It鈥檚 not something one usually encounters in a political debate between candidates - civility and respect.

Those attributes were evident throughout a forum featuring two of the candidates seeking to win the 琉璃神社-Lake Country-Coldstream riding in the Oct. 19 provincial election. 

鈥淚 am not here as part of a political machine, to push a party agenda or bash party leaders or their policies,鈥� said Independent candidate Kevin Kraft at the event hosted by the 琉璃神社 Chamber at Coast Capri Hotel.

B.C. NDP candidate Anna Warwick Sears told the audience that she is a centrist. 

鈥淚 believe we need the best possible representation for our communities, and this election cycle the NDP will be best for our region."

Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Tara Armstrong and B.C. Green Party candidate Andrew Rose were invited to the forum, hosted by CBC morning host Chris Walker, but did not attend.

Helping People Work/Live in the Okanagan

鈥淲e want to make sure there are homes here that are affordable and attractive for them,鈥� Warwick Sears said. 鈥淭he NDP leaned into building all kinds of housing鈥�they鈥檙e looking at many options. They鈥檙e working with communities to get more housing into the Okanagan."

Kraft said a thinking-outside-the-box housing plan is needed.

鈥淲e need to treat rural and agriculture areas with creative thinking in adding housing, secondary suites, and agri-tourism. Families in the Okanagan are struggling. Youth are struggling to find jobs that have meaning and value and are compensated appropriately.鈥� 

Fixing the Budget

鈥淭here is no doubt the province is in a significant deficit position,鈥� Kraft noted. We should be frustrated with how our budget and money are being allocated. I鈥檇 like to be taxed slightly less and not given rebates and be prescribed as to how to spend my own money.鈥� 

He said increasing the PST by one per cent might be one solution to help reduce the deficit.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just throwing it out there, but it鈥檚 time to get creative.鈥�

Warwick Sears said the current budget deficit was entered into deliberately, soberly and what is best for B.C. in mind.

鈥淚f we have to have a larger budget deficit for time while we get through this global inflationary cycle where everyone is stretched鈥�we need to support our people so that when the economy starts to go up we will have things in place and people will be able to thrive.鈥�

She added the expectation is at least two more years of budget deficits.  

Crime/Drug Decriminalization

鈥淲hat I鈥檝e seen in communities like Rutland where I grew up is鈥�applications of all types of centres and services throughout the area. What I鈥檇 like to see is a guided model to more centralized services鈥�to ensure that communities are feeling heard with the issues that they鈥檙e facing with the placement of some of these centres.鈥�

Warwick Sears disagreed with centralizing services.

鈥淥ur riding is so far-flung. We can鈥檛 have homeless people with no cars trying to access mental health services in one centralized location. I do think it鈥檚 important to choose where those locations are and make sure they are not interfering with the community.鈥�

Transportation/Second Lake Crossing

鈥淚t鈥檚 an irksome issue,鈥� Warwick Sears said. 鈥淭here are options within our existing transportation footprint to improve intersections and flow of traffic. One of the proposals I鈥檝e heard is widening the existing bridge鈥�perhaps with a bus-only lane.鈥�

Kraft said there is no doubt work needs to be done on the transportation corridor in the Okanagan, but throwing a bridge at it is not a logical approach.

鈥淚t took the better part of 30 years to build the last bridge and I don鈥檛 see it being accomplished in eight,鈥� he said, referencing a Conservative promise to build a second crossing in that time span. 

鈥淭here are desperate needs elsewhere,鈥� he added, pointing to needed improvements on Westside Road.

Water Management

鈥淕et plans in place ahead of time,鈥� Warwick Sears said. 鈥淲e want to have all the different water suppliers having robust drought plans and that they know what to do if their reservoirs are not as full as they should be.鈥�

Kraft agreed with a proactive approach but said the region is 鈥榖ehind the eight-ball鈥� on work that could be done on reservoirs.

鈥淲e have two high-elevation reservoir systems that could be increased in retention, storage and application.  We also need to consider the forestry industry and their practices around water tributaries, protecting the ecology from top to bottom.鈥� 

The 琉璃神社 Chamber is hosting candidates from Kelown-Centre on Oct. 10 at the Coast Capri.