By Joel Tansey, Black Press
After coming up 1,616 votes short in the 2013 B.C. provincial election, Doug Clovechok has announced he will be the Columbia River-Revelstoke Liberal candidate once again when voters return to the polls next spring.
Clovechok previously ran for a seat in this riding against incumbent Norm Macdonald, earning 4,847 votes and 36.19 per cent of the ballots that were cast.
“Since the last election, we learned a lot and I’ve continued to be active within the riding, working with various ministers on different files and helping people. It was my intent right from the last election to seek the nomination again and I was successful in doing that,” Clovechok said.
Clovechok believes that his work and presence in the riding since the 2013 campaign will help him close the gap to the NDP in next spring’s race in a riding that has only elected a Liberal candidate once since 1991.
“We’ve been able to continue to raise not only my profile but the profile of the BC Liberals,” he said.
“You also have to remember that 13,000 people in this riding did not vote last time, so there’s certainly some room for growth there.”
Several regional issues lie at the forefront for Clovechok, including the Trans-Canada Highway, childcare and health.
“Between Revelstoke and Golden the Trans-Canada Highway remains an issue,” he said, pointing out that the BC Liberals have put things in place to alleviate some of the problems associated with the highway, including the addition of a traffic analyst in Golden and a coroner in Revelstoke.
Childcare remains a principle issue for the 25-40 year-old demographic, Clovechok says, and healthcare is a pressing issue for all residents, as well as the economy.
“The economy is another big one. People need jobs, they need work, and we’ve got to continue to support that and promote investment,” he said.
A 20 horsepower restriction on the Upper Columbia River has been a hot topic for the region as of late, and Clovechok was willing to share his opinions on that issue as well.
While he didn’t believe it was a pressing issue, saying that he doesn’t believe many speedboats are travelling along the river, he does believe that they shouldn’t be allowed on that portion of the waterway either.
“From my perspective, should jet skis and jet boats be going up and down the Columbia River? Absolutely not. They shouldn’t be. But my biggest concern…is that we’re again looking at restricting access to resources and I’m very cautious when it comes to that,” he said.
Clovechok was officially announced as the BC Liberal candidate for this riding in Revelstoke on Saturday. Macdonald has yet to announce whether he will seek a fourth term in office and there is widespread speculation that he will be stepping down.
