By Lyonel Doherty

The BC Green Party candidate for Boundary-Similkameen says she has the tenacity, fiscal responsibility and the accountability to be a good MLA for the riding.

“I want to get out and listen and have town hall meetings to build a level of communication,” said Vonnie Lavers.

Originally from Newfoundland, Lavers has worked in many fields, including the oil industry in Alberta, the public relations sector, charity work (Cops for Kids), Kelowna Women in Business, and the Kelowna Food Bank, where she was manager. She also won a Governor General’s award for her work in feeding the hungry and eradicating child poverty.

Lavers said she has been considering entering the political arena for several years.

“I thought the Green Party was a good fit for me, and I think I can make a difference as an MLA.”

The Kelowna resident is in the midst of selling her home there and moving to the riding, so of course, she wants to preserve the beautiful environment here.

Lavers said governments have to start looking seriously at climate change and providing more protection for wildlife habitat and ecology.

To that end, Lavers supports a national park in order to preserve grasslands. “But we need to understand the economics of ranching. We need to collaborate and reach a consensus on how to share these resources.”

Lavers said the government is putting billions of dollars into developing resources in BC, but it’s not putting billions to sustain the ecology.

“We need to get back to some balance.”

The candidate said that climate change is causing a lot of anxiety in this world. For example, she said there are 450 icebergs blocking shipping lanes in the North Atlantic, noting the average number of icebergs at this time of year is 80.

Lavers also raised a concern about the drastic declines in wildlife, pointing out that hunters are seeing a significant reduction in trout, salmon, moose and caribou stocks.

She noted that food sources are being threatened and migration routes are changing.

“We need to start rethinking what we are doing,” Lavers said, stressing that we need to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren.