Tamara Davidson, MLA for North Coast-Haida Gwaii, is a busy woman but never too busy to meet with her constituents to discuss the issues they are facing in the community.
Davidson attended last week’s open house event, hosted by the chamber of commerce on July 24.
“Thank you so much to everybody for coming out and I hope that you have a good time tonight,” Davidson said.
The evening was full of lighthearted conversation and meaningful discussions on some of the issues affecting Prince Rupert residents.
One of the biggest issues residents are facing is a decline in international students enrolled at post-secondary institutions, Davidson said.
“I had a chance tonight to talk with many people about the change in immigration affecting the college and the number of international students.”
According to the Coast Mountain College international education strategic plan for the next three years, they expect the number of international students to decrease significantly.
The decrease in international students is due to current students graduating and a decline in new enrollments.
A shortage of family physicians in Prince Rupert is another issue that was brought up.
“We talked about our health care and having those essential services available to help businesses attract people to the region,” Davidson said.
According to an article on bchealthmatters.com, the shortage of physicians is not for a lack of family doctors but rather that family doctors in BC are paid less than doctors in any other province.
When a family physician retires, many of their patients are left without a doctor because no new doctors are coming to practice in BC. This puts added strain on the doctors already practicing in BC.
Davidson was very appreciative of everyone who came out and shared their concerns and says events like this help her understand what her constituents need.
“It’s a great event. I’m really happy to have this opportunity to work so closely with the chamber and a lot of the businesses here in Prince Rupert. It’s a good time for me to get updates on what’s important to them and what challenges they’re facing.”
Davidson hopes to hold another event like this sometime soon.
