BC Premier David Eby answers questions at Town Hall in Nelson
By The Nelson Daily Staff
The next provincial election may be more than two months away, but candidates — including BC Premier David Eby — are already lining up chances to speak to the voting public in person.
Monday afternoon, at the gymnasium at the old Central School, Premier Eby answered questions at a Town Hall meeting hosted by Kootenay Central (formerly Nelson-Creston) MLA Brittny Anderson.
More than 100 people attended the meeting, that saw the BC Premier field questions on housing, old growth forests, local government funding, harm reduction, post-secondary fees, homelessness, climate change and the ongoing plight of local citizens fight to get a renal hemodialysis unit in Nelson.
Premier Eby did not directly deal with the renal hemodialysis question posed by healthcare advocate Rocco Mastrobuno.
Instead, Eby focused on the need for “more healthcare workers” and training people to work within the community” as ways to assist the financial burden of citizens travel to obtain hemodialysis three times a week in Trail.
Local healthcare advocate Rocco Mastrobuno was quick to pepper Premier David Eby on the need for a renal hemodialysis unit in Nelson.
On the question of harm reduction, Premier Eby suggested more education in schools as way to combat the drug addiction and possibly the need for nasal Naloxone.
Local scientist Suzanne Simard questioned Premier Eby on the old growth forestry problem in the province.
Simard, who teaches forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, wants the province keep pushing forestry reforms and have the Argenta Face, an island of unprotected forest at the north end of Kootenay Lake, included in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park.
Eby’s party, the provincial NDP, is up against surging John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party, BC United Kevin Falcon and Sonia Furstenau of the Greens in the provincial election set for October 19, 2024.
Kootenay Central MLA Anderson is confirmed to run against Nicole Charlwood of the BC Greens and Independent candidate Colleen Mori.
More than a 100 spectators flocked to the gymnasium at the former Central School in Nelson to listen to BC Premier David Eby at a Town Hall meeting Monday.
