key issues
My four key issues for Victoria; housing, education, healthcare, and the environment were developed after meeting and speaking to hundreds of people. As your next Member of Parliament I believe I will have the necessary experience to represent Victorians in Ottawa.
As an architectural technologist I have been involved in the construction industry for over 28 years. As the owner of Concepts, Design and Drafting for 28 years I have designed hundreds of energy-efficient houses, additions and renovations.
I had been a renter for 20 years before I bought my first home in Victoria. Now I have a second home, a rental property in Victoria and I am a landlord. I also have worked with developers and have helped bring hundreds of condominiums to market in Victoria.
So when it comes to the housing crunch faced by many Victorians I have the experience to find solutions.
The second key issue is education. Our education system must remain accessible to all. I received my training as an architectural technologist at NAIT (The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) in Edmonton, Alberta. NAIT is world renowned in its ability to deliver timely, cost effective training in technology and apprenticeship training. In British Columbia the emphasis has been on university education but our colleges and trade schools are equally important. With our aging workforce, experienced trades people are retiring and shortages of skilled labour are already common.
Whether an individual chooses a trade, college or university one thing is clear. It is very difficult and expensive.
I believe we need more co-operative programs, which allow the student to alternate work experience with classroom time. This also helps the student to earn while they learn and also helps in narrowing the focus of their career aspirations. By the time a student graduates from a co-op program they are able to start working in their field and in some cases already have a position. In order to make this approach available to more students we need to support private industry to provide more workplace opportunities. Canadian companies tend to spend less on training than US companies.
Healthcare is a key issue for Victorians. We enjoy a high quality of life and expect quality healthcare. Wait lists area a concern for many people.
I have experience in our healthcare system, as an architectural technologist involved in the operation of the Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre in Edmonton to the construction of the new Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.
As well, I have personal experience with the healthcare system when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991. She died a year later in Kelowna. The palliative care she received in Kelowna was excellent. Kelowna and Victoria are unique cities in Canada because the both have palliative care available in the home. We need to fund these programs so that they remain available.
I believe that we need to streamline the process to accredit new Canadian medical professionals from other countries. It is such a waste to our society to have highly trained people driving cabs or cleaning buildings because of the process.
In many cases these professionals bring new skills with them, not the least is the ability to speak two languages.
Another refinement to our healthcare system would be to reinstate the practice of doctors making house calls. New studies show that house calls can be an efficient way to deliver quality care. There is an opportunity to train new Canadian healthcare professionals by developing and expanding the practice of house calls.
As the former chair of the Northern Alberta chapter of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Inc. for 4 years I have experience in solar and alternate forms of energy. I recently completed the working drawings for a new library of which was designed as a LEED silver building.
We need to protect our air, water, and land. As your next Member of Parliament I promise to support the moratorium on offshore oil and gas development along our coast.
A costly and contentious issue in the Victoria area is the question of secondary sewage treatment. As Ottawa has already promised financial assistance in this matter I believe it is the primary role of the newly elected Member of Parliament to ensure that Victorians receive the necessary funding.