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MLA Routley reflects on time since provincial election

Looks back at what has been one of the ‘toughest years for our community and province’
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Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan was re-elected for his fifth term last year. (Submitted photo)

By Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan

One year ago, I was fortunate to be re-elected to represent and work for our community for a fifth term. As I reflect on what has been one of the toughest years for our community and province, I remain grateful that voters overwhelmingly chose the BC NDP to lead us through this pandemic.

Through our StrongerBC plan, we have deployed millions in funding to communities, businesses and people to support our strong recovery from the pandemic.

In Ladysmith, our provincial government has invested over $2 million in tourism and infrastructure, including funding for the Ladysmith Arts and Heritage Hub and grants to make improvements to washrooms, amenities and accessibility of local parks and waterfront.

We have also increased funding for schools, providing the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district with $6.6 million in joint COVID funding last year and over $10 million in minor capital projects this year. This includes close to $1 million for building improvements at Ladysmith Intermediate.

Since 2020, we have also provided over $1.2 million in funding to improve local emergency preparedness — including upgrading equipment, investments in training and recruitment, improving regional communications and other measures to prepare for possible floods and wildfires.

This summer, Ladysmith received over $300,000 in funding to improve local active transportation infrastructure. We also announced $2.4 million in funding for the It Takes a Village: Housing the Unsheltered Population of the Cowichan Valley project, of which Ladysmith is a partnering applicant.

Forming a majority government has also allowed us to ramp up our childcare investments and expand pilot programs, including our $10-a-day program and the Seamless Day Kindergarten program, the latter of which the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District has recently signed on to as a partner. We’re also creating more childcare spaces, such as the new centre that will be constructed at Ladysmith Primary and will provide 72 more childcare spaces for the community. Across Nanaimo-North Cowichan, we worked to save parents over ten million dollars in just the first two years of our childcare plan – these savings benefited hundreds of Ladysmith families.

After spending over a decade in opposition advocating for our community, I am proud to see how our New Democrat government is making a real, positive difference in people’s lives here. As I reflect on the progress we have made over the past year, I know there is more to do.

Building a stronger BC is about making lives better for people today and making sure that coming generations will grow up in thriving and vibrant communities. As your MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan, I remain committed to improving lives in our community and throughout BC.





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