B.C. election: Greens to unveil COVID-19 clean jobs plan Friday as Liberals talk child care

The BC Green Party will unveil its vision for green job creation as part of the province’s COVID-19 recovery plan Friday.

Greens Leader Sonia Furstenau will be in Nanaimo to elaborate on a vision to create climate-friendly jobs during the pandemic recovery.

Furstenau’s vision of such a plan was hinted at during her campaign for the party leadership earlier this year. It included consulting with local governments and other stakeholders to explore how the province can support improved livability such as walkable neighbourhoods, complete communities, connected communities, and healthy community design.

5:04 BC Green Party responds to election call

The Greens are also expected to focus on developing a green industrial strategy that engages industry, labour, and other stakeholders to create plans to fairly and efficiently manage carbon budgets while maximizing the province’s green industrial potential.

Priority projects under the plan will include affordable rental and co-op housing, rapid transit projects, smaller-scale distribution of renewable energy projects, materials management facilities, and workforce and small business retraining, re-tooling and upskilling.

“The abundance of good ideas being generated on how to reimagine how we do things is truly exciting. If we embrace the change people are calling for, we can make our communities and our economy stronger in the face of all the massive change happening throughout the world,” Furstenau said during her leadership campaign.

BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson will be in North Vancouver Friday to unveil the party’s child care plan.

Wilkinson has committed to a means-tested program where those who make less pay less for child care. The Liberals have promised to build additional child care spaces across the province.

The Liberals have been critical of the BC NDP’s approach to child care, calling the $10-a-day program a failed promise.

3:02 BIV: New $65M Seaspan contract

NDP Leader John Horgan will also be in North Vancouver Friday. Horgan will tour the Seaspan Shipyards with CEO Mark Lamarre and North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP candidate Bowinn Ma. In the NDP platform, Horgan has promised more jobs for British Columbians through the provincial shipbuilding industry.

The NDP has promised to work with Seaspan, Point Hope and other shipyards to leverage work with a long-term B.C. shipbuilding strategy to drive more global projects and create jobs.