A pair of Prince George Liberal MLA’s believe yesterday’s (Tuesday) Throne Speech was a little underwhelming from the NDP and Lt. Governor Janet Austin.
Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris believes economic development following the pandemic should have been a major focus.
“Where are the new mines, where is the economic development that we so sorely need here in Britsh Columbia to support all of this money the government has been spending, so that was missing.”
In addition, Morris mentioned the NDP needs to show more urgency when it comes to evaluating several high ticket items related to major weather events.
“We have big bills to pay with the construction costs associated with the floods and the fires as well as rebuilding the farms and everything else. There is a lot of work to be done and we need some substantial resources coming into government and I just don’t see that.”
Child care was also mentioned during the Throne Speech, stating the file will now fall under the Ministry of Education.
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond told Vista Radio new spaces are still lacking in the northern capital.
“What matters is making sure we have the spaces we have available for families across the province. We have heard from parents in Prince George that when new spaces open the waitlists exceed the number of seats and spaces that are available.”
Bond also took aim at the Labour Market Outlook that was unveiled on Monday forecasting just a 0.4% spike in employment for the Cariboo Economic Region, which includes PG, Quesnel, and Williams Lake – the slowest among all regions.
Between now and 2031, just 20,400 job openings are anticipated for the region.
Bond believes there needs to be more creativity shown in order to retain more of our homegrown talent.
“We need to be looking at how we generate new jobs and focus on things like tourism and the tech sector while of course remaining committed to making sure we have a natural resource sector that continues to thrive and prosper in our province.”
The province is expected to unveil its economic recovery plan next week.
The BC Budget will be unveiled on February 22nd.