To ensure Sun Peaks has a voice in the federal election conversation, Sun Peaks Independent News (SPIN) surveyed readers to identify their top questions and concerns for candidates in the lead-up to the April 28 election.
SPIN took the most-asked questions on the survey and reached out to all of the candidates in the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding. These candidates are Frank Caputo, Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), Iain Currie, Liberal Party of Canada (LPC), Miguel Godau, New Democratic Party (NDP), Jenna Lindley, Green Party of Canada (GPC) and Chris Enns, People’s Party of Canada (PPC). For more information about these candidates, visit our Sun Peaks federal election voter guide.
SPIN requested responses from all candidates for the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola ridings. Despite multiple requests for comment via phone and email, candidates Frank Caputo and Jenna Lindley did not respond prior to publication. We will update the story if responses are provided.
Climate change among the top issues readers identified as key areas of concern. Below are the candidates’ responses. These responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
As a resort municipality, Sun Peaks relies on seasonal changes for much of the tourism economy. Climate change is impacting almost every aspect of life, from shorter and warmer winters to dryer summers and increased wildfire risk. How will you approach climate change to improve sustainability?
Iain Currie, LPC
I think this is really brought home to me by going to Lytton and seeing the amount of money that, quite appropriately, the federal government and the province are pouring into the village of Lytton in order to rebuild.
As Mark Carney has written about extensively, making the investment in climate mitigation efforts, and also doing our part to fight climate change is also really good economics. I would say the same thing for Sun Peaks, like building a road making sure that to the extent that we can we have the plans in place and we’re taking the mitigation efforts in the forest.
Primarily a provincial thing, but federal dollars would have been much better spent dealing with the fire risk in Lytton before it occurred than trying to respond afterwards. I think that we have that knowledge now. I’m hoping that after April 28, our prime minister will continue to be someone who is a worldleading expert on that very topic who has that broader picture in mind of let’s invest so that we don’t later have to deal with loss.
We’re still going to have to deal with emergencies. We’re too far along this path to say that we can stop forest fires. We can understand the risks and invest in climate mitigation to eliminate as many of the risks as we can.
Chris Enns, PPC
I would support a fund as well as practical initiatives to protect towns at risk of extreme weather events, and to help them rebuild after an incident. We should avoid playing god with weather modification as some have suggested. Risk mitigation is the only sustainable and environmentally responsible answer. As our mothers used to say, “Prevention is the best cure.”
Miguel Godau, NDP
Human-caused climate change is real – we’ve had massive wildfires, floods and heat domes. The Conservatives reject climate science, Carney is backtracking and the Liberals have failed to meet a single GHG reduction target.
The NDP will take strong action on the climate crisis plan that safeguards your job, lowers your bills, and builds a better future. We’ll scrap the consumer carbon tax for good, keep the industrial carbon price, eliminate oil and gas subsidies, and reinvest billions into a national retrofit plan—lowering energy costs for millions of families.
We’ll create a National Wildfire Strategy, including mitigation strategies and rapid response teams. And, insurance for those who are unable to purchase private insurance. Tourism is a vital and valuable economic driver and addressing climate change and protecting a healthy environment is crucial.
Go straight to the source — here are links to the party platforms:
How do I vote?
Voting day is Monday, April 28. Visit SPIN’s voting guide for more information on where to go and what to bring.
Further reading
Candidates in this riding also answered questions for The Wren, our sibling publication in Kamloops. To view their responses on questions of healthcare, housing, affordability, the toxic drug crisis, climate change and sustainability and Truth and Reconciliation, visit our Kamloops election guide.
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