Thomas Martin for Kamloops-North Thompson

It’s October 24th, which means it’s voting day Best of luck to all candidates! For more information on the 2020 BC Election ... https://elections.bc.ca/ See more

Today is the day! #BCElection2020 Make sure to get out and exercise your democratic right today if you haven’t already. Not sure where to vote? No worries, I got you! Click the link below to find your nearest polling station:... https://wheretovote.elections.bc.ca/

Remember going to the grocery store in March/April only to find the shelves empty and barren? Covid-19 has put a lot into perspective, food being no exception. The BC Green’s have an extensive plan to combat food insecurity, including establishing a long term food sustainability strategy for the province to decrease the reliability we currently have on imported food. It’s time to support agriculture, local farmers markets, sustainable hunters, gatherers, gardeners and other... food harvesters. Looking to our local food initiatives and food educators is the solution. For more information: https://www.bc greens.ca/food_security

Rain, shine or... snow, you know we still waved! Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our daily waves around the city this past week! The outpour of community support hasn’t gone unnoticed, or unappreciated. We really have the best Green crew a community could ask for! You guys rock! This final wave was packed with incredible and passionate individuals more than ready for change. ... Tomorrow is Election Day. Get out and vote, vote, vote (and drive safe in this weather, too!) #BCElection2020 #GreenParty2020 #GreenParty #kamloopsbc

Minimizing the stigma surrounding mental health issues has been challenging. According to the Canadian Mental Health Society, approximately 800,00 British Columbians currently suffer from mental illness. And that’s just those who have come forward. With Covid-19, isolations and social distancing, mental health challenges have been on the rise. The BC Greens have plans to allocate $1.0 billion over a four year cycle to build affordable and accessible mental healthcare. ... Here are some more facts and figures from the Canadian Mental Health Society: - By the time we reach 40 years of age, half of us will have had or will develop a mental health problem. About 17% of British Columbians. - An estimated 84,000 children and youth in BC have a diagnosed mental disorder, yet less than one-third of those children who seek help are receiving mental health services. That means that as many as 58,000 children in BC are not receiving the treatment they need. - An estimated 68,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 24 meet the criteria for a substance use disorder, yet BC has only 24 publicly funded treatment beds to serve our youth. - Right now, we are paying for mental illness in the most expensive way possible because we are waiting too long to provide access to treatment and services. We are waiting until the point of crisis. -That means too many hospital stays, and jail instead of the right treatment. In 2010, the government of British Columbia estimated that mental health problems cost our economy an estimated $6.6 billion annually.

Kamloops is located on traditional unceded Secwépemc territory. The Secwépemc people’s have lived and cultivated these lands for millennia. Part of the BC Greens 2020 platform is Indigenous reconciliation. This plan involves moving away from the colonial structures set in place and toward meaningful collaboration and inclusive approaches. Moving in this direction will have direct impacts on our salmon fisheries, cultural competency, agriculture, Indigenous health and well-b...eing, all while allowing for new economic development opportunities as well. Indigenous people are the oldest, and often most knowledgeable, land users in our entire country. They know these lands. With climate change, global warming and other environmental stressors, we must draw on all voices to combat what lies ahead. Now is the time for action, legislation and to continue strengthening our collective community here in BC.