Blake Hamilton

Protect the environment and fight climate change using better methods and smarter investments.  Scrap the current weak carbon pricing standard and restore the previous cap-and-trade system.  Increase subsidies to auto manufacturers for the production of both hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs).  Install more EV charging stations across the city and the province.  Build more nuclear power plants, especially Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to replace coal and gas facilities. 

Put the health and safety of our community first and foremost in the fight against COVID-19.  Bring back mask mandates for at least another 4-6 months.  Continue to promote and encourage full vaccination with regular booster doses, but without re-imposing vaccine passport mandates unless absolutely necessary.  Allocate more funding and resources for both PCR and rapid antigen test kit production and distribution. 

Give our educators and students the tools they need to truly succeed.   Boost funding in order to hire more teachers and support staff, as well as to renovate and expand our schools.  Reduce class sizes — mandate a classroom cap of 20 students at all levels.  Provide more in-class supports for kids with special needs or learning challenges.  Prioritize in-school mental health and wellness supports for everybody.  Reduce the emphasis on mediocre, insufficient online learning and prioritize instead the much more effective experiential learning in the classroom.

Work together to build prosperity for all, ensuring that every person in our community has the true freedom and opportunity to reach their full potential.  Implement a well-structured and equitably balanced Universal Basic Income (UBI) model, designed with the proper fiscal prudence to maintain and encourage economic growth.  Avoid adding unnecessarily to the personal income tax burden of average citizens by leveraging funding options that focus on financial sector contributions, fewer tax breaks for large companies, and fewer subsidies for the wealthy.