MLA candidates for the 2026 provincial election respond to reader questions

Since 2017, the BC NDP has added over 1,800 specialists and purchased 21 new MRI machines and 15 CT scanners, with completed MRI scans up 108 per cent. Our plan includes purchasing eight new MRI machines and 10 new CT scanners, with a focus on expanding capacity in growing and rural communities so people can get diagnosed sooner and spend less time travelling for care. We are also addressing healthcare staffing shortages. Since launching our US recruitment strategy, B.C. has hired 800 healthcare professionals from across the border. 

Our focus is ensuring this recruitment translates to reliable access to care in the communities that need it most, especially smaller and rural. Many of these professionals are coming to B.C. because they resonate with our values of supporting one another and building thriving communities. 

In Kamloops, we have completed the new tower at Royal Inland Hospital and have begun work on the new Cancer Centre. These investments benefit all communities around Kamloops and give people closer access to testing, early diagnosis, and treatment. 

Sun Peaks has been without a community health centre for a year now. The BC NDP team and I work with the municipality, the new Sun Peaks Community Health Association, and provincial partners to find a sustainable solution. Our focus will be on recruiting and retaining professionals in Sun Peaks, and ensuring reliable service that meets the needs for community members and visitors. 

Conservative candidate Tony Luck has already said that healthcare will take the brunt of the cuts so they can aggressively cut the deficit. This is not the time to cut healthcare spending, and our team will continue to invest in our communities and province to meet the healthcare needs of our growing population.

A stable clinic team in small communities and rural locations, local blood and urine collection, basic diagnostic capacity, faster regional referrals, active screening outreach with follow up and transport and staff housing. Hire back all health staff that were let go during the mandates.

Editor’s Note: OneBC’s platform seeks to provide a private healthcare option beside “fully-funded public health care.”

I’ve discussed with many residents at Sun Peaks and the council on improving healthcare including replacing your doctor, better dedicated ambulance services especially on the weekends, and expanding walk in services where necessary. 

Editor’s Note: In an interview with Sun Peaks Independent News in 2024, Stamer said BC Conservatives are committed to spending more on healthcare, and will implement a patient-first funding model. The Conservative platform seeks to invest $50 million into a fund to train more doctors locally, “bring home Canadians who studied medicine abroad and speed up international credential recognition.”

By “reducing red tape and bureaucracy,” BC Conservatives plan to reduce wait times and administrative burdens on doctors and nurses.

“We will also expand programs to incentivize doctors and nurses to work in high demand communities, especially in rural and remote areas,” he said.

In February, Stamer affirmed to Castanet Kamloops, the Conservative Party would like to see cuts made to administrative jobs in healthcare.

International partners are seeking ways to transition off of oil and coal to cleaner power methods. As they build up the infrastructure for carbon-neutral power grids, they are looking at lower-emission natural gas as a way to bridge that transition. With the international instability due to war, these partners are anxiously looking for a stable, democratic and lower-emission source. Our BC NDP team recognizes the benefits of LNG for British Columbia and the world, having completed LNG Canada Phase 1. 

There are five more LNG projects in progress, representing a part of the $130 billion in major projects proposed by the BC NDP. Under our plan, LNG production is set to triple to 48 million tonnes per year by 2035, outpacing the production commitments made by the BC Conservatives by 6 million tonnes. These projects were made possible by working closely with local, First Nations, private and federal partners. The BC Conservatives put LNG projects like Ksi Lisims at risk by committing to repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). 

DRIPA has facilitated good-faith negotiations between partners and created confidence for investors. Repealing DRIPA would cause uncertainty for investors and could stall projects made in partnership with First Nations. 

I would work with our BC NDP team to support these projects and build a stronger BC alongside our partners, not by fighting them.

Support commercially viable expansion of LNG production, with predictable rules and firm timelines for approval decisions. Support pipelines and LNG facilities that give producers access to multiple buyers. Set competitive royalties that still deliver a meaningful return to the owners of the resource – British Columbians. Encourage B.C. employment, help communities fund roads, housing and services. Monitor how export growth affects domestic gas prices and electricity demand. Require large projects to pay a fair share of the infrastructure they need.

Increase LNG production both liquified for export and heating homes. We will also be looking at electricity power generation expansion as well.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We recognize that small businesses have taken a beating over the past few years due to the COVID pandemic and now Trump’s unjustifiable trade war. 

Attracting investments means making it easier for businesses to establish themselves, expand and create jobs. Doing that means businesses need to have access to financing, a workforce, infrastructure and a regulatory system that is predictable and efficient. 

