A nationwide debate forum made its way to Barrie last night and brought out not just environmental issues as advertised, but also questions about housing, clean water, and the Indigenous community.
A local stop for the 100 Debates on the Environment was held at Grace United Church Thursday night and included all five federal candidates for the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte (BSOM) riding. The national initiative was to hold non-partisan, all-candidates debates on the environment in 100 ridings across Canada on Oct. 3.
One of the questions from the 400 people in attendance at the north-end church dealt with environmental injustice against First Nations communities.
People’s Party candidate David Patterson says his party has a plan, something he claimed the others lacked.
“Some of the other political parties have released new policies throughout the election period that are full of minor tax breaks and handouts to buy votes while increasing our national debt,” said Patterson. “Our leader Maxime Bernier has said, if elected, one of his first priorities will be to address boil-water advisories in Indigenous communities.”
The Green Party’s Marty Lancaster said Indigenous communities lack the proper medical facilities and water technology to help themselves, yet they seemingly do more than the rest of the country for the environment.
“The Indigenous people represent five per cent of our population and fight for 80 per cent of the protection efforts that are made around the work for our clean water, land and space," he said. "We keep dumping stuff in their space.”
The Liberals' Brian Kalliecharan said he and his party would continue to built trust with First Nations communities in order to fix issues that have been falling behind.
“A lack of movement by previous governments on building houses and reducing poverty have caused much damage to Indigenous people’s lands,” said Kalliecharan. “New relationships are built on trust and we are well on our way to lifting the boil-water advisories we said we would.”
Conservative candidate Doug Shipley was adamant that those who taint water in any way need to be brought to justice.
“Every Canadian must have access to clean water and we must take responsibility for this and ensure a positive outcome,” said Shipley. “There needs to be punishment for those who intentionally or unintentionally poison water.
"This includes immediately stopping certain jurisdictions from dumping raw sewage into rivers," he added.
The NDP’s Dan Janssen took time to mention what he believes is a root cause of the problem.
“Environmental justice is racial justice and we must use this opportunity to address inequality,” Janssen said. “This is fundamental in understanding the steps we need to take.
“Things are so bad that the Canadian Rights Tribunal has had to order the government to equally fund Indigenous children seven times since 2016," he added.
The environment wasn’t the only issue debated; affordable housing, which is a critical local issue, was also discussed.
One question from the audience asked each candidate how their party would address the need for affordable housing in the riding.
Lancaster told the crowd about a homeless man named 'Phil' he spoke with who told the Green Party representative just how one should look at the hotly debated topic.
“He told me how you calculate affordable housing is 85 cents per square foot, that is the 'Phil Factor',” said Lancaster. “I’ve done the calculations. That is something people can afford and we definitely need to create housing in this city.”
Kalliecharan said he was proud to be part of a government that initiated Canada’s first ever national housing strategy.
“A 10-year, $40-billion plan that will give Canadians a place to call home,” said Kalliecharan. “That will create 100,000 new housing units, four times more than the previous government did in their 10-year tenure.”
Shipley said affordable housing comes down to an inventory issue and he has seen it often in his years as a city councillor.
“One issue that I’ve seen on council for nine years now is approving condos and apartments to be built and they sit as empty lots,” Shipley said.
“A lot of the time the business case doesn’t make sense," he added. "We need make sure a new federal government will work with the provinces and municipalities to knock down regulatory barriers.”
Janssen promised that an NDP government will commit $5 billion to “create 500,000 new units of quality, affordable housing in the next 10 years.”
Patterson said the People's Party would help with affordable housing by eliminating the capital gains tax and stimulate the construction of new housing.
The next BSOM riding debate will be held Thursday, Oct. 10, hosted by the Barrie Chamber of Commerce and Barrie & District Association of Realtors Inc., at 676 Veterans Dr.
