Lacombe-Ponoka Liberal candidate Kyle Morrow said watching his late grandmother’s experiences with the health care system inspired him to take a stand.
“Some of the stuff I saw in the health care system, and the way my grandmother was treated, and the wait times she had to endure before she passed, I really decided it was time for a change, and the Progressive Conservatives had dropped the ball on health care,” said Morrow, who left the PCs.
Morrow said many other residents share his concerns about emergency room wait times.
“(There’s) a lot of concern about rural doctors. In Ponoka, one of our medical clinics just shut down, so we only have the one medical clinic in town.”
The Liberals have developed a wait times guarantee and a plan to ensure access to emergency rooms and medical clinics.
Residents are also concerned about the province’s fiscal health, he said.
“A lot of people are concerned about the amount of money that’s been spent from the Heritage Trust Fund. There are no rainy days funds left.”
The Liberals have developed financial strategies, costed out by economists, that show how the provincial budget can be returned to surpluses.
Education is also high on people’s lists of issues that need to be addressed.
“My campaign has been talking to a lot of young people and young families and they are very concerned about the state of the education system and funding”
The Liberals are committing to increasing funding for both public and Catholic school systems as well as getting rid of school fees paid by parents. The tax system would also be restructured to provide more revenue for education.
Although Morrow is only 20 he already has six years of political involvement behind him that began in Grade 7 and has seen him involved in five previous election campaigns, including the campaign of former Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Ray Prins.
A political science and economics student at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Morrow plans to apply for law school after he graduates next year.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com