Nicholas Simons: “We will hold a referendum on proportional representation”

(by Margot Grant)

What is the most pressing issue in this riding?

We need representation with integrity–someone who will represent the issues and the people of the Sunshine Coast in a passionate, co-operative way.

I think that my record shows my ability to work with government, with bureaucracies, and with agencies to make sure that the best possible outcomes for the community can be  achieved. My record is clear despite the fact that we have an often hostile government.

I remember one of the first issues I ever dealt with as MLA was Arrowhead and their funding. I spoke directly with Minister of Housing Rich Coleman about Arrowhead and subsequently Arrowhead became, and continues to be, a success.

Minister Bennett came to the Sunshine Coast on my invitation to meet with residents of the Sechelt Inlet area over plans for a mine. He saw the problems with potential noise and loss of view and the plan did not go through.

I met with the minister responsible for the regulations for producing meat locally. As a result, exemptions were made for our community. Farmers on the Sunshine Coast and Haida Gwaii are now allowed to raise and slaughter their own animals for local consumption.

‘Both parties

have asked me

to become a member’

My ability to get along with government includes socializing with members and their spouses beyond the Legislature. Anyone in this position needs to know how to foster and nurture good relations even if your perspectives do not align.

I think that my approach, my ability to get along with the other parties is evidenced by the fact that I’ve been asked by both other parties to become a member. In fact, the Green Party asked me to run as a candidate at one point.

The Liberals did not ask me to run but after the last elections they were hoping  I’d cross the floor. I would not do that. Their priorities are certainly not my priorities.

What got me into politics were issues around social justice and the protection of vulnerable children in the communities. I think that the New Democratic Party is head and shoulders above the other two main parties when it comes to addressing issues of inequality and the needs of community members who may be struggling or who are not in the highest income bracket.

Housing affordability

I’m pleased to say that, after denying there was a problem for so long, the government finally did introduce the foreign homebuyers tax, which obviously had an impact on the real estate market. In the past the government had mocked us when we said they should get involved.

It was also important that we recognized that taxing speculators could reduce problems with skyrocketing prices and rents.

There should be a tax of two per cent on houses that are clearly empty for reasons of speculation. Homes should be lived in. Other jurisdictions do it. The tax would be used to build a housing affordability fund.

We are planning to construct 114,000 affordable housing units, be they co-op housing or partnerships with builders. We want to free up available Crown land for some of these projects.

The government has retracted subsidies for affordable housing so you see people in subsidized housing here on the Sunshine Coast being evicted, even though there are no places for them to go. With just a notice of eviction, some people are forced to suddenly find market housing in a place where none exists.

I read the article “Temporary homes on clearcuts” in The Coast Clarion. I think it’s time for the decision makers to recognize that there are new, innovative ways of housing people. We’re faced with a crisis we have never faced before.

It is time we looked at the use of Crown land; it is owned by the public but not accessible by the public. But when you have a government that has shrunk to the smallest possible size there is not a lot of room to look at innovation.

In our platform we strive for a co-operative approach. Instead of letting each individual ministry act as if it is not related to other ministries, they all need to work together. In this case, the Ministry of Housing could talk with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations about temporary housing on Crown land. Together these ministries could identify a place and a concept that can work.

It would bring dignity to those who are struggling, safety to people who are afraid,  and security and stability for people who are constantly worried about their next step.

If people’s health care needs were  looked after, if their worries about where they are going to be in a week or two weeks were taken away, they could  focus on building their resilience and strength. So it is time we looked at alternatives.

Ferries

The first step we’ve announced is that we will reduce fares by 15 per cent on the non-major routes including the Sunshine Coast. Fares on the major routes will be frozen. Obviously, we recognize the impact of high ferry fares on families and businesses.

On the small routes, fares have gone up 160 per cent in the last 16 years. Any government that condones those kinds of fare increases is out of touch.

But this is just step one. We will look to see if there’s a way the ferries can become part of the highway system. Or, possibly, the government could take the ferries back.

Obviously there are a number of factors that prevent us from saying that is what we will do, including the large debt.

I would like the federal government to take more responsibility for the cost of the ferries but I’m not going to get the provincial governement off the hook for that. The ferries are our marine transportation system and they are essential for our economic development.  Our communities contribute a huge amount to the economics of this province.

LNG and Woodfibre

The benefits of LNG are one big myth. I’m obviously concerned that Woodfibre was one of the largest donors to the Liberal Party, and there seem to be some secret deals.

How far back do you want to go to find fault with Woodfibre LNG? Is it the fracking, is it the transportation, is it the cost, is it the greenhouse gas emissions, is it the temperature of the water, is it the impact on sea life and clean air, is it the safety of the tankers coming in and out of the inlet? Is it the risk of a catastrophic event? I mean, where to start?

This project is supposed to bring 600 jobs. That’s what they say. First of all, I don’t trust the government when it comes to job projections. I don’t trust an industry that is a major backer of a political party. I don’t trust their numbers; I believe they are highly exaggerated.

When you consider the fact that the same people who are promising us jobs are cutting jobs in other places or reducing the value of jobs in all commmunities in the province, I don’t think they can be trusted.

Our forestry industry has been devastated by government policy. We see raw logs exported in numbers we have not seen before.

We need to invest in the industries that have helped build our communities, industries that are tried and true and needed and don’t have the disastrous impact that the LNG industry would have.

