视频直播� in place first.

So how will he tackle the thorny issue of housing?

香蕉视频直播淲ell, first of all, we have to recognize that the NDP government made a fatal decision, misdiagnosing the problem,香蕉视频直播� Falcon said. 香蕉视频直播淭hey said that the problem was greedy developers and Chinese foreign buyers and they just completely missed the fact that lack of supply was also contributing massively to the problem we face.

香蕉视频直播淪o what they did was they added a whole blizzard of taxes to housing, and yet if you香蕉视频直播榬e adding more to the cost of housing, it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 make it more affordable. And not surprisingly, seven years later, we香蕉视频直播檝e ended up with the most unaffordable housing in North America and the highest rents in all of Canada.香蕉视频直播�

He points to the pivotal issue of supply.

香蕉视频直播淲e have to make sure we get more supply into the marketplace. The people that can best deliver that supply are the private sector and the not-for-profit sector, but they香蕉视频直播檝e got to be properly incentivized, and working with local governments.香蕉视频直播�

Falcon ticked off health-care concerns: one in five can香蕉视频直播檛 get a family doctor; a million people waiting to see a specialist; and the government is sending cancer patients down south for treatment.

Attracting more trained physicians, and international medical graduates to come to B.C. as well as convincing the kids who 香蕉视频直播渟tudied abroad香蕉视频直播� to come back香蕉视频直播� to practise medicine here would help.

香蕉视频直播淎nd I香蕉视频直播檓 going to make sure we take a chainsaw to the stupid rules and regulations that have built up over 100 years so we can get them in, and helping people,香蕉视频直播� he vowed.

BC United would expand and invest in infrastructure 香蕉视频直播渨hether it香蕉视频直播檚 hospitals, and we香蕉视频直播檝e got a record of building 14 hospitals while the former government, whether it香蕉视频直播檚 highways and roads, or the 10-lane Port Mann Bridge.

香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 why we want to expand Highway 1 right through six lanes, right through to Chilliwack. We香蕉视频直播檝e got to get on with these things though,香蕉视频直播� Falcon said. 香蕉视频直播淚t can香蕉视频直播檛 just be about making promises and announcements, and re-announcements.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 got to be about actually getting things built and done.香蕉视频直播�

It was no accident the leader of the Opposition was visiting Chilliwack this week with a press stop, and visits with business and agriculture leaders. Chilliwack香蕉视频直播檚 two provincial ridings voted NDP in the last election, sweeping out the BC Liberal stronghold that had prevailed in an orange wave. So party officials are paying close attention.

香蕉视频直播淚 think Chilliwack is a really important area for us because it香蕉视频直播檚 one of the fastest-growing communities in the country,香蕉视频直播� Falcon stated.

香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檝e got a lot of folks moving out of urban British Columbia that are moving to Chilliwack because there香蕉视频直播檚 more affordability, you know, although that香蕉视频直播檚 getting really tough now too and they香蕉视频直播檙e facing all the challenges of a fast growing community, lack of transit, frankly, the difficulty of just getting around in the community.香蕉视频直播�

Falcon was expected to name some new BC United candidates on Oct. 25, the day after he was interviewed about his future vision for B.C.

香蕉视频直播淲e only changed our names six months ago, but I feel very, very confident by the time we come up to the next election, they香蕉视频直播檙e going to look at the calibre of our candidates, the quality of our platform, and they香蕉视频直播檙e going to vote for the people that actually know how to get things done.香蕉视频直播�

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