Kelowna West Green Party candidate Peter Truch candidate sits down with Castanet News

Peter Truch is making his first foray into the provincial political arena, carrying the banner for the Green Party in Kelowna West.

Truch, a transportation engineer and small business owner, is looking to unseat incumbent Liberal Ben Stewart.

He sat down with Castanet News to discuss his decision to run in the election and some issues within the Kelowna West riding.

On running for the Green Party:

"People, planet, small business. those are kind of the three mainstays of the Green Party. We care about the economy, although we've been branded as a bunch of tree huggers. One of my aims in this election is to make sure that is shed. We're neither left nor right, but we do tend to be economically conservative or responsible but very socially minded as well at the same time. I think from a politicians perspective, the voice of the people, is going to be best represented by someone who's not whipped by a particular direction of the party."

On transportation issues:

"I'm the only candidate in this election for Kelowna West that has put forward a plan, I understand it's starting to turn some heads and get some attention even by competitors. Mobility I think is one of those silent factors that is an important thing for Kelowna West. I have a very affordable plan a very realistic plan that can be used to fix mobility across the bridge and keep people and goods flowing both on the bridge and through Central Kelowna and West Kelowna as well."

On affordable and supportive housing:

"I have a plan, and my catch line slogan is irradiate the homeless camps. I think some people may take that as I want to just abolish them. That's not what I'm trying to suggest. What I am all for is making sure as a fundamental basic necessity, that everybody in our society should have shelter, and good, reliable shelter. Once that housing first policy is in place, then we can work on all of the other issues that come along with that. Things like mental health, addictions, food security and food sustainability, health care.

"They are all intertwined. This riding has a very large population of people without homes. By very large, we're still talking about under 1,000, so it's a very realistic thing we can tackle in the short term to get people into houses, eliminate the camps, get people into proper, stable housing, then work with them through all of the other social programs to make issues a lot better."

On governing out of the pandemic:

"The Greens have, what is in my mind, the most robust plan to go forward post-COVID. It's targeted plans for

those that need the help the most. Our tourism industry is a very good example, especially in this area here. Our tourism industry does need extra support to make sure they don't become insolvent over time. We have programs in place that are going to support those businesses. Once we come through the pandemic, then we are also the most fiscally minded rather than either applying it blanket across the board, or providing a tax break to the rich. The Liberal proposal to reduce the PST...if a business has lost 50 per cent of their revenue, seven per cent of a reduction isn't going to do anything to make them stay afloat."

On voting for Peter Truch:

"To the voters of Kelowna West I would very much appreciate your vote as a BC Green. I am fiscally conscious as a small business owner. I am neither left nor right, i am collaborative. I look for solutions that fit everybody's agendas as best as possible. Obviously we are not going to make everybody happy all the time, but consensus is about making sure we do the best for the most amount of people both now, and in the future. I'd appreciate you vote on, or before Oct. 24."

You can view the complete interview below.

Read more BC Election 2020 coverage on Castanet here.