Bruce Banman, Liberal Party
Retired chiropractor, declined to submit age
BIO:
Bruce Banman has been a proud resident of Abbotsford since 1982. Having served as the mayor of Abbotsford, he entered politics out of a desire to better serve his community.
Banman entered municipal politics again in 2018, this time running for city council. He is a strong advocate for agricultural issues and the Highway #1 improvement, and he seeks to bring his strategic vision on these issues to Victoria.
Before politics, Banman worked as a chiropractor and owned his own small business. His professional background makes him both qualified and prepared to be the voice for the residents of Abbotsford South and Aldergrove in Victoria.
Banman brings a combination of experience, passion, and vision necessary to build a prosperous and inclusive community
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Facebook: www.facebook.com/brucebanman
Twitter: @brucebanman
Website: www.brucebanman.com
Phone: 778-549-1019
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CANDIDATE Q&A:
To help voters make their choices on election day, the Aldergrove Star is asking local candidates a series of questions on issues of importance, inviting each candidate to participate.
They were asked to a ‘yes’, a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y,N,D) response to EACH of the numbered questions for the grid published in the Oct. 15 edition of The Star.
Candidates were also invited to expand on ANY OR ALL of the questions (to a maximum of 250 words each), with one of their choice to be included in our print edition on Oct. 22. Here’s all their replies.
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Should the planned Skytrain Extension through Langley be extended to Abbotsford in the near future?
100% yes, and it should in my opinion go through Aldergrove, and connect to the Abbotsford International airport. When I was the mayor of Abbotsford, more than a few times the valley mayors got together to talk about rapid transit in the future. I believe we need rapid transit to give residents of the Valley a way to leave their cars at home.
I believe we need to plan the route to Hope, the Valley is only 160Km long from Hope to Vancouver and approximately 50% of that is completed. It is time to leave a legacy for future generations, and I believe now is the time to do just that. In fact as we realize how badly our economy has been affected due to Covid, a major project like this is exactly what we need to plan for and start building to get people back to work!
I will also advocate for the removal of the NDP Union only labour contract agreement to ensure that anyone from labour to skilled trades will have an opportunity to be part of these infrastructure projects!
Is lowering taxes the best route to economic recovery from the covid-19 recession?
Yes. This is exactly why the Liberal party decided on two major tax reduction; zero PST for one year 3% for the following year and the elimination of the 2% small business tax. It is worth mentioning the GST holiday a few years back on home renovations was very successful at stimulating the economy.
The PST holiday is expected to do the same! Now, more than ever our small businesses need our help and the PST holiday coupled with the 2% elimination of the small business tax, will give the small business sector the boost they need as we rebuild BC. They are the back bone of our economy, it is estimated 80% of small business in BC are 50 employees or less, and the impact they have on a local economy is dramatic, and the profits they make are in turn spent in the cities where they work.
We need to help and foster our small business in BC these two tax reductions will help. Under the NDP, remember: the same family that would get a taxable $1,000 payment (your tax dollars) under the NDP plan, would save over $1,700 in the first year of our PST elimination plan.
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