It’s been an up-and-down year for Prince George – Valemount MLA Shirley Bond, winning her riding but switching sides in Victoria.
The now-Opposition finance critic says it has been a bit of a transition.
“I’ve been a cabinet minister for 16 years in government and so moving to the role as finance critic on the Opposition benches certainly took some getting used to,” Bond says.
“We need to find ways to move issues forward when you’re on the Opposition benches.”
The other major challenge for Bond this year was the wildfires.
She applauds the area for taking in over 10,000 evacuees and for the resiliency of Prince George – Valemount.
On the note of positives, having final approvals on the Valemount Glacier Development was one of the more important accomplishments over the last 12 months.
Another big focus was healthcare.
“We made significant commitments to improvements at the hospital making sure that our healthcare system reflects our needs here in the north,” she explains.
“So one of the things that I’ll be doing in 2018 is working very closely with the new government and Minister [Adrian] Dix to make sure he understands that commitment needs to move forward.”
Also important next year, says Bond, is to continue locking down educational opportunities through engineering and physiotherapy to add the capacity in the north by training in the north.
Moving forward with various projects, such as the recently approved Site C dam, is another task Bond hopes to work towards in the new year.
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