One empty seat on the stage of the Chamber of Commerce, 琉璃神社-Centre forum drew eyes, questions and comments from attendees on Oct. 10. 

Dr. Michael Humer, an unaffiliated candidate who had been running with the BC United Party, was asked one of the final, 鈥揳nd most requested 鈥� questions of the forum; Do candidates have a responsibility to answer questions from voters before an election?

Before he responded, murmurs from the crowd could be heard about BC Conservative Kristina Loewen's empty chair.

"If they don鈥檛 show up now, they won鈥檛 show up after the election," answered Humer. 鈥淭he most important thing is availability. What could they possibly be too busy doing when democracy is being threatened?鈥� He finished his answer by saying "the Conservatives think they can win without showing up."

Loewen told the Chamber that she would be unable attend the forum because she is "too busy." Loewen also has not responded to requests for on-camera interviews with Capital News and other local media.

Contrary to the rules of the forum and to the dismay of the moderators, the audience applauded Humer's response. 

Key topics of the forum included; affordable housing, traffic congestion, Indigenous consultation, the high cost of living, access to healthcare and crime. A full video of the forum will be posted to the

Housing

Throughout the forum Loyal Wooldridge, a 琉璃神社 City Councillor and BC NDP candidate spoke about the , and how the initiatives proposed by the Party are intended to remove 'red tape' to development. "This is the most ambitious housing plan in all of Canada.鈥� He also spoke about his experience in the 琉璃神社 development as a city councillor. 

"We have to build thousands and thousands of units of housing," said Wooldridge. 鈥淲e have the equivalent of a small city moving here each year." He said the BC NDP's housing plan would expedite development and increase the rate of home building.

Humer pushed back against Wooldridge's claims in light of the expensive rental market. "It is hard to believe that the BC NDP housing policies have been good for 琉璃神社." 

He alleged that the success seen by the City of 琉璃神社 in terms of housing development has been on the backs of work from councillors, not the current provincial government. 

"I fully support the city council," said Humer. "I want them to have authority to implement their plans," rather than policy be thrust into place by the provincial government, explained Humer.  

Humer said as an unaffiliated candidate he plans to let local governments lead the direction of development with less provincial oversight. 

Running as an unaffiliated candidate, Humer said he will be able to speak out for the needs of 琉璃神社 without having to fall in line with a political Party. 

 "I won't be whipped by my party. I'll be whipped by my electorate and the Chamber of Commerce."

BC Green Party candidate Bryce Tippe said that the issue of housing is a simple one of Macro Economics supply and demand. "The BC Greens are the only party promising to offer regulations to be put in place to end the financialization (sic) of our housing market and to cool demand."

Indigenous consultation

When speaking about Indigenous consultation, Tippe said that tribes need to be empowered and given the ability to self-advocate in government.

Tippe, Humer and Wooldridge all criticized BC Conservative leader John Rustad's promises in relation to the autonomy and right to consultation of Indigenous communities. 

"Unfortunately the B.C. Conservative candidate is not here to stand up for their own platform and be held to account and be transparent," said Tippe. 

Woolridge said when Rustad came to 琉璃神社 and promised a second bridge, not only did he not make any considerations for price or need, he also failed to consult with Westbank First Nation whose land would be impacted by the project.

Woolridge also said that according to data, a second bridge would not solve issues of traffic congestion in 琉璃神社. Instead, he suggested there are other strategies already being implemented or discussed, like adding another lane to the bridge, managing traffic lights, expanding Clement and improving the public transportation system.

Woolridge added that he opposes Rustad's stated intention to repeal the

Humer also took issue with Rustad's promise to build a second bridge without consultation, research or cost-analysis. 

"We need to get away from extreme politics and to a moderate voice because a moderate voice is what is going to help us get through these complex issues," said Humer. 

When asked about crime, de-crimilization of drugs and safety in 琉璃神社's downtown core, Tippe said he is skeptical of the BC NDP's recent promises to improve rates of crime, as the Party has been in charge for seven years "and it's gotten out of control."

He added that the BC Conservative's promise to 're-criminilize' drugs is also not a sustainable option. 

"Do we want to live in a dystopian landscape where we're taking people who are struggling with mental health issues and throwing them in prison? That's going to back up our already backed up court system."

"What we need to do is focus on Rehabilitation and treat treatment and how we do that is proper community supports and universal mental health coverage," said Tippe.

Woolridge responded by saying that many of the gaps in care being felt by people struggling with substance abuse or mental health are remnants from the previous provincial leadership, the BC Liberal Party. Instead, he said the BC NDP is committed to improving access to care, particularly for people who are repeat offenders of petty crime.

 "It's not okay people don't feel safe going downtown," said Woolridge. He stated that while change needs to come rapidly it also has to be done in a thoughtful way that is "guided by science," and mental health experts. He said the implementation of the BC NDP Involuntary Care Act, which includes supportive housing and treatment, in addition to consultation with the federal government on bail reform, will curb the impact of repeat offenders on the community.

Woolridge then spoke on the need for improved preventative care and early access to resources and experts. He said that while the government is in a deficit, "now is not the time to cut back," because people are reliant on the services, particularly those coming from the social sector.

One of Humer's key platforms is the need for universal access to primary care 鈥� a concept where every resident is provided with a primary care provider like a family doctor.  

"We could prevent so many of the things that are causing us to suffer when we see these issues. They're so much easier to prevent as opposed to treating them downstream," said Humer.

In his closing statement Woolridge said, "I really want to acknowledge that life is hard right now for people it's hard for business owners it's hard for individuals and it's easy to play into cynicism and fear. Right now, we're at the bottom of an economic cycle we have to continue to work through... I know the future is brighter when we invest in people and when we partner with communities."

 Tippe said he wants to "fix the system" with the implementation of an institutional reforms program to hold politicians accountable on their campaign promises. 

"Right now we have governments promising tax cuts with and then also promising increases and say they're going to eventually balance a budget. They either don't understand macroeconomics or they're lying to you. I don't know which one is worse."

In his closing remarks Humer said "neither David Eby nor John Rustad deserves four years of unfettered majority." He said he stepped away from his career as a surgeon with the express purpose of improving the healthcare system and life for 琉璃神社 residents. 

At the conclusion of the forum, Colleen Clark CEO of the chamber of commerce thanked the candidates who participated in the forum stating, 鈥淗ere鈥檚 to those who show up."