NDP leader John Horgan highlighted actions by his party through the period of the pandemic in an address to delegates earlier today. Mr. Horgan was interviewed by Metro Vancouver Chair Sav Dhaliwal at the invitation of the party leader.
Horgan emphasized the importance placed on travelling across BC and building relationships with community leaders since being sworn-in. “Local governments are the catalyst of change”, he said. “If we are not listening to the voices of communities, we are not connecting with people”.
Horgan spoke to the impact of COVID health measures on the ability of supportive housing to maintain existing shelter beds. “The result has been significant encampments in various parts of the province. We have seen some new housing come into play, but we still have so far to go,” he admitted. In addition to maintaining a focus on expanding the quantity of supportive and affordable housing, Horgan also acknowledged the need to expand student housing.
The NDP leader described his work within the Council of the Federation to raise the alarm of the impact of COVID on shelters and public transit. Horgan also noted the funding commitments in the Safe Restart Agreement as indication of close collaboration between the federal and provincial governments, noting that “we now have resources that will help local governments manage their budgets in 2021.”
Horgan acknowledged the need to look beyond the present to address the long-term infrastructure needs of BC’s communities. “I will be delighted to lead a delegation to Ottawa of UBCM members to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure. If it involves more resources from the province, we are prepared to do that.”
An NDP government would also partner with local governments to expand ecological reserves throughout the province and continue the work undertaken thus far to address climate action as set out in the Clean BC agenda.