Extreme weather or disasters, like fires or floods caused by global warming, dramatically increase the cost of food, housing and health care, and threaten people’s well-being. The key is viewing climate action not as a cost, but as an economic advantage, says Jessica Wegg, the federal Green Party candidate for North Island-Powell River.
The affordability and housing crisis, health care and the trade war are just some key issues that could be addressed by taking a green approach, said Wegg, a Comox resident and lawyer, currently providing criminal defense through Legal Aid BC.
“Climate change, writ large, is the filter that we look at everything through,” said Wegg. “We all want this [area] to stay the most beautiful place on earth, but it means seeking smart choices.”
A self-described advocate for climate justice and economic equity, Wegg said the climate crisis is an affordability issue.
It’s her second bid to win the riding. As the Green candidate in the 2021 election, she secured six per cent of the vote.
Voter support for the Greens is typically higher in south island ridings, close to the federal party co-leader Elizabeth May, who has held the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding since 2011. Typically, the more an island riding’s economy is resource-based, the more poorly the Green Party does at the polls.
Construction, trades, tourism and health and education jobs are outstripping declining traditional sectors like fishing, forestry and agriculture in the riding, but the resource sector still represents 20 per cent of jobs in smaller communities.
By developing sustainable resource sectors and renewable energy, Wegg said Canada can create jobs and build economic resilience to buffer the financial impacts of sweeping tariffs.
Pitching the expansion of fossil fuels to create jobs and grow the economy like the federal Conservatives and president Trump are doing is “short-sighted,” she said. “The oil and gas era is over. We need to be doing everything in our power in the fight against climate change.
“There are lots of jobs and opportunities for us in renewables. We can save the world, and then we don't need to be worrying about selling oil to the US.”
Oil companies and logging corporations reap massive profits while voters bear the brunt of environmental destruction and the costs of climate change, said Wegg. It doesn’t have to be this way — workers in traditional resource industries have skills that can be transferred to sustainable resource sectors and the clean energy economy, she added.
“We have industries available for workers. We need to be stewards of these resources and there’s a balance we can find and money to be made for ordinary Canadians.”
Advancing green building standards and renewable infrastructure will reduce costs for homeowners and create climate-resilient housing that can withstand extreme weather, curb rising insurance costs and continue to generate jobs in the construction and energy sectors, said Wegg. Helping producers develop sustainable agriculture and adapt to heat or drought, building local food distribution systems and promoting local produce would help stabilize farmers’ costs and consumers’ food prices, she added.
Wegg also stressed the need for policies that boost the well-being of ordinary Canadians over big business profits. Windfall profit taxes for grocery corporations should be put in place to discourage gouging food shoppers, she said. Additionally, more federal policy is needed to curb speculation and hedge fund investment and speculation in the housing market while encouraging the construction of affordable rental housing, she suggested.
Revamping traditional resource sectors, like mining or forestry, to ensure they support environmental health and economic growth moving forward, — such as ensuring wood or timber products are manufactured in BC — would also help diversify markets and buffer the effects of increased lumber tariffs imposed south of the border.
“We have to think about the long-term effects,” said Wegg. “We have to have sustainable industries that continue to last and feed our families into the future, and aren't just geared to the here and now.”
Also seeking to represent North Island-Powell River as MP are Aaron Gunn (Conservative Party of Canada); Jennifer Lash (Liberal Party of Canada); Tanille Johnston, NDP; Paul Macknight (People’s Party of Canada); and Glen Staples (Independent). Powell River Chamber of Commerce will host an all-candidates meeting from 6 to 8 pm at Evergreen Theatre in Powell River Recreation Complex on Thursday, April 17.
This story was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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