Sheldon Clare, the MLA for the new Prince George-North Cariboo riding, will be focused on some specific issues in 2025.
Clare says one of those will be the region’s “crumbling” infrastructure that he says is affecting transportation.
“We’ve got slides all over the place that have shut down a number of roads. The Quesnel-Hixon Road is one, Knickerbocker, Cottonwood Hill, Durrell Road, issues on Quesnel-Hydraulic Road, Bastin Road.”
Clare says they have also heard complaints from constituents about the speed of vehicles on some of the access roads, especially around Likely.
He says a major focus this year will also be the North-South Interconnector.
Clare says they plan to hold a public meeting later this month.
“The Northern Resources Development Forum is happening in two weeks in Prince George, and right after that we’re looking at having a summit meeting in Quesnel to discuss primarily transportation issues in the region.”
Clare says Conservative Transportation Critic Harman Bhangu will be there and they have invited BC Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth.
Clare says health care will be another huge priority throughout the New Year.
“Another concern for residents is access to physicians and nurses and other healthcare workers. That’s a huge concern, especially for seniors who are more vulnerable than many others. And you’ve got concerns of emergency rooms being shut down, particularly in Williams Lake, we’ve got concerns about staffing in emergency rooms.”
He says wait times and fees for hospice palliative care are also a concern.
Clare says more needs to be done to attract and retain doctors and nurses in the riding.
He says a lot of the issues in healthcare that need to be addressed are directly related to the fentanyl crisis.
Clare says getting rid of decriminalization would help.
Another focus for 2025 will be on the economy and jobs.
“Tidewater Renewables refinery and hydrogen plan potential closure, Labour relations and job action, mine permitting, economic development consultation with First Nations, and forest sector resilience.”
Clare says agriculture issues are something else that they have been hearing from constituents.
“Issues around railroad fences to protect cattle and other domestic livestock, range land fees for crown land, the permitting process, control of predators, and the ability of livestock to get forage as well as the management of the range land and water access.”
Clare says crime and a very lenient court system will also be on the radar in 2025.
“100 percent. A lot of these issues are very interrelated and the whole thing with the homeless and criminal addictions and the need to get rid of the decriminalization process is certainly an important thing to take the pressure off of the healthcare system, and also to get the courts sorted out. Back in 2017 when decriminalization started, I really don’t believe they forsaw the damage it would cause.”
Clare says downtowns throughout the riding are suffering along with families.
“Nobody wants to find needles in parks, the remnants of last night’s problem, or having their business set on fire. We had that recent incident in a store in Quesnel where there was a person attacking a clerk with a hatchet, it’s njuts, it just can’t go on.”
Clare says his constituency office in Quesnel will open in January at City Hall, and a secondary office will be opening in the College Heights or Vanway area in Prince George in 2025 as well.
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