Mostly everything from groceries to services and housing are costing more over recent years, forcing hard choices to help families balance their budgets. (Dreamstime)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

higher prices

Election 2024: Dealing with local cost of living challenges

Oct 11, 2024 | 9:38 AM

NANAIMO — NanaimoNewsNOW is continuing its local coverage of the 2024 provincial election, with a focus on four central Island ridings.

Our Election Centre is live, featuring the latest campaign news, candidate profiles, voter information and more.

As part of this coverage, we sent a survey to the 13 candidates running in the Nanaimo-Gabriola, Nanaimo-Lantzville, Ladysmith-Oceanside and Mid-Island Pacific Rim ridings, to gauge their thoughts on priority topics in the area.

Our second of a four-part series looks at the cost of living challenges escalating locally, and specific examples candidates are hearing as they move through the campaign.

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Question: Cost of living challenges continue to mount, with everyday items and activities becoming increasingly unaffordable. What specific examples of this have you seen in the riding, and what areas would you advocate for to bring relief to residents?

BC Green Party candidate Shirley Lambrecht highlighted the riding as one of the “hardest affected by the affordability crisis.”

Lambrecht said a disproportionate number of local residents receive social service benefits, creating bigger gaps between classes and increasing poverty rates.

“We have an epidemic of unhoused people which now includes many seniors. While there are many inflationary factors in play, our social support systems have endured austerity budgets while subsidies and tax incentives flow in abundance to the wealthiest.”

She said she’s committed to increasing social supports and providing a liveable income to help people escape extremely precarious financial situations.

More on Lambrecht is available here.

Sheila Malcolmson of the BC NDP said people are obviously struggling to keep up with global inflation as well as rising housing and grocery costs.

She touted NDP actions over recent years pertaining to childcare costs, MSP premiums, car insurance rates and other utilities, indicating a re-elected NDP government would push for additional supports.

“At the same time, we are building an economy with higher paying jobs and training people for those jobs, including a skills grant for short-term training for in demand jobs. BC has some of the lowest unemployment and the strongest wage growth of any province.”

She added free transit initiatives for kids and seniors in off-peak hours has helped with community accessibility.

More on Malcolmson is available here.

BC Conservative candidate Dale Parker said he’s seen first hand struggles with affordability, speaking with residents and business owners in the riding.

Parker highlighted the carbon tax as main a negative impact on budgets.

“The provincial government has been relentless in this. One woman I met was visibly shaken. She could not afford to run her furnace and had a carbon tax bill on the service even with it tuned off.”

He added a removal of the carbon tax in B.C., along with rebates proposed by the BC Conservatives would have ripple effects on everything, including food costs.

More on Parker is available here.

Question: Cost of living challenges continue to mount, with everyday items and activities becoming increasingly unaffordable. What specific examples of this have you seen in the riding, and what areas would you advocate for to bring relief to residents?

George Anderson of the BC NDP said the party has made strides in cutting costs for families, giving examples such as reduced ICBC rates, lower childcare costs.

“Global inflation and high interest rates are having an impact locally, and people have shared how frustrated they feel. That’s why I am running with the BC NDP, a party that is putting people first and finding ways to bring relief to people.”

He said a comparison in plans between the BC NDP and Conservatives shows a vast difference in tackling affordability challenges.

Anderson added MSP premiums doubled and BC Hydro rates increased under the BC Liberal government, of which Conservative leader John Rustad was a member of.

More on Anderson is available here.

BC Conservative Party candidate Gwen O’Mahony said the carbon tax is a main part of the party platform to deal with cost of living increases.

“The Conservative Party of BC is committed to removing the carbon tax which would provide immediate relief on everything from groceries to filling your gas tank. When it was first implemented, the price of the carbon tax was set at $20 per ton. Today, the price is $80.”

More on O’Mahony is available here.

Lia Versaevel of the BC Green Party pointed to challenges in the riding for food security, along with affordability challenges much of the province shares.

She added healthcare costs are rising for those without extended benefits and even getting to service providers is a challenge for some in the riding, especially in and around Lantzville.

“The cost of maintaining a vehicle is prohibitive. Using bicycles is not possible for those with physical challenges and road safety concerns. Lantzville does not currently have bike lanes or sidewalks in many areas, particularly in the Winds.”

Versaevel also said people in the riding have had to purchase their drinking water at “enormous expense”, due to the closure of their wells and prohibitive costs to connect to the regional supply.

More on Versaevel is available here.

Question: Cost of living challenges continue to mount, with everyday items and activities becoming increasingly unaffordable. What specific examples of this have you seen in the riding, and what areas would you advocate for to bring relief to residents?

Stephanie Higginson from the BC NDP said many conversations she’s had have been with people finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.

She said inflation, high interest rates and real estate speculators are creating challenging conditions for locals.

“[People] tell me that they are really happy about some of the actions that the NDP government has taken, like reducing ICBC rates by $500 a year and then freezing them, and eliminating MSP Premiums, saving families $1,800/year.”

She said she’s excited to champion additional supports including more $10 per day childcare places and additional rebates for families.

More on Higginson is available here.

Independent candidate Adam Walker said some of the toughest conversations he’s had as MLA for Parksville-Qualicum over the last four years was with seniors who have rented in the riding for a long time, but recently received eviction notices.

He said it’s forced them to live in their car or ultimately leave the region.

“No senior, or anyone who has worked hard, should have to go through that. Right now, Oceanside has over 250 people waiting for affordable housing, mostly seniors. In Ladysmith, investments that should’ve been made locally have for too long gone to Nanaimo.”

He said he would push government to expand the SAFER program, helping seniors stay in their homes as rents rise. He also said businesses need increased safety and security in the downtowns to ensure their long term survival.

More on Walker is available here.

BC Conservative candidate Brett Fee and BC Green Party candidate Laura Ferreira did not submit survey responses before a Tuesday, Oct. 8 deadline.

Question: Cost of living challenges continue to mount, with everyday items and activities becoming increasingly unaffordable. What specific examples of this have you seen in the riding, and what areas would you advocate for to bring relief to residents?

Adam Hayduk of the BC Conservatives said affordability is one of the challenges he here’s “constantly” when going door to door in the riding.

“The cost of food has increased so much that parents in my riding have changed how they shop and eat so their children don’t feel the impacts. Gone are the days where hard work was able to get us ahead. Constituents work two jobs and still struggle to get by.”

He said people are unable to find affordable housing, with many having to live in their cars or live with strangers as roommates.

Hayduk touted BC Conservative plans to axe the carbon tax, which he said would drop gas prices by 36 cents per litre, along with a rebate program to provide immediate relief to family budgets.

More on Hayduk is available here.

BC NDP candidate Josie Osborne said everyone in the riding feels the pinch of prices at the grocery store, housing costs and other necessities.

She said as MLA for the riding, the NDP has pushed forward a series of initiatives designed to reduce costs.

“…helping families save thousands of dollars a year by eliminating MSP premiums, expanding affordable childcare, raising minimum wage, raising the BC Family Benefit, making transit free for kids <12 , and keeping BC Hydro rate increases below inflation.”

She said more results are coming with a more recent clamping down on housing speculators, as well as further regulating the short-term rental market.

More on Osborne is available here.

BC Green Party candidate Ross Reid did not submit survey responses before a Tuesday, Oct. 8 deadline.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff