Jerome Dickey
Green Party
Jerome Dickey says a big part of what hes about involves change.
The BC Green Party candidate running in Richmond-Steveston said previously he would have been content being a spectator, watching the political landscape unfold before him on election night and beyond.
This time around he wanted to be the one making that change.
Instead of complaining about things, like I probably did in the past, thinking about the politics going on and not liking the NDP and the Liberals and what they stand for, I decided to get involved, said the rookie candidate.
Dickey started campaigning with his volunteers back in January and by his count has visited about 2,000 constituents. And what he found from many people he talked to was a desire for a more open and transparent government in Victoria.
Hes also hearing agriculture and transportation are on the minds of local voters.
On the latter, Dickey said many of the people he has spoken to want more options when it comes to public transit.
And when it comes to the economy, Dickey said the BC Green Party places the importance of small businesses very high.
Thats where the majority of jobs are created, he said. Thats where it starts. Its about building up those jobs, and building communities.
On the proposal to having jet fuel shipped up the South Arm of the Fraser River, Dickey said the provincial government should work with the aviation industry to find a solution that is acceptable for both the economic and environmental aspects of the project.
Dickey said he believes the option for a running pipeline from the Cherry Point refinery in Washington State to YVR instead of tankers along the river as the most plausible he has seen so far.
I think maybe the options need to be looked at again to see if they are still valid, and probably need to be looked at in regards to stronger environmental regulations.
But ultimately, society has to ween itself from the use of fossil fuels, he added.
In the long term we have to look at ourselves as a society and move away from those and start the shift to cleaner energy forms, he said. We dont see that conversation happening with any other parties.
In reality, any shift will not happen overnight, Dickey said.
We dont believe were going to come as government and have things green in two years, he said. Weve taken the better part of 100 years to get where we are. And its going to take some time. But we need to have those conversations to put in the structure, such as tax reform, to support that change.
