The Municipal Election will be held on Saturday, October 19th.
MyCaribooNow reached out to each candidate running to become the MLA in the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding for their response to four questions.
1..Provide a brief bio of yourself.
Lorne Doerkson:
My name is Lorne Doerkson and I am your Conservative Candidate for the upcoming provincial election.
I was very proud to serve as the MLA for the last four years in Cariboo – Chilcotin. They have been some of the most proud moments of my life representing residents in this riding. I am extremely honored to serve!
I have lived here for almost 3 decades. I’ve lived in the 108 mile ranch and also Williams Lake. I have raised two children here in the Cariboo -Chilcotin and have been involved in many businesses and volunteer organization throughout those years.
I have been active in the Williams Lake Stampede Association, Chamber of Commerce Hough Memorial, Rotary and many more. I have also enjoyed seeing many events like the hospital foundation Thompson Rivers “True Grit”, Cowboy Hall of Fame, Stampede dinners, soapbox races and Harvest Fair.
I’m an active person in our community and have very much enjoyed being immersed in our community. My passions when I have time, are the outdoors, fishing and hiking.
Attending festivals and rodeos and enjoying the multiple markets throughout the region we truly are blessed here not just in the beauty of our landscape, but in the quality of our people, I love all things CARIBOO Chilcotin.
Michael Moses:
My name is Michael Moses, and I am proud to be your BC NDP Candidate for Cariboo-Chilcotin. My father is Simon Moses, and my mother is Karen Simon. My grandfather on my dad’s side is Cyril Moses, and on my mom’s side is David Perry. I come from a long line of ranchers and cowboys on both sides of my family. I’ve lived here in the Cariboo-Chilcotin for 34 years, raised my family here, and seen both the beauty and challenges that come with living in this incredible part of British Columbia. I’ve served in our community for two years now as a city councillor in Williams Lake and on the boards of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Cariboo Friendship Society, and the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society. What these organizations stand for shows firmly where I’ve planted my flag for what I believe in.
The future can feel uncertain, but I’ve seen this BC NDP government show up time after time for our community and make investments that matter, and that’s why I was so inspired to join David Eby’s team.
2..What are the most important issues in your riding and how do you plan to address them?
Lorne Doerkson:
I have been a passionate member of this community for almost 3 decades. This is the place I have called home and for those three decades, I’ve done everything I can to help to make this community a better place.
I have been able to continue that work as an elected official and have been committed to representing, our riding on so many different topics.
I have many concerns about our province right now, particularly our region. Our industry is struggling under permit processes that are causing absolute chaos on the landscape.
Our healthcare system has been challenged like it never has been before.
I am also extremely concerned about a debt that is spiraling out of control. We cannot under any circumstances continue to operate our province in a way that sees annual deficits as large as $9 billion. It is simply not practical and the best way to counter that is to get our economy going, which means taxable income to the residents of this province.
Seniors are struggling, like, never before. I am so concerned about this generation who has worked so hard throughout their life, and now find themselves pinched between costs that are outpacing their incomes, and an inability to be served in many capacities because of a lack of housing, lack of long-term care, and gaps in our medical system.
Michael Moses:
I’m running to be the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin because I understand the challenges that we are facing here and how serious they are. I know the hardships firsthand of what we’re going through in the Cariboo-Chilcotin– and I want to tackle these challenges head-on as part of David Eby’s team.
Whether it’s in the small businesses I frequent or at our community events, I know the deep connection we all share with this land and each other. We live in a place that values community, hard work, and taking care of one another. But let’s be honest– times are tough right now. The Cariboo-Chilcotin faces unique challenges that require strong local leadership—whether it’s access to healthcare, the rising cost of living, or the ongoing fight to protect our environment from wildfires and climate change. I’m running because I know we need an MLA who not only understands these issues but has the passion and commitment to address them.
What sets me apart as the best candidate is my experience and deep-rooted commitment to this community. I’ve been actively involved in local organizations and initiatives, working alongside our neighbours to find real solutions. I’ve also worked closely with Indigenous communities, building bridges of trust and collaboration that are essential to moving forward with meaningful reconciliation. I know that when we work together, we can make life better for everyone. I’ve represented our community regionally, provincially, and federally with the North Central Local Government Association, the Union of BC Municipalities, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
I’m proud to be part of David Eby’s BC NDP team because we’re taking real action for families in our region—whether that’s hiring more healthcare workers, making life more affordable, or tackling the housing crisis. My vision is to keep building on these positive changes while ensuring that the voices of the Cariboo-Chilcotin are heard loud and clear in Victoria.
We can’t afford to go backward. The BC Conservatives, led by John Rustad, want to bring back the same policies that created many of the problems we face today. I’m running because I believe we can—and must—keep moving forward. Together, we can build a stronger, more compassionate Cariboo-Chilcotin that works for everyone.
3..What are the most important issues in your riding and how do you plan to address them?
Lorne Doerkson:
There is no question that in this riding healthcare is the number one topic. I held a healthcare rally over the summer and was shocked to see more than 200 people in attendance. I want to be clear, we have amazing healthcare workers in our community, but when they are overwhelmed and our hospitals are closed, we have had very serious near misses. I believe that we can do so much better with respect to retention recruitment. We can also offer better incentive programs to get more healthcare workers to come to our community
There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t hear of some very serious situation with respect, crime and or drug use. In fact, I’ve been a victim of crime in our community. We have to stop the revolving door of prolific offenders. We absolutely must treat those individuals, struggling with addiction. The answer to their problem is not free drugs, and we must stop the flow of drugs.
