The Tri-City News sent out a questionnaire to all candidates in the local ridings for the 2024 B.C. election.
The following is from Rick Glumac, BC NDP candidate in Port Moody-Burquitlam.
Name: Rick Glumac
Age: 53
Profession: Two-term MLA, software engineer, a computer graphics supervisor and President of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region
Residence: Port Moody's Inlet Centre neighbourhood
Biography
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Rick Glumac has a long history of fighting for people and is proud to serve the vibrant communities of Port Moody, Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra. He knows what it takes to grow B.C.’s tech sector. As a city councillor in Port Moody, he took action to improve local healthcare and to expand childcare spaces. He has continued that record of action in office, taking a leading role in the building of an Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Port Moody and nixing the previous government's plans to sell off lands around Eagle Ridge Hospital. He's proud to be part of a government that is on the side of people. You can count on him, David Eby and the BC NDP to fight for you.
Contact information
- Website: rickglumac.bcndp.ca
- Phone: 604-475-5230
- Socials:
- Facebook: facebook.com/RickGlumacBC
- X: @RickGlumacBC
Questionnaire
Recent legislation designed to get more housing built in urban areas close to transit has created tumult in some communities. How might your government further refine this approach to ensure the new housing that gets constructed also addresses local needs for affordable housing as well as homes for families and seniors?
Everyone deserves access to affordable housing as well as the services and amenities they require.
That’s why the BC NDP has introduced new tools for local governments to require amenities and minimum levels of affordable housing in new developments, and to reduce parking requirements near transit. These measures empower municipalities to build complete communities that people want to call home. The province is also requiring municipalities to complete a housing needs report to help ensure the housing that is built meets the needs of the community.
Our Amenity Cost Charge tool makes it easier for cities to fund amenities like community centres, daycares, and libraries by collecting charges from new developments. Rather than lengthy negotiations, municipalities can now set these charges up front so homebuilders and the community understand what amenities will be funded by a project. The province has also directly supported amenities and infrastructure in the Tri-Cities through the Growing Communities fund including $6,734,000 in Port Moody and $18,635,000 for Coquitlam.
Residents of B.C. simply cannot afford John Rustad’s approach, which would mean cuts to affordable housing projects and would make homeownership even more out of reach.
What would your government do to help municipalities provide more supportive housing?
The impacts of the pandemic, global inflation, high interest rates and rapid population growth have taken a toll in our province. Right now, there are too many people who cannot afford a safe place to call home.
Since 2017, the BC NDP has opened 6,000 supportive homes. Over 2,700 more are on the way, and we need to continue this investment. The province, through BC Housing, has committed funding and is working with municipalities to provide more supportive housing and emergency weather shelters. We have also stepped up our actions to prevent homelessness by increasing protections for vulnerable renters and establishing the Rental Protection Fund to acquire existing affordable rental homes to protect tenants from eviction.
When John Rustad was in government, we saw 75 per cent cuts to affordable housing in a single year. These cuts left an entire generation to grow up without support and tripled homelessness. We can’t risk letting that happen again.
How would your provincial government support municipalities dealing with the increase in growth and demand for infrastructure like schools, childcare, parks and recreational facilities brought on by the new provincial housing regulations?
The BC NDP will continue to do its part in supporting municipalities with important infrastructure needs.
In my riding, we have expanded the Eagle Ridge Hospital emergency room, built an Urgent and Primary Care Centre, and saved public land around Eagle Ridge Hospital from being sold off by the previous government that John Rustad was part of. We have also rebuilt Moody Middle School and are building a new Moody Elementary School with childcare on site. The province has increased funding for recreational facilities such as the Inlet Soccer field and Guildford bike path. We know that there is so much more to do as we grow and the BC NDP is committed to continue helping municipalities to meet their infrastructure and recreational needs.
How will your government help make $10-a-day childcare more widely available to more families?
Affordable childcare is a game changer for parents, especially when times are tough. It means parents can go back to work and leaves more money in their pocket for everyday essentials like groceries and clothes for kids.
Our BC NDP government led by David Eby has cut the cost of childcare in half and is taking action to build thousands more spaces so that more families can find the childcare they need. The BC NDP government has invested over $45 million in our community to create more childcare spaces and is assisting parents with more than $24 million in grants to help make childcare more affordable. In our community we have 120 $10-a-day childcare spaces with 60 more on the way at the new Port Moody elementary school.
We are starting to see good results, with more spaces, lower fees and more money in parents’ pockets.