The BC NDP has already taken steps to reduce red tape. Our Look West strategy has already committed $40 million over three years to improve permitting capacity and reduce barriers, particularly for tourism and mining sectors, with a goal of attracting $200 billion in new investment over ten years. 

Last year, we amended regulations to reduce administrative burdens and speed up approvals. We set timetables for approval processes with a commitment to meet every permitting turnaround by 2035 and eliminate permitting backlogs. 

Small businesses in particular need our help more than ever. We created the EaseBiz initiative, giving businesses a direct way to contact ministry officials about the obstacles they face. We have also pledged to give small businesses affected by tariffs or wildfires access to interest-free loans up to one million dollars. 

To support new workers, we are also creating a $5000 tax credit to eligible small businesses that hire young people into their first full-time job. We also recognize the impact of theft on small businesses. Our BC NDP team was a vocal advocate for bail reform for repeat offenders, and we successfully pushed the federal government to amend bail and sentencing laws.

For Sun Peaks, I commit to working closely with the municipality, community and business to hear their concerns directly and advocate for meaningful and positive change.

Firm permit deadlines for attracting new business investment. Submit one application with coordinated reviews. Lower taxes on new productive investment. Stable rules and clear land decisions for all. 

Cut red tape and streamline approvals; develop certainty on the landbase so investment will return to the province.

This issue is personal to me as a young renter with a dog. The BC NDP has made significant progress on increasing the housing supply, with rents dropping across the province. This progress was notably made through the introduction of housing targets for communities and collaboration to support growing infrastructure needs. 

Under the BC NDP, renters have seen stronger protections, an annual cap on rent increases tied to inflation, and a $400 annual tax credit. The Conservative Party has been opposed to our changes, which are having real positive impacts on people across the province. We recognize the challenges of housing are still ongoing, but we have a plan to protect the progress we have made and continue it. 

Our plan is to continue to work in partnership with local governments and communities, like Sun Peaks. 

Recently, BC Builds in partnership with the Sun Peaks Housing Authority began construction on a 110 unit rental building, with 20 per cent of those units intended to be below rental market rates. I would continue to work with the Sun Peaks municipality, and all partners, to identify further opportunities and needs for housing. 

Together, we can advocate for more projects like Aspen Landing and meeting housing needs for the resort workforce and community members. Across Kamloops-North Thompson, I would advocate for more attainable rental housing, affordable homes, and non-market rate homes so everyone could find a place to live, making sure communities are heard in their needs for infrastructure support.

Speed up permits for housing, reduce upfront charges, fund water, sewer and power capacity, make practical density easy to build, and support factory-built housing for raising families and supporting seniors. 

Expand seniors housing and pause the step code building code at step 3 to allow builders relief  and stop the spiralling cost increases with our new builds. Less bureaucracy and red tape which is leading to an increase in costs for everyone.

The Foreign Buyer Ban was first enacted in January 2023 by the federal government, then later extended to last until Jan. 1, 2027. The ban was originally intended to ease housing pressures caused by international speculators and prioritize domestic buyers. 

Unfortunately, Sun Peaks is considered to be included in the Kamloops Census Metropolitan Area, banning foreign ownership of properties. Sun Peaks is one of the few resort communities in Canada to not be exempt from the ban. 

Our BC NDP government is very aware of the impacts of the ban on Sun Peaks, and recognizes and is thankful for the advocacy from the Sun Peaks mayor and council. When the ban first took effect, our government engaged with federal officials to have the ban for Sun Peaks reconsidered. 

Most recently, Housing Minister Christine Boyle sent a letter to the federal housing minister again, advocating for the ban to be reconsidered due to the economic growth potential. 

I spoke with Christine Boyle in answering this question, and we know there are housing pressures unique to Sun Peaks as a resort community; but our BC NDP team is committed to being open and working with the community and local government to find a solution that balances housing needs for local residents with the benefits of tourism. 

If elected, I commit to hosting open houses on the issue and being present for Council meetings to stay engaged with community members so I can continue to amplify their concerns to the federal government.

The foreign Buyer Ban is affecting Sun Peaks because it falls inside the Kamloops Census Metropolitan Area and is causing less money for infrastructure – even though it operates as a separate resort municipality. This ban is scheduled to expire Jan. 1, 2027 and I will oppose its renewal.

Look at changing the ban on resort municipalities currently affecting communities like Sun Peaks. Resort communities need to attract that level of investment to expand and that allows for additional infrastructure improvements and tax revenue for the community to grow and supply the necessary services people need.