BC NDP makes progress on fixing BC Liberal failures in Courtenay-Comox

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After more than a decade of ignoring the challenges facing the people in Courtenay-Comox, the BC Liberals are now feigning interest by holding a two-day caucus meeting in the constituency.

As they tour the area, we offer a reminder of the ways that the BC Liberals failed the residents of Courtenay-Comox, what the BC NDP government is doing to fix the mess they left behind and how things would be made worse under Leader Andrew Wilkinson.

Cuts to Ferry Service: In 2014, the BC Liberals cut ferry service, increased fares and eliminated the seniors’ discount. The BC NDP government restored service on many routes, reduced fares for smaller and northern routes, froze fares on major routes and reinstated the Monday-to-Thursday 100% discount for seniors’ passenger fares.

Ignoring Water Quality Issues: The BC Liberals failed to reduce boil water advisories in the Comox Valley. In partnership with federal and local governments, we’re funding a new $125 million water treatment plant to improve access to safe and reliable drinking water.

Abysmal Record on Health Care: When the BC Liberals were in power, the people of Comox Valley suffered from a lack of health care service and long wait times for everything from surgeries to diagnostic tests and residential care beds. We eliminated pharmacare deductibles for 240,000 families in the province, made investments in primary care, seniors care and wait time reductions for surgical and diagnostic care. In addition, we will add 120 new complex care beds for the Comox Valley by 2020.

Sky-high Student Debt: While he served as Advanced Education Minister, Wilkinson did little to address the issues of student debt and interest rates, mocking those who thought it was a problem. Starting this year, the BC NDP government has eliminated interest on student loans for students at North Island College and throughout the province.

No Action on Playgrounds: The BC Liberals did not invest in playgrounds forcing Parent Advisory Councils to fundraise. Our NDP government invested over $200,000 to build two new accessible playgrounds in the constituency.