The Courier reached out to the six B.C. Liberal politicians vying to become leader of the party this week. Each candidate was asked the same questions for a short profile of their views on issues facing Vancouverites.
Last September, one of Todd Stone’s best friends died of an accidental overdose. Although he was already in support of many of the initiatives already underway to address the opioid crisis, for him the loss underscored the need to pay greater attention to harm reduction.
“Addiction is an issue that exists in many families and communities,” he says. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done on the recovery side.”
His platform includes increasing funding for treatment beds to make sure that when people seek help with their addictions, that help is available. He also wants to enhance a varied approach to counselling services. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach,” he says.
On the affordability crisis facing many Vancouverites who want to rent or buy here, Stone says increasing the supply of housing is one of the solutions.
He says he’d create a $100 million fund to incentivise the creation of more housing. At present it’s estimated that there are 120,000 units of housing at various stages in the development process. The fund would help municipal governments hire staff to add capacity to the application process and set targets for the length of time it takes to get from plan to construction.
“The average wait of three years is unacceptable,” he says.
The fund would also incentivise the construction of more market rental housing, he says. “Other cities have more purpose-built market rental.”
Options include “property tax holidays” and targeted tax credits to encourage the development community to build a wider range of housing.
He’d also work with local governments to enhance densification along fortified transportation corridors.
As a minister of transportation in Christy Clark’s government, Stone said he launched a 10-year transportation plan that is already producing dividends for commuters. “We need to work with local governments to make sure they have the tools to come up with their share of the funding so we can move ahead.”
He supports widening Highway 1 to become a six-lane highway from Vancouver to Abbotsford and, before his government had to cede control to the NDP last summer, he says he was two weeks away from approving a bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel.
“There are 92,000 commuters who go through that choke point. They deserve that action be taken to alleviate [traffic congestion].”
When he unveiled his campaign platform, the first announcement was his pledge to create 75,000 new childcare spaces. A $1.2 billion investment over four years would provide low- to moderate-income a break on childcare costs as well as create more spaces.
He’s enjoyed the opportunity the campaign has provided to crisscross the province and talk with “so many innovative and dynamic” British Columbians.
“I have a great sense of hope for the future of the province,” he says.
In the final days leading up to the vote, which begins Thursday, Stone said his campaign time was “working the phones and taking nothing for granted...
“We took the high road [in the campaign] and focused on ideas... I like our position at this point.”
