As the B.C. NDP released an election platform Thursday that promises to invest in the school system and spur housing construction, their main political rivals, the B.C. Conservatives, tried to upstage the New Democrats with a slew of commitments on transportation infrastructure and a tax cut for small businesses.
The B.C. Greens, meanwhile, slammed both parties for trying to buy votes with tax cuts despite offering no plans on how they will pay for the promises.
WATCH | A profile of David Eby, the B.C. NDP leader:
As the province heads to the polls on Oct. 19, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby is making his pitch to voters and explaining how he would tackle the biggest issues facing British Columbians.
The NDP’s campaign promises include building the province’s first addictions treatment centre specifically for construction workers, who make up one in every five overdose deaths.
Eby also pledged to integrate before and after school care into all B.C. schools so, eventually, parents will no longer have to scramble to get their kids in the middle of the afternoon.
The NDP leader said before and after school spots would be staffed by educational assistants (EA). He said the plan was developed with the support of EAs, many of whom currently work part-time hours.
“By offering before and after school care opportunities fo parents, the EAs have the opportunity to work full time,” Eby said. “So they get full-time work, which makes the job more attractive and easier to recruit. And it has the added benefit of bringing before and after school care for parents.”
B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau said she’s “dismayed” to see Eby present a plan that would have EAs working longer without guaranteeing them better pay. She also said Eby’s plan does not have a price tag.
Eby further promised to make sure every school has a mental health counsellor and that every classroom has a dedicated EA to help children who are struggling.
B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Clint Johnston welcomed those measures.
“It’s just a fact that students are dealing with more mental health issues,” Johnston said. “So seeing that commitment to them having access to support every day in a place they spend a good majority of their life is really welcome.”
Eby also committed to free off-peak transit for seniors. The B.C. Greens, meanwhile, have pledged to make public transit free for all British Columbians.
For pet owners, the NDP promised to get rid of the no-pets clause in purpose-built rental buildings.
People who speed in luxury cars would also face higher speeding tickets, which would be priced based on the value of the car over $150,000.
The platform reiterated many of Eby’s previously announced promises, including a middle-class tax cut which Eby said would save 90 per cent of families $1,000 a year.
The NDP, which has already introduced legislation to set housing targets for municipalities, said it would reward local governments that build the required housing with a new local infrastructure investment fund. However, the party did not include a dollar amount for the fund.
The party said it would encourage people to rent their basement suites or laneway houses by offering “mom and pop” landlords subsidized insurance that protects against unpaid rent and damages, offers legal advice and more.
The B.C. Conservatives tried to upstage the NDP Thursday morning by releasing its policies on growing the economy and investing in transportation.
Party leader John Rustad promised to cut small business taxes in half, to one per cent. However, Rustad could not say how much that tax cut would cost the province.
The cut was endorsed by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Jairo Yunis, the federation’s B.C. director, said small businesses are struggling and need the relief.
“Those are real savings, tangible savings that businesses can use to hire more people, or open a second location, or pay down some of the debt they’ve incurred,” Yunis said.
He said small business taxes make up less than one per cent of B.C.’s tax revenue, so such a tax cut would cost the government an estimated $200 million a year.
Rustad also promised to expand the Surrey SkyTrain to Newton, expand transit service in the Sea to Sky corridor and prioritize Fraser Valley regional rail. He also said a Conservative government would expand the new Pattullo Bridge to six lanes instead of four.
Surrey Board of Trade spokesperson Jasroop Gosal said he’s happy to see the political parties “taking Surrey seriously and addressing the concerns of our business community.”
However, he said the devil is in the details.
“We are awaiting detailed information on how they plan to implement some of these platform promises and, until we see that, we remain skeptical,” Gosal said.
Rustad also said a Conservative government would undertake an audit of TransLink, which is facing a funding gap of $600 million each year.
Rustad released a long list of transportation infrastructure his party would fund, though none of the projects had price tags. They included a new bridge across Okanagan Lake, replacing the Taylor Bridge across the Peace River, rebuilding Red Bridge in Kamloops, upgrading Highway 19 in Nanaimo, expanding Highway 1 to six lanes and replacing the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and the George Massey Tunnel.
Furstenau said neither party has a plan to lift people out of poverty, and that both Eby and Rustad pitched lofty promises with few details.
“What I’ve seen from both the B.C. Conservatives and the B.C. NDP is the standard promise generally that we get from right-wing political parties, which is [they’re] going to cut taxes with no plan for how to address the cost of the things they’re promising,” she said.
The B.C. Green Party on Thursday reiterated its platform promise to double social assistance and disability rates.
Furstenau also said if elected the party would finish the job the NDP abandoned of delivering universal $10-a-day child care by 2026.