What will you do to make schools safer? That’s a question The Discourse heard after we asked what questions you have for provincial election candidates.
We sent the question to candidates in the Nanaimo-North Cowichan riding. The riding stretches from just north of Duncan to the south end of Nanaimo, including the communities of Chemainus and Ladysmith.
BC Liberal candidate Duck Paterson did not respond to the request by the deadline. We will update this story if we receive a response.
Be sure to sign up to the Discourse’s newsletters for the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo to stay up to date on our coverage.
Chris Istace, BC Green Party
Just as I expect my communities to hold me accountable, it is up to the government to hold companies accountable for the mess they make. Companies cannot leave communities, or the province, to hold the bill when a company closes a mine. It is bad enough that communities have to live for generations with the environmental impacts mines leave. I want to see strong regulations put in place for any mining operation that properly addresses financial costs of cleanup as well as environmental damages that occur. Companies won’t be allowed to operate without holding enough money to pay for their cleanup and restoration.
Doug Routley, BC NDP
If elected we will continue to make classrooms safer through the installation of new ventilation systems, plexiglass barriers in key areas of the school, comprehensive cleaning stations, and by ensuring more hours of cleaning in all schools overall. We are also committed to fast-tracking improvements to online and remote learning by investing in more computers and tablets, more training for teachers and support staff, and in new ways to improve social e-learning that promotes group interactions between students and teachers.
