Crowd responds to Green candidate, independent during Cowichan Valley all-candidates meeting
Conservative candidate booed for saying Duncan ‘caters to the lowest demographic in society’
If crowd response is the measure, the Green Party came out ahead of the NDP and Conservatives on Friday night at an all-candidates meeting in Lake Cowichan.
Close to 100 people attended the 2.5-hour meeting sponsored by the Cowichan Lake Chamber of Commerce. It represented the first opportunity for voters to hear from four candidates seeking election in Cowichan Valley in the Oct. 19 provincial election.
Green candidate Cammy Lockwood received the strongest applause of the three main parties.
As a vegetable and egg farmer, Lockwood said she personally experienced the impact of climate change on June 28, 2021, when the heat dome raised temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.
“That morning I did not know if I would have a farm at the end of the day,” she said. “I had to make some very difficult decisions about where the water went, if I prioritized my crops or livestock.”
Lockwood said she supports a movement away from fossil fuels to a green economy, such as solar, geothermal, wind and tidal energy. “We have the resources and people who can meet those needs.”
The crowd also responded enthusiastically to independent socialist candidate Eden Haythornthwaite as she railed against “100 corporations on this earth responsible for 70 per cent of emissions.”
She called for “dignified, affordable housing for all working people…with constitutional guarantees.” She supports lowering the voting age to 16 years and rolling daycare into the K-12 education system.
During Haythornthwaite’s term as chair of Cowichan Valley School District, the BC government fired the entire board in 2012 for submitting a deficit budget.
“It may seem risky to elect someone like me to the leg,” she said. “But if we continue to vote for the same people, politics and parties presenting the same solutions, the risk is much greater.”
In contrast to Haythornthwaite, Koury called for less red tape and fewer taxes to allow private industry and the ecomomy to flourish, including through the construction of more homes.
He supports opening up Crown land near urban areas to allow more housing. And he blamed the NDP for society’s ills, including the high cost of living, high housing prices, and the "health crisis," including street drugs and mental-health issues.
Koury was booed when he criticized the City of Duncan for “catering to the lowest demographic in our society….”
Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples sat in the audience and during the coffee break told sixmountains.ca: “Duncan takes care of all of the people who live in our community.”
On the issue of water management, Koury said the notion of a drought in the Cowichan Valley is “kind of a myth because they’re approving water licences for thousands of homes” in the valley. “We will have quality water forever on Vancouver Island.”
The comment drew scattered jeers from the audience.
Lockwood fired back, saying: “I can guarantee you that there is a drought and that British Columbia is not approving any more commercial licenses in the Koksilah watershed.”
Koury challenged the “unrealistic” proposal put forward by “progressive” politicians. “The reality is, folks, 80 per cent of our energy is oil and gas...fossil fuel products. So, if that’s to be eliminated, we’re going to be living in poverty….”
Koury did not directly answer when asked if he believed in global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels.
During her answers, Toporowski mostly read from notes and quoted NDP policy. Among the policies cited: an annual tax cut of $1,000 per average family; adding new child-care spaces; energy-efficiency rebates; and support for non-market housing.
Toporowski is an elected member of both Cowichan Tribes and North Cowichan council.
She was asked about conflict of interest and the challenge of serving multiple roles if elected MLA. She replied she has recused herself from council debates involving tribes, adding: “There are other councillors that sit at the table that become in conflict from time to time and I am no different.
“I will have to step down from North Cowichan if I do win this seat. For First Nations, it does not say that I cannot run and keep my seat…."
She added: “I will cross that bridge when I get there. I have done so much in my community over the last 20 years. I have juggled so many things. I can do it.”
Koury has suffered three consecutive election losses.
He placed second behind Rob Douglas in the mayoral race in North Cowichan in 2022. He also lost in a bid for North Cowichan council in 2018 and in a mayoral bid in 2014.
But he was elected to North Cowichan council in 2008 and 2011 and chaired the economic development committee. “It was on my watch when we started the hospital process, the RCMP process and the new high school process,” he told the crowd.
All four candidates generally supported community activist Peter Rusland’s petition to repurpose the current Cowichan District Hospital for public medical use after the new hospital opens in 2027.
None of the candidates were asked their position on forestry issues.
Jon Coleman was the only candidate who did not attend the meeting. Coleman had been running for BC United until the party announced August 28 it would not participate in the election to give the Conservatives a better chance of defeating the NDP.
Coleman is now officially listed as an unaffiliated candidate.
North Cowichan councillor Tek Manhas told sixmountains.ca that he planned to serve as Coleman’s campaign manager, but “stepped away” after BC United folded its tent.
“At this point I am watching the provincial campaign from the sidelines,” Manhas said.
The next all-candidates meeting is Monday, sponsored by Downtown Duncan Business Improvement Area, at 7 p.m. at Duncan United Church, 246 Ingram Street.
More background:
Haythornthwaite: https://www.cowichansocialist24.ca/
Koury: https://www.conservativebc.ca/johnkoury
Lockwood: https://bcgreens2024.ca/your-candidates/cammy-lockwood/
Toporowski: https://debratoporowski.bcndp.ca/
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— Larry Pynn, Oct. 6, 2024
