Ravi Parmar | Contributed
I’ve known the West Shore and Sooke region all my life, and I’ve made efforts to involve myself in whatever way possible. But now I’ve had the opportunity to see this region from a whole new perspective in my role as the MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca.
In June, I ran as a candidate in the byelection. I learned a great many lessons in that experience, but central among them was that people here care. When you show up, they show up. If the supports are in place, the community spirit in our region remains strong, even as we face exponential growth.
In late July, I was sworn in as your MLA. Right away I got to work out of my community office in Langford to take action on the issues that matter to you and your family.
One of the first challenges I dealt with was the concern around cell connectivity I heard from people living in Otter Point, Shirley, Jordan River and out to Port Renfrew. As such, I went straight to Telus to raise the concerns I heard from people.
One month later, Telus expanded their network through Sooke to Port Renfrew, an achievement that wouldn’t have come without the vested concern of residents who reached out, worried for the safety and wellbeing of their neighbours.
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As I made clear before becoming an MLA, building more schools for me is a priority. In 2023 we broke ground on Scianew Stelitkel Elementary School in south Langford and on top of that, just a few weeks ago, I helped deliver a nearly 400-seat expansion to both Ruth King and David Cameron Elementary to deal with the rapid growth in the downtown core of Langford.
Education is a passion of mine, and I learned a lot in my time as Sooke School District board chair. It’s a goal of mine to translate that knowledge into other areas like health care, improved transit, infrastructure, tackling the housing crisis, hiring more doctors and nurses and so much more.
Our government has made great efforts in so many areas, but I’m not done, and we know there is more to do.
From rising global inflation which has impacted the cost of living for families to the housing crisis and the challenges we face with our health-care system, we know people need support.
Although I believe 2023 was a year of great accomplishment, I know in my heart that 2024 promises even more with a continued focus on tackling the issues that matter to you.
For me, I am going to be focused on the groundbreaking changes we’ve made to tackle the housing crisis, the continued progress we’ve made on expanding mental health and addictions services on the South Island, and the work being done to support our health-care system with the hiring of more doctors and nurses.
In Langford, we have a nearly $100-million new university that is under construction, promising to invigorate the downtown core like never before. It will boost our local economy, create jobs, and provide educational opportunities for residents.
In Sooke, we’re making more progress towards a new cutting-edge integrated health centre opening that is run by and for the community, representing an increase in the service capacity for Sooke.
There is so much more that I want to highlight but I think it is fair to say that the future of Langford-Juan de Fuca is looking bright. It’s a future of growth and development, a future of support and community, and a future of diversity and expansion.
Looking forward, 2024 is set to be another year of hard work and great community spirit. I have no doubt that our community will build together for all that awaits us. I look forward to being on this journey with you, see you out there.
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Ravi Parmar is the MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca. Email ravi.parmar.mla@leg.bc.ca.