BC United party leader Kevin Falcon chose the growing community of Chilliwack to pitch his plan to fix the problems plaguing B.C.

About one year out before the next provincial election, Falcon breezed into Smoking Gun, a downtown coffee shop in Chilliwack on Tuesday (Oct. 24) to share his vision for the newly renamed BC United party.

害羞草研究所淚 think we害羞草研究所檙e at a time in history when there害羞草研究所檚 a lot of division in politics right now, across North America and around the world. So uniting people together with a common purpose to try to fix things is something I think a lot of people can get behind,害羞草研究所� Falcon said in an interview with The Chilliwack Progress.

From health care, crime, and drug policy, to BC Ferries, transportation and infrastructure, a lot of things 害羞草研究所渁re broken害羞草研究所� right now, he said, 害羞草研究所渁nd need fixing.害羞草研究所�

He points to the effort by the NDP to decriminalize small amounts of hard drugs as a 害羞草研究所渇ailure.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淗onestly, it was like throwing fuel on an already raging bonfire and made things so much worse,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚 think if we get back to providing proper treatment for folks struggling with addiction, and make sure we fund it so that they get the care they need and deserve, and we will start to get different results than what we害羞草研究所檙e seeing on the streets today.害羞草研究所�

It ended up being a 害羞草研究所渞eckless害羞草研究所� mistake since it was rolled out without having 害羞草研究所渢he proper guardrails害羞草研究所� in place first.

So how will he tackle the thorny issue of housing?

害羞草研究所淲ell, first of all, we have to recognize that the NDP government made a fatal decision, misdiagnosing the problem,害羞草研究所� Falcon said. 害羞草研究所淭hey said that the problem was greedy developers and Chinese foreign buyers and they just completely missed the fact that lack of supply was also contributing massively to the problem we face.

害羞草研究所淪o what they did was they added a whole blizzard of taxes to housing, and yet if you害羞草研究所榬e adding more to the cost of housing, it doesn害羞草研究所檛 make it more affordable. And not surprisingly, seven years later, we害羞草研究所檝e ended up with the most unaffordable housing in North America and the highest rents in all of Canada.害羞草研究所�

He points to the pivotal issue of supply.

害羞草研究所淲e have to make sure we get more supply into the marketplace. The people that can best deliver that supply are the private sector and the not-for-profit sector, but they害羞草研究所檝e got to be properly incentivized, and working with local governments.害羞草研究所�

Falcon ticked off health-care concerns: one in five can害羞草研究所檛 get a family doctor; a million people waiting to see a specialist; and the government is sending cancer patients down south for treatment.

Attracting more trained physicians, and international medical graduates to come to B.C. as well as convincing the kids who 害羞草研究所渟tudied abroad害羞草研究所� to come back害羞草研究所� to practise medicine here would help.

害羞草研究所淎nd I害羞草研究所檓 going to make sure we take a chainsaw to the stupid rules and regulations that have built up over 100 years so we can get them in, and helping people,害羞草研究所� he vowed.

BC United would expand and invest in infrastructure 害羞草研究所渨hether it害羞草研究所檚 hospitals, and we害羞草研究所檝e got a record of building 14 hospitals while the former government, whether it害羞草研究所檚 highways and roads, or the 10-lane Port Mann Bridge.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 why we want to expand Highway 1 right through six lanes, right through to Chilliwack. We害羞草研究所檝e got to get on with these things though,害羞草研究所� Falcon said. 害羞草研究所淚t can害羞草研究所檛 just be about making promises and announcements, and re-announcements.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 got to be about actually getting things built and done.害羞草研究所�

It was no accident the leader of the Opposition was visiting Chilliwack this week with a press stop, and visits with business and agriculture leaders. Chilliwack害羞草研究所檚 two provincial ridings voted NDP in the last election, sweeping out the BC Liberal stronghold that had prevailed in an orange wave. So party officials are paying close attention.

害羞草研究所淚 think Chilliwack is a really important area for us because it害羞草研究所檚 one of the fastest-growing communities in the country,害羞草研究所� Falcon stated.

害羞草研究所淵ou害羞草研究所檝e got a lot of folks moving out of urban British Columbia that are moving to Chilliwack because there害羞草研究所檚 more affordability, you know, although that害羞草研究所檚 getting really tough now too and they害羞草研究所檙e facing all the challenges of a fast growing community, lack of transit, frankly, the difficulty of just getting around in the community.害羞草研究所�

Falcon was expected to name some new BC United candidates on Oct. 25, the day after he was interviewed about his future vision for B.C.

害羞草研究所淲e only changed our names six months ago, but I feel very, very confident by the time we come up to the next election, they害羞草研究所檙e going to look at the calibre of our candidates, the quality of our platform, and they害羞草研究所檙e going to vote for the people that actually know how to get things done.害羞草研究所�

RELATED: