The River Valley Sun sent out questionnaires to each candidate in the three ridings in our coverage area. Here are the responses from candidates in the Woodstock-Hartland riding, in alphabetical order:
Progressive Conservative candidate Richard Ames
Richard Ames did not complete the River Valley Sun questionnaire. PC campaign official Robert Fowlie responded to our request, stating that Ames was too busy campaigning to answer our questions. We offered to give him four more days to complete the questionnaire but were told by Mr. Fowlie that he still would not be submitting a response. He was asked the same questions as all other candidates, except on the affordability question. The River Valley Sun asked all PC candidates how their government could justify having a surplus and not spending it when people were suffering.
Liberal candidate Chris Duffie
RVS: Why are you running?
CD: We can do so much better if we start working together. I envision a healthy, prosperous, and secure New Brunswick where we can access medical care assistance and long-term care when needed.
We need predictability in rent, taxes and power. I see many people struggling to get by and want to see change. We need a good plan and the will to make it happen.
RVS: Healthcare is in crisis. What is the first step to repairing the system?
CD: Healthcare is the number one issue facing New Brunswickers today. The Higgs government’s failure to support doctors and healthcare professionals has left 180,000 New Brunswickers without access to a family doctor.
Holt’s plan will:
• Improve Physician Compensation: An overhaul of the physician compensation model to ensure fair pay, especially for after-hours care workers.
• Expand Training and Residency Spaces: Working closely with Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick and the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick to create more training and residency seats
• Improve Foreign Credential Recognition: Streamlined process for foreign-trained doctors and healthcare professionals to have their credentials recognized, allowing them to contribute their expertise more quickly.
• Introduce innovative Recruitment Initiatives: Fostering a supportive work environment that includes a community care clinic model with administrative support to retain the doctors we have and bring more healthcare professionals to the province. The healthcare plan also includes establishing at least 30 new community care clinics to help cut wait times and provide retention payments to New Brunswick’s hardworking nurses.
RVS: Education has been in the headlines for the last two years. The system faces multiple challenges – a lack of teachers, support staff, bus drivers, and French immersion teachers, which, along with the Policy 713 controversy, has resulted in low morale. What steps do you take to start repairing the system?
CD: Respect and fair compensation. Policy 713 intends to help a small group of students that the PCs have politicized to distract from their failures. The Child and Youth Advocate developed an updated policy which strikes a good balance between ensuring that the rights of vulnerable students are protected and understanding that parents need to be involved more within the education system.
Unlike Blaine Higgs, who said he would be worried about sending his daughters to a New Brunswick school, our team is proud of our province’s education system and ready to help improve it. We respect teachers and school staff. We understand that the system is underfunded and understaffed and needs immediate support.
We will:
• Retain and recruit teachers, support staff, educational assistants, and bus drivers; improve working conditions.
• Increase financial support for those who choose to enter the education profession.
• Develop a new ten-year plan with teachers, other education professionals, experts and parents to define a shared educational vision.
New Brunswick students deserve an education system where they can thrive. The Holt team will ensure they have access to the best tools and first-rate support for literacy and numeracy in a healthy learning environment where they feel supported, safe, and confident.
A Holt government also commits to continue Grade 1 early French immersion entry and will expand access points for Grade 6 entry.
RVS: We’ve come through worldwide inflation, NBers are struggling to meet everyday costs. We are facing a housing crisis, cost of living increases, lack of a rent cap, and all of these things have contributed to homelessness? In an era where we’ve faced multiple crises, how can a government address these while remaining fiscally responsible?
CD: New Brunswick rents are up 10 per cent this year alone. That is why the Holt government will implement a rent cap based on annual inflation and vacancy rates.
For years, the Higgs Conservatives have ignored the housing crisis, allowing rents to soar while families struggle to make ends meet. Our 3 per cent rent cap will bring immediate relief and protect renters from unfair increases.
Team Holt’s affordability plan will remove the 10 per cent PST on power bills, scrap the Higgs gas tax, and introduce a universal school food program so that no kid goes to school hungry.
Our team will overhaul New Brunswick’s property tax system to ensure it is transparent, competitive, affordable, and fair. Some New Brunswickers are seeing property tax increases of over 40 per cent annually.
The Holt team is committed to building 30,000 new housing units, and the removal of PST on new builds. A Holt government will work in partnership with municipalities to ensure that improvements start in the 2025 tax year, with the complete reform to be done for 2026.
RVS: What issue do you think is not being talked about enough?
CD: Crime and substance abuse, along with Internet and cell coverage in rural New Brunswick.
