With advance polls open for voting in the important Nanaimo provincial by-election, the BC Federation of Labour is encouraging union members in the Hub City to get out to vote to elect the BC NDP’s Sheila Malcolmson.
“It’s a crucial election and the choices are clear,” says BCFed President Laird Cronk. “John Horgan’s government is working hard to fix the damage caused by 16 years of BC Liberal rule. We can’t let the Liberals turn back the clock,” says Cronk, who was born and raised in Nanaimo.
In just 18 months, the Horgan government has implemented a host of programs and policies along with new spending priorities that will make life better for workers, their families and communities. For workers in Nanaimo, that means:
• the elimination of MSP premiums;
• funding to improve care for seniors;
• more childcare spaces and reduced costs for 2,700 kids in the city;
• expanded skills training programs and facilities at Vancouver Island University;
• funding for a new shelter for women and children fleeing violence;
• $15 minimum wage, and a pledge to reform employment standards and labour laws for the benefit of working people; and
• the promise of a new urgent care centre and intensive care ward at the local hospital, just to name a few of the NDP’s many accomplishments.
Advance polls are open 8 am to 8 pm through Sunday, January 27. And general voting day is Wednesday, January 30. Download more detailed information about polling places here.