By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Election season is in full swing as B.C. residents prepare to cast their ballots for the provincial general election, taking place on October 19th. The Goat interviewed each of the three MLA candidates running in the Prince George-Valemount riding about how they plan to advocate for Robson Valley residents. This is our interview with BC Green Party candidate Gwen Johansson.
Residents can register to vote at elections.bc.ca/register until 11:59 p.m. on October 7th.
Advance voting is taking place from Thursday, October 10th, through Wednesday, October 16th (advance voting places will be closed for Thanksgiving on Monday the 14th). Advance voting is taking place at Elks Hall, 172 Holdway Street, in McBride and the Valemount Community Hall, 101 Gorse Street, in Valemount.
Experience
Having grown up in McBride, Gwen Johansson has deep roots in the Robson Valley. She was a councillor for Hudson’s Hope for 16 years, after which she served as mayor of Hudson’s Hope for six years. As Mayor, she oversaw the District of Hudson’s Hope Solar Initiative, which involved installing a large array of solar panels that now meets the vast majority of the district’s electricity needs.
She has also been involved in a number of organizations that work with the Province. She was a director on the BC Hydro Board of Directors from 1997 to 2001, was appointed co-chair to the Northeast Energy and Mines Committee by the Minister of Energy in 2006, and founded the Northeast Oil & Gas Health Advisory Committee, which advocated for Northern Health to study the effects of the oil and gas industry on public health.
“I had a lot of opportunity to work with senior governments, especially at the provincial level,” Johansson said of her time as Councillor and Mayor. “And I found that it didn’t matter which party was in power – I could work with them.”
What she’s heard
Inappropriate use of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve has been one of the most common concerns Johansson has heard from Robson Valley residents. Land that could be used for farming or building more houses is instead being bought by property owners from outside the Valley, who leave the land unused, she says. This is especially a problem in the McBride area, which she says is surrounded by farmable land now sitting empty.
“The approach I would take would be to go to the Agricultural Land Commission and say, ‘Here’s the situation, can we work something out?’” she said. “So both the agricultural industry and the municipality of McBride can meet [with the Commission] and they can solve their problems.”
Top of the agenda
If elected, Johansson’s first 100 days in office would be spent getting a sense of her constituencies’ priorities. She understands the importance of having communicative and organized staff who will make sure constituents can reach her via email or phone, she said.
“I’m trying to get that information [on priorities] during the election period,” she said. “But I’m sure there would be more work to do to make sure that I understand the needs for each different community because they are quite different.”
Education
Johansson’s first job was working as a teacher in a one-room school, so she appreciates the broad range of expertise that rural teachers in small schools are expected to have, she says.
“You have to give [teachers with expertise] an incentive, and one way is to provide housing,” Johansson said. “That can be attractive to young people and young couples that are starting out in their career.”
She would also work with School District 57 and local teachers to support creative strategies for coping with staffing shortages, such as inviting local experts to give guest lectures on their area of expertise.
“I don’t think that you’re going to solve this problem by throwing more money at it,” she said, noting that it has historically been difficult to get funding for rural school districts. “It’s going to depend on the creativity of the teachers. I don’t think it should be prescriptive, coming from the top down with what teachers should do.”
Forestry
The forestry industry has been struggling in Prince George and the Robson Valley because of unsustainable, large-scale logging practices, says Johansson. Forestry is complex, but consulting with local experts could give some guidance on how to rebuild the industry and keep it sustainable for future generations, she added.
“I’m a great advocate for local ownership and small-scale industry,” she said. “The corporations, once the logs and timber are gone, they’re gone. If you put [forestry] in the hands of local people who have a vested interest in their community, then you’re more likely to get a more sustainable industry.”
Climate Change
Johansson disagrees with the Conservative and NDP parties’ proposals to remove the carbon tax.
“They [Conservative and NDP leadership] are talking about the carbon tax, saying they’re going to remove it, but they’re not saying anything about what they’re going to put in its place that will reduce carbon emissions,” she said.
Johansson believes an all-party committee on climate change would be a good start to addressing climate change, though she emphasizes the need for communications with her constituents as well. She’s concerned about the spread of misinformation and climate change denialism, and wants to use her platform to provide accurate information on climate change, she said.
Finally, she hopes to work with local governments to find ways to mitigate the local effects of climate change, such as McBride’s ongoing drought.
“The people that are elected at the municipal level, they’re the ones that have their finger on the pulse of the community and the biggest issue related to climate change,” she said.
Local Business
Johansson said she’ll invite business owners to share their needs and concerns with her on a one-on-one basis.
“You can have an open door policy, so individual businesses can come with their particular needs, and then try to work out what needs to be done,” she said. “If there’s some issue that is common to a number of different communities then you can work on it at a regional level, but I think that it wouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all [approach] for that.”
Closing comments
Since the Greens don’t have a party whip, Johansson believes she can effectively advocate for her constituents’ needs, regardless of how other members of her party vote.
“If you’re a large party member, you sometimes end up having to vote on issues in a way that is maybe not favourable to your own constituents,” she said. “If you have an independent [MLA], you can represent the people’s views to the government.”
“I have a lot of connections, I’ve built up a base in the rural areas like McBride, Dunster, and Valemount,” she said. “I believe that I can talk to them and represent their interests.” She plans on building up her base in Blue River and Avola as well, to make connections in the southernmost part of the Prince George-Valemount riding.
