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C2 BREAKING NEWS: VANCOUVERSUN.COM | SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013 || WEEKEND REVIEW How will you cast your ballot on Tuesday? Here to help you decide is a summary of where the four major political parties stand on 20 key issues. Check the box next to the position that best reflects your own on each issue. Tally the check marks. Then remember to vote. Hot topics Liberals checks 16-20: No swaying your vote. 10-15: Room for improvement. 6-9: Looking for another option. 0-5: Time to go. NDP checks 16-20: Give ‘em another shot. 10-15: Best alternative. 6-9: Small L Liberal? 0-5: No chance. Conservatives checks 16-20: Cummins is your man! 10-15: Really Disgruntled Liberal. 6-9: Just a little disgruntled. 0-5: Not Cummin to this party. Green checks 16-20: Give ‘em Government! 10-15: Just give ‘em a seat. 6-9: Give ‘em marks for trying. 0-5: Not interested. Don’t know/Don’t care 10-20: No complaining after the election, please. 4-9: Read more in The Sun. 0-3: You’re an informed voter. Liberals New Democrats Conservatives Greens Housing/ poverty No specific housing promises, but cre- ation of an LNG-funded BC Prosperity Fund will help ease affordability problems. 1,500 new social housing units/year; rewrite tenant & landlord legisla- tion; more social workers; mini- mum wage up, tied to inflation. Rely on private sector for housing; more money by scrapping carbon tax. New “location efficient” housing mort- gages in no-car urban areas. New “guaranteed livable income;” raise basic tax exemption. Taxes/ government Freeze personal tax rates for five years; tax credits for coaching teachers and early childhood; create new BC Prosperity Fund. Raise high-income earner taxes; raise income assistance, family bonus rates; ban union, corporate dona- tions, reduce voter age to 16. Lower taxes, no rise in personal income tax; new Legislative Budget Office, more Legislative spending, fall sittings. Scrap “first past the post” elections; cap executive, MLA compensation and pensions; reduce power of premier’s office. Education Negotiate 10-year agreement with teach- ers’ union; 45 school seismic upgrades; reduce class composition and siz- es; free university and college textbooks; 2% tuition increase cap. More teachers, librarians, counsellors, assistants, ESL, aboriginal and special needs programs; $100-million student grant program. Parents on hiring committees; more choice in their childrens’ electives. Stable funding over four years, end to three-year budget estimates. Restructure school system, ban basic user fees, fold private and independent schools into public. Boost post- secondary funding; cut tuition fees 20%. Health care/ mental health Another $2.4 billion by 2017; reduce accreditation backlog for foreign-trained nurses, broaden nursing roles; $12 million for 160 new medical stu- dent spaces. Re-establish surgery, obstetrics, critical care in key rural hospitals; expand home support, community care; resi- dential care for seniors & disabled. Review health care spending, funding and ambulance service shortages in northern B.C.; some changes in mental health care delivery. Reform health care system; replace five health authorities with 14 regional trusts, more money for health care pre- vention, new primary and rural health care centres. Job creation/ skills training Expand B.C. goods markets, training tax credits, pre-graduation apprenticeship; lure head offices to B.C.; boost Hollywood North incentives. Boost Hollywood North tax credits; make it easier to unionize; repeal public sector union-hurting law; invest in more skills/apprenticeship training. Increase trades, technical and health care training and apprenticeships; easier finance for alternative energy companies; renewed internship programs. Re-establish trades education, certifica- tion, credentials. More skills training for alternative energy sectors. Promote job-creation in a new low-carbon economy. Transport/ transit Hwy. 1 four-laning to Alberta border; replace George Massey tunnel; referendum on TransLink funding; no tolls on existing roads, bridges. Reform Translink to allow elected municipal participation; redirect some carbon taxes to transit improvements. $408 tax credit for frequent toll and ferry users. $200 million in northern infrastructure grants to repair rural, industrial roads. Pay-as-you-go insurance, expand HOV lanes, implement road, conges- tion and parking pricing. Commuter light rail for Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island. First Nations Negotiate new revenue-sharing agree- ments; 10 new non-treaty mining benefits agreements. Revise treaty process, new four-year eco- nomic and education plan; devolve child protection and fam- ily services to First Nations. First Nations a federal issue; would work with them “where such consulta- tion is mandated by the courts and the federal government.” Require mines to have support and rec- ognize rights of First Nations; allow co-managing of provincial parks. Forestry New lumber trade missions; $500,000 for research; direct more B.C. timber sales to local mills, speed up replanting in pine beetle kill areas. $100 million to double seedlings planted; reduce raw log exports to build local mill jobs; new “jobs protec- tion commissioner.” Restore B.C. Forest Service; accurately inventory and measure wood, ensure long-term stable flow of wood to industry. Reform forestry practices, eliminate old- growth logging; phase out clear- cuts in second-growth forests; loans for small forestry businesses. Mining Support projects with Environmental Assessment Office approval; com- plete Northwest Transmission Line & Iskut extension for new mining. Reduce waiting times for mining explora- tion permits, streamline environ- mental assessments, invest in mining