Campaign contributions

We tried to pass legislation six times that would ban big money from political parties. Big donations distort the political process. It undermines any trust people have in government and politicians.

The Liberals are upset about union donations to the NDP. But how can a person claim that a union donating hundreds of thousands of dollars is the same as three individuals giving $2,5 million to a party?

This government is accepting millions of dollars from real estate developers, millions of dollars from energy companies, millions of dollars from pipeline companies. And they are going to point to an organization that represents thousands of workers who are concerned about workplace safety and about their jobs?

As far as I can remember, the donations to the opposition have not had any influence on licenses, permits, regulations or legislation.

We need to ban big money, and that means both unions and big corporations. We accept them in this campaign because otherwise we can’t compete. Look at the ads the Liberal government is running. We have been clear we don’t like this system but we have to use it. As soon as we are in, that will be the first thing we will get rid of.

Site C

What a sad, sad case. I’ve been up to the Peace River, I’ve paddled for the Peace a couple of times, I’ve met with the Boon family, I’ve met with mayors and First Nations people in the area, and I attended a Site C hearing in Fort St. John.

This government has done everything they can to push this project through without any external oversight.

I just can’t imagine how the government can be so shortsighted. To bypass proper external reviews, to destroy land that could feed a million people a year for power you don’t need: I can’t see anything good coming out of it.

We have an opportunity to show First Nations that we mean it when we say we are interested in reconciliation. This government is obviously two-faced about that. We have an opportunity to protect land that is becoming more and more valuable because of climate migration. The Peace River Valley is going to be a fertile area and everybody knows it. It is a wildlife corridor with its own microclimate. It has heritage values.

Water issues on the Sunshine Coast

I’ve often suggested that we as a government should set up a Ministry of Water. Air and water, that’s life.

We need to look at ways we can store water. We can also think of providing incentives for communities to use gray water.

Jobs, precarious work, opportunities for youth employment

Our societies have to move away from the need for jobs. A guaranteed minimal income could be the answer to automation and the reduction of the number of people required to work.

The people who are looking at our demographic future are telling us that we’re going to have to make a major shift. The guaranteed minimal income can be part of that. I’m interested in it and I think we need to start looking at it from a public policy perspective.

Right now, we obviously need jobs. And we can have jobs in every community in this province if we weren’t fixated on large megaprojects only.

I’d like to see people working in their communities and not in camps. Our plan for energy calls for a retrofit of public buildings so we can save 35 to 40 per cent in energy. The jobs associated with those retrofits, be they public buildings, businesses or residential homes, can be found in all our communities.

If we don’t promote alternative energies we are going to be so far behind the rest of the world. We have the opportunity. There are some wind farms and there are people who use solar energy. But it needs to have enough volume so it becomes a business.

Persephone

Our number one priority should be to preserve land that can be used for growing food. At the same time, we need to make sure that the regulations are fair.

Persephone and Crannog Ales in the interior aren’t allowed to operate unless they have a higher percentage of ingredients grown on their own farm. We need to take steps to make sure that these small businesses can operate. Clearly policy should not favour one sort of business over another, like wineries over breweries.

The government and the producers need to sit down and talk about it but the government refuses to call the Agriculture Committee together to discuss it.

Seniors’ health care

It is very unfortunate that the Liberal government has decided to close the two seniors care centers in Sechelt. Replacing Shorncliffe and Totem with a for-profit home is contrary to the best interests of the residents of the centers as well as the employees. It has a negative impact on our communities.

I called the first meeting to discuss the closure. Over 350 people showed up at the seniors’ center. I invited representatives from seniors organizations, workers’ representatives and community leaders. They were all there.

Two other large meetings followed. I have never seen such large townhall meetings. I was handed a list with just over 10,000 signatures against the closure of the two homes.

But the Liberal government refuses to change its mind. Vancouver Coastal Health has been forced to go through with the closure despite the community’s expressed wishes. I think that reflects this government’s attitude towards the public.

It is very wrong that we’re losing these two centers for seniors’ care and that every worker is going to be laid off, only hoping to be hired by the private company.

What is close to your heart

I am absolutely thrilled that our platform calls for a referendum on proportional representation.

Right now, whoever gets into government gets to do whatever they want without any democratic consequence.

In twelve years, the opposition has never won a vote that the government did not want us to win. Every single amendment to legislation proposed by the opposition has been voted down. Every private member’s bill, every bill from anybody not in government, has been ignored after first reading.

The HST was the one exception. But that required thousands of volunteer hours from across the province.

I believe there should be more parties in the legislature. I recognize that multiparty parliaments sometimes have trouble finding consensus.

The process of finding good public policy can be improved. That requires the voices of the different perspectives that a legislature should have.

Our plan is to hold a referendum on proportional representation. If the vote is Yes, we’ll have a bipartisan committee to figure out which system we would use.

The threshold will be 50 per cent of the vote plus one. That will make it more likely that people will believe we will do it.

I don’t make promises I can’t keep. I’ll do my best to ensure that every promise we make will be fullfilled. It’s a personal commitment.

Nicholas Simons, 52, has been an MLA for the NDP since 2005. Before that he worked as the Director of Social Services for the Sechelt Nation. Simons grew up in Montreal and has an undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa and a Masters in Criminology from Simon Fraser University. Nicholas Simons has a partner and has lived on the Sunshine Coast for the past 25 years.