10 key Island issues

MILLERTIME

Member
28 Apr 2011Times Colonist— Compiled by Cindy Harnett, Lindsay Kines, Judith Lavoie, Kim Westad and Carla Wilson

10 key Island issues

While many of the issues during a federal election are national in scope, the 2011 campaign has seen a number of local topics dominate discussions at candidate debates and on the doorsteps in the six Vancouver Island ridings. Here are hot Island issues, and where the four main parties stand on them.

2 Oil tanker traffic
Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. has proposed a $5.5-billion plan to build two pipelines that would carry oil from northern Alberta to a port in Kitimat, where it would be put on tankers to travel to Asia. The company’s application is still being assessed by a federal regulatory process. If it’s built, 225 oil tankers a year could traverse the waters along B.C.’s north and central coast, taking the oil to China.
In December, a non-binding motion passed 143-138 in the House of Commons to formalize a moratorium on tanker traffic through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound.
However, the Conservatives did not support the bill and aren’t required to act on it as it is not legislation. Last week, leader Stephen Harper said the Tories will not impose a legally binding ban on oil tanker traffic off the west coast. The Conservatives say an existing voluntary moratorium between the Canadian and U.S. coast guards, in place since 1972, already creates an “exclusion zone” that stops tankers from coming down the Inside Passage.
On the other hand, the Liberal, NDP and Green parties all say they would formalize a ban on oil tanker traffic off B.C.’s west coast.

4 Halibut fishery
The halibut fishery opening this spring has been marked by a debate over quotas set by the federal government. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced that the commercial fleet will keep an 88 per cent share of the catch this year, and the sports fishery the remainder under a formula set in 2003. Recreational anglers want a bigger piece of the pie. Shea has said the matter will be studied before the 2012 season.
This issue has loomed large on the Island, particularly in the three ridings north of Greater Victoria. Vancouver Island North Liberal candidate Mike Holland favours first allocating a set number of B.C. halibut to recreational fishermen before the commercial quota is set. He also suggests slowly transferring quota from holders who are not on the water.
The Green party’s Sue Moen suggests transferring commercial fishing quotas from corporations to individual fishermen or fishing communities.
NDP candidate Ronna-Rae Leonard likened the current quota system to privatizing the fishery, which sees many fishermen leasing quotas from the holders. These fees hurt both sectors, she says.
Conservative candidate, and the incumbent MP, John Duncan said he will work with the fisheries minister to find a solution in the interests of all sectors prior to the next season.

7 Fish farms
Both coasts of Vancouver Island are dotted with fish farms. Opponents claim opennet pens are a threat to wild salmon and the environment, while supporters point to jobs in remote communities, and say economically viable, closed pens remain experimental.
Vancouver Island North Conservative candidate John Duncan said the government has invested more than $70 million in improving environmental monitoring and science and supports strictly regulated aquaculture operating transparently.
Liberal candidate Mike Holland wants more scientific studies on farm placement, fallowing and closed containment. “We don’t want to rush out and ruin the industry and the science has to be done first. Hopefully we can find a balance between jobs and the environment.”
The NDP wants the industry to move to closed containment systems to protect wild salmon and ensure long-term, sustainable jobs.
The Greens oppose open pens and want aquaculture moved out of the Fisheries and Oceans mandate so the DFO can concentrate on protecting wild fish.

9 Raven coal mine
A proposal to build a 3,100hectare underground coal mine near Fanny Bay has been a contentious issue in the Comox Valley, particularly regarding the type of assessments needed before a decision is made on the project. Currently, the Raven Underground Coal Project is undergoing a provincial environmental assessment simultaneously to a federal review under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The NDP says an “utterly rigorous” environmental assessment is needed and wants the project reviewed by an independent panel of experts with full public consultation.
The Conservatives support “environmentally responsible resource development,” stringent assessment and a balance between jobs and the environment.
Liberals say proponents must come to the table with the best environmental protection proposals, the necessary science must be done and the assessment must be of the highest standard.
The Greens want to see a federal/provincial panel, a process for funding intervenors and sufficient time allowed to look at all environmental impacts.

10 Coast guard ships
The future of the Coast Guard’s 70-foot cutter Point Race remains a hot issue in Vancouver Island North. While in Opposition, Conservative MP John Duncan criticized plans to replace the vessel with a 47-foot lifeboat. The Point Race was designed to deal with highspeed tidal currents in Discovery Passage, while its replacement lacked those capabilities, he said.
But Duncan changed his tune in government. Last month, he said it becomes harder to argue against fleet renewal as years pass. The aging Point Race will be replaced with a smaller search and rescue lifeboat being built in Victoria.
Opponents accuse Duncan of flip-flopping and putting lives at risk. Liberal Mike Holland says the Point Race has plenty of life left in it and should be kept in service. The NDP’s Ronna-Rae Leonard says the cutter should be replaced with a vessel of equal size and capability. The Green party has yet to take a position.
 
Thx for the post Millertime. Not in my riding but these issues will be affecting my vote in Vancouver.
 
What happened to the rest of them?? What are 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8??

Are they ones that the NDP or Libs are talking out of the side of their mouth again and the conservatives are saying the right things????

Cheers

SS
 
I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents.
Sir Winston Churchill.
 
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