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Premier John Horgan holds a roundtable with South Asian Media
3-07-2018
Premier John Horgan holds a roundtable with South Asian Media
On Friday, March 2, 2018 Premier John Horgan held a roundtable with South Asian Media
at Grand Taj Banquet Hall in Surrey.
This was a second time Premier has held a roundtable with the South Asian Media since the NDP has formed the new Government.
He discussed many issues and what the government has done since forming the government;
Some of the issues discussed are as follows;
• Commitment to the largest housing investment in the history of our province, building almost 34,000 units across the province - units of mixed-income social housing, new beds for students at colleges and universities, and units dedicated for people who are homeless.
• We have introduced measures to address the effects of speculation in the real estate markets.
• Budget 2018 also offers the largest investment in child care in B.C. history with a $1-billion child care investment over three years to lower costs for parents, increase the number of child care spaces, and make sure that those spaces meet quality care standards. As many as 86,000 British Columbians will be eligible for an affordable child care benefit, which will provide up to $1,250 per month to reduce child care fees.
• MSP fees have been cut in half this year, and will be eliminated altogether by Jan. 1, 2020, saving families up to $1800 a year.
The Premier said the B.C. New Democrat government have also taken bold action for affordability, good jobs across the province, better services for people, and a better B.C.
Affordability
• Giving B.C. workers a $15-an-hour minimum wage by June 2021.
• Eliminated the unfair tolls on the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges.
• Purchased the Waneta Dam through BC Hydro to keep rates low.
• Newly-formed Poverty Reduction Advisory Forum is listening to people across B.C. who are working to eliminate poverty
• Removed roadblocks to Adult Basic Education and English Language Learning
• Created a new transportation supplement for persons with disabilities that can be used for the renewed B.C. Disability Bus Pass Program or for other transportation needs.
• Gave post-secondary education tuition-waivers for youth aging out of the foster care system.
Good Jobs Across the Province
• Secured 1000 new good-paying tech jobs Amazon’s plans to double the size of its professional workforce in British Columbia.
• Supporting job creators like Fortinet, which announced an expansion in Burnaby with 1000 new tech jobs.
• Funded 2900 new tech seats across the province.
• Strengthened relationships and expanded economic ties with China, South Korea and Japan, three of B.C.’s largest trading partners.
• Supported job creators by cutting the small business tax rate by 20 per cent.
Better Services for People
• Our September budget update included a record $14.6 billion in capital investments over three years, building the schools, hospitals, roads, and transit people depend on.
• Announced the replacement of the Patullo Bridge.
• Announced that new moveable barrier system that will be installed on the Alex Fraser Bridge to relieve congestion.
• Planning for a new hospital in Surrey that would offer improved care for families.
• Fast-tracked the process to give students safer schools across the province, including Delta, Maple Ridge, Vancouver, Victoria, Richmond, Surrey, Saanich, North Vancouver, and Coquitlam.
Better B.C.
• Modernizing B.C.’s democracy:
o Passed legislation to hold a referendum to give people the power to change our current voting system to a system of proportional representation.
o Legislation introduced to amend the Constitution Act to reduce the number of seats required for recognized political party status from four to two.
o Changed the fixed date election to a Saturday in October.
o Strengthen the institutional stability of government in the event, for example, of a natural disaster.
• Banned big money provincially and municipally from B.C. politics.
• Taking action to protect our environment, economy and our coast from the drastic consequence of a diluted bitumen spill.
• Engaged 48,000 British Columbians in public and stakeholder engagement on the legalization and regulation of non-medical cannabis — one of the most engaging in B.C.’s history.
• Doubled funding for the Surrey WRAP program to tackle gang violence and keep at-risk youth out of gangs.
• Raking action to crack down on illegal firearms to keep B.C. streets safe.
• Launched the renewal of the human rights commission.
• Increased funding by six million dollars annually for the B.C. Healthy Kids Program.
• Restored the UBC Therapeutics Initiative, keeping drug costs down and patients safe by providing funding of $2 million annually.
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