Black Press Media asked politicians in the Central Okanagan for their highlights of 2023.
I want to thank you for your continued support and trust in me as your MLA for 麻豆精选-West.
We celebrated some remarkable achievements in our community, such as the opening of Julia鈥檚 Junction, a playground that welcomes children of all abilities.
This project reflects our community鈥檚 values of inclusion and diversity, and I am proud to have been part of it.
However, we also faced serious challenges this year which exposed the NDP government鈥檚 incompetence.
The devastating wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes, and the NDP failed to provide sufficient resources to rapidly attack and suppress wildfires, especially interface wildfires.
Secondly, the complete collapse of the Emergency Support Services at Royal Lepage Centre was caused by bureaucratic incompetence provincially and locally.
In real crisis, we need to work and act in a coordinated and seamless manner to achieve positive results for evacuees!
Another challenge we faced was the rising crime rate.
Premier David Eby鈥檚 soft-on-crime policies have put our safety at risk, allowing criminals to reoffend.
The NDP鈥檚 reckless decriminalization experiment has also worsened the drug crisis, leading to more open drug use and trafficking.
We need a justice system that protects the law-abiding citizens, not the lawbreakers鈥riminals who need real consequences for their actions.
We need a drug policy that helps people with addiction get better, not the dealers.
Affordability was also a major concern for many of us, as British Columbia has become the least affordable province in Canada, with the most expensive rents in North America and half of our B.C. residents living paycheque to paycheque.
We need a government that respects your hard-earned money, not one that wastes it.
The NDP鈥檚 solutions have been to increase public spending and public service employees by over 40 per cent which has not improved healthcare, daycare accessibility, low-income housing, or lowering costs to assist British Columbians in putting food on the table.
The NDP鈥檚 failures have shown they are not fit to govern.
With real leadership, we can make British Columbia a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
On a more positive note, I know it鈥檚 been a challenging year for so many families.
Please consider reaching out and helping those less fortunate with a hand-up this year.
Happy Holidays to all!