Green candidate Burt Folkins
Editor’s note:
The River Valley Sun questionnaire did not reach Burt Folkins. We learned of the problem after our October edition was published. We and others (including the Lakeland Ridges council for their candidates’ forum) attempted to contact Folkins through the Green Party’s provincial office. Unfortunately, party headquarters failed to forward the questions to the candidate. The River Valley Sun offered Mr. Folkins an opportunity to have his answers to our questionnaire included in our online post.
RVS: Why are you running?
BF: New Brunswick is unique in Canada as the only official bilingual province. Having lived in rural NB for most of my life and raised a family here, we sometimes overlook and take for granted the beauty N.B. offers. I see an opportunity for a stable, safe and environment-friendly lifestyle. However, we are not without our faults, so I am running to address the shortcomings. Be it in government, local service healthcare, education, or senior care; there are many.
Since the formation of the NB Green Party, one of my goals has been to have your vote be represented in the legislature regardless of how you cast your ballot. While we all should appreciate our history, time marches on, and as a society, it is important to acknowledge changes.
We have seen incredible changes over the past decades, some great, others not. Technology has allowed everyone to see the world and not leave our homes. Yet, when we look at our government, we continue to accept the status quo. We deserve better and demand fair representation. That is why I chose to run. All New Brunswickers need someone to advocate for them, whether it is for better healthcare, education, the environment or democratic reform.
RVS: Healthcare is in crisis. What is the first step to repairing the system?
BF: First, it should be recognized that this is not a new or recent event. The governments of the past have been seeing this coming for years and have chosen to ignore the consequences, and thus, we are in a crisis. The population is aging, and one can only expect an increasing demand and cost of our health care should have been anticipated.
There are many steps needed to address the current shortcomings. The need for primary care to reestablish trust among New Brunswickers is of utmost importance. All New Brunswickers and voters in this riding are fearful that they have very few alternatives and fewer people to answer their questions concerning health. They have expressed to me that there is no place to turn for these answers. If they have no access to family doctors or other primary care providers, then what are they to do? While eVisits and clinics are available, they do not address the many serious concerns of New Brunswickers.
The first step in a Green Government would be to provide that primary care access to all who request it. A Green Government proposes to establish 70 primary care clinics across the Province, providing a host of all-encompassing medical services. Additionally, the health care provider must proactively address a healthy lifestyle and behaviour changes. This can be accomplished by making available, qualified healthcare providers such as, dieticians, physiotherapists, midwifery as well doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and other health care specialists. Any approach to remedy this situation will not be an overnight fix. It will require a financial commitment for the foreseeable future to repair a damaged system. A Green Government will make this a priority to provide that health care that is so desperately needed by all New Brunswickers.
RVS: Education has been in the headlines for the last two years. The system faces multiple challenges – a lack of teachers, support staff, bus drivers, and French immersion teachers. Which, with the Policy 713 controversy, has resulted in low morale. What steps do you take to start repairing the system?
BF: As a parent and a grandparent, I respect the right of parents to be aware of what is going on in the education system. Parents should be involved in all aspects of their children’s education. However, it is society’s responsibility to protect the most vulnerable, our children. Social issues in our schools need to be addressed by dedicated professionals trained to meet the needs of the children.
Teachers and staff work tirelessly to provide support in a challenging environment. Similar to healthcare, the government needs to commit and make this a top priority without having parents against parents, parents against teachers and the school system. The Green Party will implement a retention and recruitment program for all educational positions in cooperation with the various unions. A Green government will establish a community school program and offer a universal meal plan based on New Brunswick first.
RVS: We’ve come through worldwide inflation, NBers are struggling to meet everyday costs. We are facing a housing crisis, cost of living increases, lack of a rent cap, and all of these things have contributed to homelessness? In an era where we’ve faced multiple crises, how can the next government address these while remaining fiscally responsible?
BF: NBers are not obviously immune to the effects of inflation and in the past four years have put us in the spotlight. We have welcomed up to 80,000 new residents to New Brunswick. People have been coming to New Brunswick because of the affordability, safety, wide-open nature of the province and the clean environment. But with this also comes a cost. It has stressed our healthcare system, education, and housing and created a demand for workers. Governments at all levels have a responsibility to act in the best interest of NBers.
Greens will offer a made-in-New Brunswick solution to address these issues. Provide a tax credit to all students whether in trades or professional fields to offset the cost of tuition if they commit to remaining in the province to support our economy and our people. A Green government will implement rent control for NB renters, reform the property tax assessment program to give tax relief to homeowners and apartment renters. A Green government will raise the level of financial assistance for those receiving social income to a fair and just level of a minimum 20 per cent above current levels. The long-term goal would be to provide a guaranteed basic livable income for all NBers. Ensure that NBers have an opportunity for adequate affordable housing with government support for nonprofit and community co-operative housing units. The need to build within our financial means and provide long-term funding is the goal of a Green government.