skills education. Support expansion, development of new mines; streamline regulatory approval; inter-provincial plans on on transport of mining products. Eliminate mining & mineral development subsidies; new tax on profits. Public hearings & environmental assessments on all new proposals. Energy/ pipelines/LNG Preconditions demanded before support for Northern Gateway, Kinder Morgan; LNG to fund new BC Prosperity Fund. Support Kitimat oil refinery, new fracking rules. Oppose Northern Gateway, Kinder Morgan pipeline proposals; keep offshore exploration moratorium; independently review “fracking.” Support Northern Gateway & Kinder Morgan proposals, fracking and LNG expansion; B.C. to get com- pensation for allowing access to ports. Halt consideration of Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines; per- manently ban crude oil tanker traffic on the West Coast; oppose LNG. Balanced budgets/debt Limit government spending growth to GDP; create BC Prosperity Fund for debt reduction; 50% of excess revenues to debt reduction. Repeal Balanced Budget law, but adopt balanced budgeting as a core tenet; balance by fourth year; work towards debt reduction. Return to balanced budgets; surpluses to pay down debt. Return to balanced budgets; eliminate corporate subsidies; phase out addictive gambling forms, devel- op new “fair” taxation policies. Environment Better laws to protect aquifers and drink- ing water; fishing licence revenues to conservation. Klappan Valley protected. Restore BC Parks funding for conservation officers, rangers, interpretive programs; use disbanded Pacific Carbon Trust revenues for energy refits; enhanced green energy programs. Broad pledge that “environmental and fis- cal sustainability and optimization should be the hallmark of a government’s policy.” New Environmental Protection Act; ban mining, logging, grazing in all parks; decommercialize parks; new marine protected areas, permanent moratoriums on off- shore oil and gas. Municipal affairs/Metro Work cooperatively with local govern- ments on planning, finance, infra- structure and other issues; no defined promises. Improve local government autonomy; return TransLink to a board with elected municipal representation. Work with UBCM on municipal issues, not download “without openness and accompanied by appropriate resources and funding.” 1% of PST to local governments for “green cities” emission reduction programs. Carbon tax/ climate change Freeze the carbon tax for five years “to let other juridisctions catch up.” Expand carbon tax to oil, gas operations; use carbon tax for transit/green programs; disband Pacific Carbon Trust. Carbon tax to be phased out over four years, Pacific Carbon Trust to be scrapped. Hefty taxes and regulations to reduce greenhouse gases by 85% by 2030; clean air tax credits for green businesses. Seniors New options for people with dementia; $500,000 for more “age-friendly” municipalities; more money for Better At Home program. New seniors housing, expand home sup- port for seniors and those with disabilities; increase service levels in care facilities. Double age amount tax credit for seniors; new pooled pension plan program. Increase staffing, funding for residential care facilities; greater support for those who live alone; expand home support. Crown corporations A third of new BC Prosperty Fund rev- enues to pay down BC Ferries debt; accelerate paydown of BC Hydro and Port Mann Bridge debt. Restore BC Ferries under government; freeze fares for two years while under review; reform BC Hydro; sell BC Place; scale back public-private partnerships. Revamp BC Ferries, BC Hydro, PavCo; amalgamate excess boards, allow sale of wine and beer in local stores. Restore BC Ferries under government; public enquiry into BC Hydro, opt-out clause for smart meters. Promote alternative power forms. Child care 2,000 new licensed daycare spaces in three years; expand use of school premises; province-wide childcare space registry. Reduce fees families pay for licensed infant, toddler care; create more opportunities. Lowering taxes and creating more jobs will create private options for child care. New childcare spaces; reformed child pro- tection system; new “social trusts” for family and childcare programs. Crime/policing Examine regional policing; expand Legal Services Society work; move traf- fic tickets to tribunals. Improve Legal Aid, hire duty counsels, use dispute resolution more. More focus on victims in law and order policy; 10 new prosecutors for a special anti-gang unit. New “provincial police service.” Business Return the general corporate tax rate to 10 %, (after raising it to 11 % last year); cut small business tax by 40% by 2018; more cuts to red tape. Increase corporate income tax to 12%; bring back corporate capital tax on finan- cial institutions. Support extension of the Pacific Northwest Exemption, more funding for clean energy, technology sec- tors. Job creation through lower taxes. Loan guarantees, tax credits, etc for small and green businesses; require companies to have social, environmental and community elements. Agriculture $20 million in carbon tax relief for green- house and flower growers; new tree fruit replanting program; expand Buy Local progam. New meat inspec- tion program. Renew Agricultural Land Reserve; new programs for orchardists, farmers; reduce liquor distribution markup and rules for winemakers. Expand Buy Local. New “My British Columbia” branded buy- local program; $500 tax credit for families buying local; financial support, farm gate licences for farmers. Strengthen Agricultural Land Reserve. Ban growth stimulants in animals; ban intensive and factory farming practices. New farm tax system. Pesticide-free in 20 years. Don’t care/ Don’t know COUNT UP YOUR CHECK MARKS AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE
