MLAs Larry Neufeld and Jordan Kealy were among the delegates invited to speak at the Peace River Regional District’s (PRRD) Committee Meeting of the Whole held today.
Among the topics discussed were how community concerns will be addressed. Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen voiced the worries of her constituents, highlighting issues of crime, the energy crisis, healthcare costs, supporting manufacturing, and the Taylor Bridge, which she described as a “broken record.”
“We also hear about revolving doors in the court system. And while I recognize that is federal, the provincial government needs to advocate on our behalf to say there have to be changes. We’re hearing from our businesses, our residents, my neighbours, you know, concerned about the crime and about their safety,” said Hansen.
Hansen also raised the issue of how municipalities can share a percentage of capital projects based on lost revenue from mill closures after she says their impact went widely unaddressed during the BC Natural Resources Forum held last week in Prince George.
Kealy criticized the current provincial government for lacking a rural perspective.
“Almost every single one of them is in the Lower Mainland, and it’s not out of ignorance that they don’t acknowledge our way of life up here. I think it’s just a completely different perspective of how they look at things, and it’s easy for them to just ignore that,” said Kealy.
The MLA for Peace River North added that he’d be a ‘big roadblock’ to get the NDP to understand how northern communities operate. He also emphasized the BC Conservative campaign as one that aims to find a balance between rural and urban communities.
The B.C. Legislature is scheduled to resume on February 18th, 2025, beginning with a Speech From the Throne.