Here's what the candidates of the Waterford Valley byelection say they bring to the table
Voters head to the polls Aug. 22
Voters in the St. John's district of Waterford Valley will elect a new MHA next week, and the three candidates have each made their pitches to represent residents.
The Waterford Valley byelection is scheduled for Thursday. The New Democrats are represented by Nicole Boland, the Liberals have put forward Jamie Korab as their nominee, while the Progressive Conservatives are represented by Jesse Wilkins.
All three candidates spoke with CBC News this week to explain to voters why they should be the ones to represent the district in the House of Assembly.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Why are you running?
Boland, a social worker who lives just outside the district, said her entrance into politics is fuelled by what she says is an overwhelming need for change.
"People are suffering and dying and struggling. And the social workers and nurses and all the wonderful people on the ground, we're giving it our all. But sometimes it really feels like, you know, we're screaming into the void. And I just really wanted to get out there, tell people what's going on and hopefully get some change," she said.
Wilkins, a former Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and RCMP officer with a background in addictions support, said he was in part driven to run by the work of the former MHA, Tom Osborne, who retired in July after holding the seat since 1996.
"When he decided to retire, I saw the void there and thought that I wanted somebody that was going to be reachable as he was. And I was fearful that a person would be successful and not be able to be reached, so I decided to throw my hat in the ring," he said.
Korab, Ward 3 councillor in St. John's for the last seven years, told CBC News he decided now was the right time to move into provincial politics.
"My experience from city hall is something that I think could be a benefit to the Team Furey Liberals as well as the people of Waterford Valley," he said. "I just liked the direction [Furey] was going, and when it came time for me to make that decision it was honestly a no-brainer once I looked at all the facts."
What are the major issues you're hearing from voters?
All three candidates said they're concerned about the cost of living, access to safe and affordable housing and child care, among other issues.
Wilkins said residents are worried about excessive government spending.
"The decisions they're making — spending money, giving money to foreign soccer teams," he said. "Some of these decisions I look at and I think 'You know, yes government is trying to make things better for people, but the decisions they're making are just so poor.' The money needs to be spent wiser. We need to have more control over the way we spend our money. We need to make better decisions."
Korab said he's heard concerns about the fishery and the federal government's recent decision to expand the commercial cod fishery, food insecurity and electricity rate mitigation.
Boland said she wants to cut through red tape for housing projects and increase public safety efforts by improving sidewalks and speed bumps.
What would you bring to the table?
Korab said he's eager to put in the work to help the district and its residents.
"They want a representative that's going to be there, listen to them, advocate and get back to them. And I feel in my seven years on council, you know, that's pretty well what I've done," he said. "I'm not saying I'm going to go in there and know everything provincially.… But I feel if I go in there I'm hitting the ground running."
Boland said she hopes to use her skills and knowledge as a social worker to help improve community investments. She plans to work to continue the party's calls for an increased minimum wage, the removal of HST from rental costs and the implementation of a rental cap.
"All of us are stronger when our communities are stronger, when everybody's happier, healthier and safe. We all benefit from that," she said.
Wilkins is interested in creating a provincial crime reduction plan that would involve consultation from both the RNC and RCMP to determine where support can be best directed.
"The officers are so overworked and so understaffed, it's challenging for those officers to go to work every single day," he said.
"We need to sit down with these organizations and figure out how we can better staff them. And then with that being done, they are the ones who can tell us what needs to be [done]. Where we need to direct the resources, where the money needs to go."
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The St. John's Morning Show
