EDITOR,
Contrary to statistics, my belief is that young people are taking a more active role in politics and the electoral process.
On Thursday (May 2), members of the Howe Sound Debate Club volunteered at the all-candidates' forum for the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding. This was my first time attending such a forum, and I was impressed by the geniality and respect of it all. Though there were some minor underhand blows between parties, all of the candidates were respectful to the ideas of the other parties.
I admired the thoroughness of all the candidates to research issues and topics pertinent to Squamish -in particular, the prospective and controversial plan to build a LNG plant at Woodfibre. Though this plant would benefit our community economically, all candidates realized that the environmental interests of the constituency outweighed any economic gain.
All candidates made it clear that more money invested in education is vital for the success of our province. Though money invested in education is not a selling point for all, I know this topic is important for students entering post-secondary education.
An idea from Ana Santos stood out from the rest during the debate. Ana wants to connect more with our First Nations community, something that none of the other four candidates addressed. I respected her stride to broaden our hospitality industry through the experience of other cultures.
This forum was a great chance for me and many others to hear the ideas of people who want to make our community a better place to live. I, along with numerous other young people, will be exercising my right to vote on May 14.
Hannah Rizun
Garibaldi Highlands
