ELECTION 2020: Meet the candidates of the Prince George-Mackenzie riding

Mypgnow reached out to each of the candidates in Prince George-Mackenzie for their response to the following:

1. What are the most important issues facing the residents in your riding and how would you address them?
2. Tell the voters why you are the best candidate to represent your riding.

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (Last name):

Joan Atkinson, New Democratic Party (NDP)

Joan has lived in Mackenzie for 22 years. She and her husband raised their sons in Mackenzie, both of whom are employed in the forest industry. Joan was elected to the Mackenzie city council in 2007. In 2014, she became deputy mayor and in 2018 was elected as mayor.

1. The Covid19 Pandemic continues to be a huge global challenge and I am very proud that the BC NDP has been world leaders in the management of this. This pandemic has put huge strains on municipal budgets and provincial governments must support communities and civic leaders working to provide services to their residents. COVID19 has highlighted the immediate need for better internet access for both rural and urban centres. For students in the North who are participating in online post-secondary schooling, this is an essential requirement for their success. The forest industry continues to be an economic driver in our riding and requires revitalization. Managing forests should not be driven by shareholder interests; instead, the sustainability of forests and communities must be the drivers behind the management of this resource. Access to good health services is a fundamental right of all British Columbians whether you live in a large urban centre in the south or make your home in a rural northern community. We need more medical professionals particularly specialists made available to our residents. Homelessness in our region and the mental health and addiction issues that often lead to homelessness and crime are of critical importance. This is a priority concern and I will work with municipal leaders, the province and the federal government to address this.
2. I am a proud Northerner and will work tirelessly to ensure your concerns are heard and dealt with. I will be the Strong Voice for the North.

Catharine Kendall, BC Green Party

Catharine has resided rurally in the Prince George area for well over 20 years.  She enjoy the great outdoors, canoeing open water and horseback riding in the backcountry.  She enjoys her circle of friends that all see a local food system as foundational for our communities in the North to thrive.  Together they share great local food, recipes, stories and the physicality of farming.

1. Food Security – when a crisis arrives (flood, forest fires, covid-19 etc) grocery store shelves empty because our food supplies come from great distances in the south.  It is imperative that local food systems be created in the North to establish food productive sources in the future.  I have been working directly on local food systems for years and with no government support, it is an uphill battle.    As MLA I would establish local food systems in the North, specifically Prince George and Mackenzie where local food producers would flourish year-round (fruit and nut orchards, vegetables, winter greenhouses, herbs, grains for pasta, bread etc.).  These new food systems would create an entirely new economic asset. Value-added forestry – as MLA I would support new college and high school programs that teach value-added wood product diversification.  We have the capacity to create beautifully crafted wood furniture, musical instruments, household items etc in the North that would keep jobs in our communities.
2. As a Community Development Consultant, I personally offer a service with a strengths-based approach.  As your MLA this approach means that no one falls through gaps in service and where the foundation of all services has to meet people where they are at.  Stringent guidelines in today’s services mean that some people get served and some do not or some people have to wait a long time.  I find creative and cost-effective solutions that meet the needs of community members so individuals are served in an efficient manner.

Dee Kranz, Christian Heritage Party

Dee moved to Prince George in 1986 and worked as a registered nurse at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. for over 20 years. She has worked as an independent businesswoman for 15 years.

1. Freedom of speech and identity politics. A Christian Heritage Party of BC Government will eliminate the BC Human Rights Tribunal, which is currently being used unfairly by special interests to harass our citizens and coerce them into silence on important issues. The complainants currently have free, unfettered access to the Tribunal while the defendants have no such assistance and must incur a huge expense to defend themselves. The decisions handed down by this Tribunal are final and not subject to review in a court of law. The Human Rights Tribunal is not necessary and will be disbanded since aggrieved groups and individuals have sufficient recourse through the court system. A CHP-BC Government will work to dismantle the Human Rights Tribunal and repeal the enabling legislation which supports it. Economic Disruption, we are pro-pipeline and pro-forestry and pro-economic development.
2.   The Christian Heritage Party is the only party that allows for individual Candidates to represent their own ridings and vote according to the need of their own constituents.

Mike Morris, BC Liberal Party (Incumbent)

Mike had a 32-year career in the RCMP, he retired in 2005 as the Superintendent for the North District. He’s been living in Prince George for nearly 20 years and spent the majority of his RCMP career in northern communities. He and his wife have been married for over 35 years. They have two sons and five grandchildren.

1. Getting back to work, and long term stable employment opportunities. We will restore private sector investor confidence that can build a diverse resource sector, we’ll invest in infrastructure projects like a new hospital, new schools, new long term care facilities and improved transportation infrastructure. Putting people to work on infrastructure projects means more customers for our service sector, increasing employment opportunities across the board. We’ll also concentrate on the root cause of homelessness and street crime to make our communities safe.

2. I’ve lived and worked in the central interior most of my life visited or worked in every village, town, city and district in the northern 75% of the province – including First Nations communities. I understand the role Prince George plays as a regional centre for our province. I also understand the immense opportunities our resource sector offers, forestry, oil and gas, mining, tourism and agriculture.

Raymond Rodgers, Libertarian

Raymond is a journeyman electrician in the mining, forestry and oil sectors. He has lived in the Salmon Valley for a year and a half.

1. One being spraying of trees and cut blocks with glyphosate producing monoculture crops of dry pine that lies to burn. As a party, we would ban the spraying of glyphosate while incentivizing farmers to graze their livestock on crown land as they used to in the ’80s. Secondly ending all state-protected monopolies in BC as a party we would like to see BC Hydro, ICBC and BC ferries open up to market competition creating lower prices for consumers when there is a healthy competition.  Lastly, we would immediately decriminalize all drugs and start to treat it as a mental health issue rather than the tried and failed criminal route that is taken now.
2. I would make the best candidate for my riding of Prince George-Mackenzie because I want to create unity and cohesion in our broken and divided province. The BC Liberals and BC NDP have long failed the citizens of BC, we still have open-net fish farms, we still spray glyphosate on trees, and we still have state-protected monopolies also dictating what farmers can and can’t do in their own land if they own ALR land. I wish to do what is best for all of my province not just who financially backs my campaign.

Election day is Saturday, October 24th. Polls will be open from 8 am to 8 pm. For a complete list of places to vote in the constituency, click here.