RVS: What issue do you think is not being talked about enough?
BF: Regrettably, there are many issues not being addressed during this election campaign, such as climate change, the consequences of environmental damage, and democratic reform, to name a few. In NB, for the last 157 years, we have been subject to a voting system of first past the post, winner take all. This system may have been justified at the time for various reasons; mainly, it suits the needs of those in power. However, in the 2024 election, we see many people staying home and choosing to accept the status quo because they feel their vote does not count. We have successive governments elected with a minority of votes cast because our current system does not reflect the true feelings of NBers. NBers deserve to be heard, meaning your vote should be acknowledged in the legislative assembly. Election reform should be a concern of all NBers. The opportunity to advance democratic participation should be addressed by all parties as declining voter turnout and voter apathy continues to rise. The Green Party endorses proportional representation as a means to encourage voter involvement and election reform. That is why I have chosen to run as a candidate in this election campaign, to serve and be an advocate for those unheard. Thank you.
People’s Alliance candidate Sterling Wright
RVS: Why are you running?
SW: I’m running because the current government is failing the province on health, education, and affordability. Healthcare is worse now than it was six years ago. Mismanagement of the education file has resulted in the poorest education delivery in our province’s history. I know far too many people are being crushed by rising costs while the government has done next to nothing to alleviate this pain. Mental health and addiction services are woefully inadequate, leading to increased crime, increased suicides, and a great deal of stress on families.
On a local level, municipal reform has certainly not met the needs or expectations of residents. Sadly, our sitting MLA has been of no help with this issue. The job of MLA, first and foremost, is to serve their constituents. It is not to be a yes man to a Premier whose agenda is not even approved by much of his own party and caucus. We need leadership we can trust.
RVS: Healthcare is in crisis. What is the first step to repairing the system?
SW: The first step to repairing healthcare has to be stopping the bleeding. The Higgs government has failed in four critical areas: retention, recruitment, training, and a path forward to integrate professionals from other jurisdictions into our health system.
The Premier’s adversarial approach to almost every situation has poisoned the working relationship between the province and our vital healthcare professionals. A minority government is the only thing I can think of that can bring the parties to the table to begin repairing the incredible damage over the past six years.
RVS: Education has been in the headlines for the last two years. The system faces multiple challenges – a lack of teachers, support staff, bus drivers, and French immersion teachers, which, with the Policy 713 controversy, has resulted in low morale. What steps do you take to start repairing the system?
SW: What is needed to repair education mirrors what is needed to salvage healthcare. What is alarming is the speed at which our education has eroded. But I suppose one should not be too surprised by this when we consider we have a Premier who loathes investing in our children’s future and a government incapable of listening to any contrary opinion. Again, only a minority government can ensure that stakeholders are brought to the table and held there until real solutions are found.
RVS: We’ve come through worldwide inflation, NBers are struggling to meet everyday costs. We are facing a housing crisis, cost of living increases, lack of a rent cap, and all of these things have contributed to homelessness. In an era where we’ve faced multiple crises, how can the next government address these while remaining fiscally responsible?
SW: This is by far the most difficult question to answer. The next government must focus on a housing strategy that delivers. All we have done is throw ideas at the wall and hope something sticks. Some actions that might benefit in the short term is to cap rent increases to no more than the inflation rate. Reduce the provincial portion of the HST on building materials to spur more housing starts and renovations. Slow the rising cost of utilities to keep them at a level that does not exceed the consumer’s ability to pay. Above all, encourage our youth to continue their education to access better-paying jobs in an ever-changing economy.
RVS: What issue do you think is not being talked about enough?
SW: The one issue needing more attention is leadership. Without real leadership, we cannot have positive results. Let’s start at the top with the Premier, who, after six years in office, can not point to a single success other than a debt reduction, made possible not by stellar management on his part but by the province receiving a windfall of revenue from the federal government as well as a second windfall thanks to inflation driving HST revenue to unimaginable heights at the expense of consumers. Make no mistake, these two factors created the surpluses. I would suggest any success came in spite of the Premier rather than any action on his part.
I would hope I am not the only person heeding the many warnings we have received from former colleagues of the Premier. If they do not share Mr. Higgs’ vision for the province, why should we? I have seen zero leadership from the current MLA at the riding level. I hope this is not construed as a personal attack because it isn’t. Many folks in the riding have expressed their disappointment in the current member’s lack of engagement and concern on several issues.
ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE
Tune into our website or our YouTube channel at 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, for our western valley election show. The River Valley Sun’s Theresa Blackburn will be joined by former Tobique-Mactaquac MP Mike Allen, former Woodstock Deputy Mayor Amy Anderson, plus others who will join us via Zoom throughout the evening.
