Homelessness and poverty are directly related to the economy.
In order to meet the ongoing needs of individuals, the government requires additional revenue.
The need and support for social issues is not limited to poverty and homelessness.
The communities have stepped forward and provided some of the additional resources to continue to provide for those in need, but that is not enough.
Right now we have the opportunity to review the projects within our riding and support responsible development.
I will be pursuing a revenue sharing agreement for the north.
This will allow the communities to plan and move forward with their community development opportunities.
A healthy population is key to having a healthy province.
We have an aging population and the delivery of health care to meet these requirements is increasing.
Our health care delivery region is large and diverse, we are the largest Health Authority in the province, which covers five Hospital Districts.
Finding solutions that address local community as well as First Nations health concerns is an ongoing challenge.
It has been a constant struggle to repair and replace 50+ year-old facilities across our region, with limited revenue to meet the ongoing needs.
More provincial capital is required to address the needs facing our population.
The local tax payer is already contributing 40 per cent to the projects in the Northwest Regional Hospital District, which includes Haida Gwaii up highway 37 and over to Houston.
It is crucial to investigate our economic opportunities moving forward.
I believe in responsible development.
We have to balance economic growth and job creation with environmental, social and cultural values.
We must assess each project individually and make decisions based on all the facts.
I believe that responsible leadership requires listening as well as talking.
Developers, regardless of size, have the legal right to go through a process which includes consultation with First Nations and all levels of Government.
This exhaustive public and government process may cost the companies millions of dollars to identify and plan projects that may not even be plausible.
As Mayor, and Chair of the Resources Committee on UBCM ( Union of British Columbia Municipalities) our community provided leadership: taking ownership of the process for a proposed coal bed gas project.
Moving forward through this process, I wanted to ensure that all information concerning this proposed project was accessible to the individuals, the information flowed from our office between the residents and the Province.
It was important to me that all information was shared with interested parties with honest open and respectful dialogue.