A critique of current provincial government policies and actions was served up by Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko during a lunch hosted in Sechelt, July 11. That was just over a month after Sturko, who has represented the riding of South Surrey since 2022, made the move from BC United to her new party affiliation.
Sturko packed her 20-minute presentation to the estimated 120 event attendees with messaging on the need for changes to policies on non-medical use of drugs and the “catch and release justice system." The date of her first visit to Sechelt coincided with the release of what she characterized as a “juicy” report entitled Alternatives to Unregulated Drugs: Another Step in Saving Lives, by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
'Ensure further drug legalization in BC doesn’t happen': Sturko
“One of the things Dr. Henry is calling for is to see drugs like cocaine, crystal meth and MDMA in retail stores,” she stated. After a momentary pause in her rapid fire speech delivery, Struko then remarked this was a “dangerous ideology."
She went on to note that Premier David Eby rejected the idea of distributing drugs without supervision by medical professionals but said a Conservative government is “vehemently opposed” to further legalization of such drugs in B.C. Her party’s approach, she said “will instead invest in detox, treatment and recovery, because we believe and have the understanding that not only is recovery possible it is attainable and believe it is sustainable….we have a responsibility to ensure further drug legalization in B.C. doesn’t happen."
On the subject of crime, Sturko called for the end to what she called "catch and release" justice. With a reference to a break and enter incident that happened in Sechelt in the overnight hours before the event, she said changes are needed in how repeat offenders are dealt with. Noting that in her community and others, break ins are often committed by the same individuals over and over again. "The police are working hard, they will find the person responsible, sometimes there are charges, sometime not, but the person gets let out back onto the streets and then they just do it again and again" she observed.
“A conservative government will absolutely make sure that our justice system has the resources that it needs to keep the public safe,” she stated.
"It is time for us to put the investment in keeping British Columbians safe.”
Views on education system challenges
A number of questions posed by the audience focused on education. Sturko noted that her party’s platform on education had not been released, but she said she personally shared concerns raised about declines in literacy and numeracy skill levels in elementary and secondary school students. Drawing on her experience as a mother of three school-aged children, she relayed an anecdote about how her kids were unable to answer basic questions about Canadian geography when her extended family played a board game. “My son knows more about MineCraft geography than he does about Canadian geography,” she remarked and called for a greater focus on “the basics” in school curriculums.
She also said she supported a return to letter grade report cards.
What Coast Reporter asked
Coast Reporter was given an opportunity to pose questions to Sturko and local Conservative candidate Chris Moore.
When asked about how the province can help local governments with the challenges posed by growing homelessness, Sturko said, “It comes down to taking responsibility for what is a provincial responsibility." Her party, she said, was committed to change the way the province is dealing with mental health and addictions issues. That she said would happen through not only increased resources for detox and treatment but a greater focus on secondary housing, to ensure people have safe accommodations and are treated with dignity.
Asked if the Sunshine Coast Highway needs replacement, Sturko commented that her first experience revealed it was a very “winding” route. She said, “It is not whether I like the highway or not; is it meeting the needs of the people who live here?” She summed up that her visit to the area was to hear about the challenges Sunshine Coast residents are facing “because we do want to be responsive to their needs."
Moore answered the question with, “Yes––a new highway absolutely."
