Amid the high octane rhetoric of a hotly contested B.C. election campaign, John Yap said he is seeking a sense of balance on the issues.
Yap, the BC Liberal party incumbent since 2005, told the News in his Richmond-Steveston riding campaign office this week that he has discussed many issues with constituents on their doorsteps in the past number of weeks.
And while he found the economy and jobs were the overriding concerns for many, the prospect of shipping jet fuel past his riding along the South Arm of the Fraser River to serve Vancouver International Airport (YVR) did resonate with others.
"With respect to the YVR jet fuel proposal we should keep in mind that YVR is a major economic generator for the City of Richmond, for the region, for the province, and part of the gateway to Canada," Yap said. "So, it's Scan a very important asset for video o the city and the province."
Yap added that if the plan is approved by the province's Environmental Assessment Office, it has to be done in a way the environmental risk is "managed to the satisfaction of all, and also any public safety concerns are addressed, and of course we have to see a benefit to the City of Richmond."
Yap said the jet fuel topic ties in directly with concerns over the economy as YVR employs over 20,000 people, we need to ensure in the long term that it will have a supply of jet fuel. That's the reality."
Despite his resignation in early March as B.C.'s Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism over the ethnic outreach controversy, Yap said he has been received well when making the campaign rounds.
"I've found it's almost been universally positive," Yap said. "People have been encouraging and saying to me they're glad I'm presenting myself for re-election."
The scandal involved using taxpayer resources to attract ethnic voters for the BC Liberal Party in the run up to the election.
Yap said he apologized for the mistakes made and he received support from within the riding to seek another term.
"As I look back and see how the issue came forward, the Premier apologized, I apologized to the voters in my riding. I sent out a fairly specific newsletter that apologized for what happened in regards to my actions as a minister."
