Looking behind and looking ahead

MLA Report
By Carole James 

September was a difficult month for everyone involved in our public education system, and in particular, teachers and families with school-aged children.  I’m sure I shared a collective sigh of relief with the community when I woke up to news on the 16 that a deal had finally been reached.  Now that we’re into October, classes are well underway and lives are getting back to normal.
I am thankful to all of you who wrote letters and emails to me and to government, submitted letters to the editor, posted on social media, met with me at my office, and attended local events and rallies. I am certain that the public support for teachers and the pressure put on the government to get back to the bargaining table was a major factor in a deal being reached. It’s heartening to see what working together can do!

Aside from visiting picket lines and attending local rallies during the labour dispute, I had a busy September with other community events. On September 1 I attended the annual Labour Day picnic in Irving Park in James Bay. This is one of my favourite events of the year as the Victoria Labour Council hosts a barbeque and entertainment for the entire community.

On September 6 I was proud to once again participate in the Our Place Splish Splash Charity Car Wash. Such a great cause, and I had a lot of fun washing cars and trucks with Victoria MP Murray Rankin and Esquimalt-Royal Roads MLA Maurine Karagianis.

The next day on September 7 I was honoured to speak at the annual Recovery Day in Centennial Square. The day is a chance to change public perceptions of drug and alcohol addiction, and focus on solutions that help people recover and once again lead normal lives. This is an issue that has touched my family personally, and I cherish the opportunity to support other families and individuals in their journey to recovery.

From September 22 to 26 I was in Whistler for the Union of BC Municipalities’ (UBCM) annual convention. I spoke with representatives from towns and cities across BC on the issues affecting them. Many of these are also issues of concern to Victoria residents – from unmanageable ferry fares, to concerns over changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), to health and seniors care, to environmental issues and more.

Back in July, I was proud to be named the New Democrat Opposition spokesperson for Finance. I’m eager to take on the challenge and to reach out to individuals, businesses and organizations in shaping a new way forward. 

As part of this new role, for the past several weeks I’ve been travelling BC with the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services holding public consultations on the 2015 provincial budget. This is a chance for the public to present to government proposals on where tax dollars can best be spent. Written, audio and video submissions, as well as responses to an online survey are being accepted until October 17, 2014.  More information can be found at leg.bc.ca/cmt/finance/budget-consultations.asp.

Lastly, I’m looking forward to the fall session starting on October 6

 – a rare occurrence in BC!  We’ll be taking the government to task on the shameful rate of child poverty in BC, the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond disaster, the mismanagement of our ferry system, and many other important issues. As always, I look forward to receiving your emails and letters on your views on any topics of interest to you and your family. Please contact me:

By mail: 1084 Fort Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3K4

By phone: 250 952-4211

By email: Carole.James.mla@leg.bc.ca