Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon told delegates to the UBCM Convention that his government would look to local governments as partners in delivering an increased housing supply. “We need legislative changes” to accelerate the delivery of new homes, said MLA Falcon, “but we will work with local governments to get the right balance of incentives and disincentives." Falcon added that "the province also needs to do its part" to ensure the infrastructure necessary for development is in place.
The Leader of the Opposition also said that more work needs to be done to improve the development approval process. “It can take longer to zone a [apartment] tower than it took Canada to fight and win World War II,” said Falcon. “We need to flood the zone and approve multiple types of housing” and harness the power of the private sector to develop and build those homes.
The linkages between public safety and the need for better services to support those who struggle with mental health and addictions also featured in his address. Noting the increasing public concern with random acts of violence and property damage in urban areas, Falcon criticized the province’s “catch and release” approach to repeat offenders, noting that just 40 individuals were the source of over 3,000 police interactions in a single year in Metro.
Referencing the failure of the policy behind the decision to close Riverview in the ’80s, Falcon said all governments since then share the blame for failing to provide the necessary supports for those who struggle with mental illness. “We have done them a disservice by leaving them on the street to be exploited - we owe them a greater duty of care.” A Liberal government, he said, would provide “modernized compassionate facilities with 24/7 care. The investment will be big, but by doing so we will see significant saving in policing budgets.”
The Opposition Leader also said that if he is made Premier his government will make fixing the provincial healthcare system a priority, citing a recent Liberal 15-point plan. Falcon threw shade on government claims of a net increase in healthcare employees, saying that too many of those hires were in administrative roles.
Falcon also told delegates that a Liberal government would retain the carbon tax and make sure that it returns to its original revenue-neutral status.