John Rustad’s old party cancelled the BC NDP’s $14-a-day childcare plan in 2002 and increased childcare costs for over 10,000 families. Now, John Rustad is planning deep cuts that will mean fewer childcare spaces and higher costs for families. Families simply cannot afford this right now.
Small businesses are struggling with onerous leases, petty crime, increasing costs. According to a recent survey almost half fear they won't be around in four years. What will you do to make it better for those businesses to have a chance to survive and new ones to start up?
Small businesses are foundational to the cultural fabric of Port Moody-Burquitlam and our local economy, but we know they are facing huge challenges. That is why the BC NDP is taking action so small businesses can thrive rather than struggle to survive.
David Eby and the BC NDP cut the small business tax rate and are keeping it 25 per cent lower than when Rustad was in government. We also allowed restaurants and bars to pay wholesale liquor prices and capped app delivery fees to keep local businesses competitive. To help keep our small businesses safe, we set up a rebate program to give up to $2,000 per year to cover costs from vandalism and a one-time $1,000 rebate to set up preventative measures.
John Rustad promised small businesses a tax cut, only to change his mind and leave them high and dry. He made life more expensive for middle-class British Columbians and small businesses in order to give tax breaks to big corporations and the top 2 per cent. Now, more than ever, we need a government that is on the side of small businesses.
Our cities are growing into the surrounding wild areas; that’s creating increasing concerns about wildlife encounters and the threat of wildfires, what kind of supports would your government be able provide in those communities to protect wildlife and residents?
The BC NDP housing legislation is focused on building housing near transit hubs rather than building into wild areas. Protecting our wildlife as population grows is important. That’s why we have created a Bear Smart Community Program to encourage communities, businesses, and individuals to work together to address the root causes of human-bear conflicts and to reduce the number of bears that are destroyed every year. Port Moody has become the 11th community to achieve the “Bear Smart Community” designation after having not killed a single bear since 2021.
The BC NDP also understands climate change is contributing to increasingly severe wildfires. That’s why we created a new Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness to focus dedicated resources to preventing and responding to emergencies like wildfires in B.C.
Cities like Port Moody are trying to be proactive in their efforts to address climate change, but that often comes at an expense to local taxpayers who will be on the hook for infrastructure upgrades, emergency planning, etc; what supports can the provincial government provide to ensure all communities are rowing in the same direction at the same time without exerting too much financial burden on those communities?
People across B.C. are seeing firsthand the threat of climate change. The worst forest fire season on record, major floods, drought and extreme weather events like the recent heat dome. Through CleanBC we are taking action to reduce GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and we know all levels of government are part of the solution.
To help municipalities in the Tri Cities we have invested more than $310,000 in local government emergency preparedness, planning, capacity building and coordination. Through the Growing Communities Fund we have delivered $37 million to Tri-Cities local governments so they can build the essential infrastructure and amenities our communities need as our climate changes.
John Rustad denies the science of climate change and has promised to completely abandon B.C.’s climate action plan which will leave us with increasing emissions and higher risk of extreme flooding and forest fires. Our community can’t afford cuts to emergency preparedness. We have so much more to do to prevent further devastation from climate change, and we need to keep going.
What plans does your government have to expand West Coast Express service?
People count on affordable, reliable public transit. That’s why David Eby is taking action to expand transit service and make transit more affordable.
In addition to working with TransLink to protect and expand services — including the West Coast Express — the BC NDP is building a new SkyTrain, a new subway, and expanding bus services across the province.
Now, John Rustad is proposing cuts that put all of this at risk. It would mean less services for people and hikes to fares. People can’t afford that. We need to keep taking action to strengthen public transit to help people with costs, tackle climate change, and so that people can keep getting to where they need to go.
The village of Anmore is considering several large development projects that would increase its population considerably and put more pressure on the only two roads that service the community. Council is making a pitch to force the reversal of Port Moody’s decision to close a former road right-of-way through Bert Flinn Park. What would your government do to address this problem?
The City of Port Moody made a decision to protect Bert Flinn Park and that local decision should be respected. Provincially we are encouraging housing to be built close to transit infrastructure. Any development proposals in early stages should certainly consider traffic impacts and work with residents and neighbouring municipalities to ensure that such proposals are the right fit for the area.
What might your government do to improve oversight of municipal governments and ensure they adhere to standards for ethical behaviour?
While many municipalities have codes of conduct, those codes are administered by the councils themselves and there are examples across B.C. where this approach has fallen short of public expectations of elected officials. Elected councillors across B.C. have raised this issue in the media and UBCM [Union of BC Municipalities] conferences. Finding a way to provide impartial and unbiased guidance to local governments on ethical issues is an idea worth pursuing going forward.
