Flight delays meant BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson missed-out on the lunch provided by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, the Urban Development Institute and CHBA Central Okanagan, but most people hung around long enough to hear him speak after dessert. True to the leanings of BC's Liberal Party, Wilkinson spent a good portion of his talk criticizing the implementation of new taxes by John Horgan's Green-supported New Democrats. But he also vowed that a Liberal government would ramp-up the response to Opioid crisis that is gripping BC communities like Kelowna.
Wilkinson said the numbers are astounding. "In the last two years, 2017 and 2018, 3 thousand British Columbians have died from Opioid overdoses," he notes. "This is far and away the highest incidence anywhere in the Americas. Way beyond New York City and Detroit and places we associate with bad news." The Liberal Leader, who is a medical doctor, suggested it would be his highest priority. "This is something that needs fundamental, deep focused, critical attention," he told the crowd.
Wilkinson spent time criticizing the NDP's "phony" speculation tax that he said puts certain communities like Kelowna and West Kelowna on an "enemies list".
Wilkinson said he's ready to govern and he may have to be. Depending on the outcome of the by-election in Nanaimo, there could be a provincial election by the end of the year.
