Jason McCormick knows the streets of Delta, and Vancouver for that matter, after driving a TransLink bus for about 18 years, including five years in his hometown.
But now the Ladner resident wants to help drive the NDP agenda as an MLA for Delta South.
McCormick is running against long-time incumbent and Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Ian Paton and said there is a need for the community to have a voice in government.
"When I saw the overall picture, I truly do believe the NDP is going to win this election and to have somebody in Opposition like we`ve had for the last seven years with no voice and no input, really shows that our community needs help and that's what I want to do," McCormick said during an interview in his Ladner home.
Here are his responses to the Optimist`s five election questions:
Q1. What do you think is the major issue currently facing Delta farmers?
Answer: It looks to me like they're all modernizing their equipment, so I think that's the transition that our farmers are dealing with, the modernization … to green houses, versus the traditional in-field planting. And then, I guess, the future water restrictions and the ability to set up their own water reservoirs would be the main issues that I would see.
Q2. Including, but not limited to the future crossing of the Fraser River, what do you see as the main transportation issue facing Delta South?
Answer: As I drive the bus, because that`s what I do for a living, I get to see all of the pinch points. I get to see all of the issues that affect transportation within this community . . . whether it's in Tsawwassen, you only have really two main access points there.
With the increased density that’s coming, the amount of cars that are on the road, we`re going to need to increase public transportation. You look at all those new homes behind the mall, they need more bus service. We have everybody coming from Surrey to work at that mall, coming from Surrey to work at Amazon. We need more infrastructure to get those people there and the best way to do it is with public transportation.
Q3. What can or should be done to ease the housing crisis?
Answer: I`m really, actually quite happy with what this government is doing because we`re up against high interest rates and overwhelming demand. There's not enough supply on the market. You look at how houses have increased three fold in their price since 2010. This government is eliminating some red tape. They're allowing construction of small, multi-unit developments because you know what, we want our kids and their grand kids to be able to stay in this community.
Q4. Canada has seen record immigration recently. How have you or would you respond as MLA to this federal issue?
Answer: You're right, it is a federal issue and when you look at, I saw the statistics on the news, where they said 1.3 million new Canadians last year alone and only 500,000 housing starts. So again, that shows an 800,000 housing-unit shortfall. And when you look at that no wonder, with the demand outweighing the supply, or the inventory of houses, prices are just going to continue to skyrocket until they equal out. . . it's simple economics. One thing that . . . the NDP wants to do is again, they`ve capped rent increases to try to keep it affordable for renting. Whether people like it or not, one of the ways to increase the supply was to reduce the short-term market, the Air BnBs. That might not be popular with some people but it's helped get people into affordable homes.
Q5. Both the BC Conservatives and the NPD have said that they will or may cancel B.C.'s carbon tax. So, is there any difference between your parties on this and what happens to the price of gasoline if the 17 cent-a-litre carbon tax is removed and how will you make up the lost revenue?
Answer: The carbon tax is federally mandated. So the only way the NDP removes that is if there`s a change in the federal government and I think most Canadians can see that there probably will be a change and that's probably why it will come off. So how do you make up that difference? Obviously, the demand will go up for gas. Again, with the lost revenue ... there isn't going to be any lost revenue, per se, because the part of the carbon tax that's working, is the part where they`re hitting the big polluters and that will continue regardless of the removal of the personal carbon tax which will be on the gas.