Affordability is also an issue I hear about every time I go to a gas station or a grocery store. There are ways government can help and the first one is removing carbon tax. I know that this has been such a massive issue, but it really is a punitive tax that compounds at every step in our food supply chain, and then every other item that comes to us by any delivery method.
Finaly, we absolutely must commit to sorting out land use in British Columbia. The challenge is growing every day because of a burning desire to access public property, and when private properties are involved in moving these challenges forward, we absolutely must consider compensation. There is so much frustration with respect to government indecision on our landscape and we absolutely have to sort this out for the betterment of all British Colombians.
Michael Moses:
The Cariboo-Chilcotin is a remarkable region, but like many rural communities, we face some unique and pressing challenges. The most critical issues here include access to healthcare, affordable housing, cost of living, and climate action. Each of these challenges affects our daily lives, and they are all interconnected in many ways.
Healthcare is a top concern for families in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. We need more doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals, especially in rural areas where access to care is limited. David Eby and the BC NDP have been taking action by increasing healthcare training programs and creating rural incentive programs that encourage healthcare workers to settle in regions like ours. We’re also opening Urgent and Primary Care Centres to provide quicker access to non-emergency care, which will lower the strain on our emergency rooms. In Williams Lake, we’ve seen real progress, with fewer ER closures thanks to targeted government support. We’re also expanding the Travel Assistance Program, which helps rural residents with upfront help for the cost of travelling by car to see specialists, ensuring that healthcare is accessible for everyone.
Another key issue is affordable housing. Families are struggling to find homes they can afford, and seniors are worried about staying in the communities they love. To tackle this, the BC NDP has committed to building 300,000 new middle-income homes over the next decade. We’re also taking action to provide more long-term care beds for seniors and to reduce upfront costs for first-time homebuyers. At the same time, the BC Conservatives are looking to cut all of our proactive housing programs and to remove the rent cap, driving up housing prices, and costing our families up to $1100 more in rent per month.
The cost of living is another major concern, with global inflation affecting everything from groceries to fuel. The BC NDP has already taken steps to ease the burden on families by lowering ICBC rates by $500 and freezing them, eliminating unfair MSP premiums to save families $1800 per year, and slashing child care costs—saving parents up to $1,000 a month. These actions provide immediate relief, but we know there’s still more work to be done. John Rustad has increased these fees for our families before, and given the chance he will do so again!
Climate action is a critical issue, especially in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, where wildfires and environmental changes have deeply impacted our communities. I know many families here have been affected by evacuations or the destruction caused by wildfires. That’s why the BC NDP is committed to CleanBC, a comprehensive plan to reduce emissions while creating good-paying, green jobs. We’ve worked with the Green Party to deliver one of the most ambitious climate action plans in North America. But we can’t stop now. John Rustad of the BC Conservatives denies climate science and has promised to roll back all of our climate initiatives. That’s a risk we simply can’t take if we want to protect our forests, lakes, and the future of our children.
In summary, the key issues in the Cariboo-Chilcotin are healthcare, affordable housing, cost of living, and climate action. I’m committed to addressing these challenges with the solutions David Eby and the BC NDP are putting forward—solutions that ensure our region can thrive and build a sustainable future for generations to come.
Meanwhile, the BC Conservatives promise to make cuts to all of these solutions that have been showing great promise for the Cariboo-Chilcotin. This will hurt our healthcare system, cost our families thousands of dollars per year, and put our climate at more risk of wildfires. John Rustad is a risk we can’t afford.
4..Are there any final thoughts you would like to share with the voters?
Lorne Doerkson:
As I have said before many times, I have never been more proud than I am to represent Cariboo – Chilcotin.
But the current state of affairs in British Columbia is very concerning. Our industry is in peril, drugs and rampant crime are in our streets like I have never seen before. Our hospitals are stretched to the limit, our seniors are, in some cases, no longer making ends meet and our residents are facing extremely high taxation and extremely high costs of living.
Many people are struggling in our society. We absolutely must lower that burden for all of us.
The sad reality is it is very difficult for a government to fund any of the things we want to improve without income from that enterprise it is absolutely imperative that we cut red tape in this province, that we focus on getting our industry strong again it benefits us all.
We have so much resource in this province, and we absolutely must capitalize on it not just for the benefit of us all but also for the benefit of the world.
Michael Moses:
There is so much at risk in this election. The actions David Eby is taking are starting to show good results for us in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. The most important issue in Williams Lake has been the closures of our emergency room at the hospital. Earlier this year, we had a month where our ER was closed for 10 out of 30 days! That is a scary statistic. Then, David Eby stepped in with our health minister and provided some of the most significant incentives for doctors and healthcare workers to work in our region. The very next month, our ER was only closed for three days, and last month, it was only closed for ONE day! This is still one day too many, and there’s so much more work to be done. But with such great progress, this is not the time to change our healthcare system and start making cuts and introducing a US-style two-tier approach like John Rustad’s BC Conservatives plan to do.
David Eby is making sure that we receive all of the support and services that we need in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. From building apartments and long term care units right here in Williams Lake, to helping people with the cost of living. David Eby is building relationships and partnerships with First Nations, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities and denouncing extremism and racism. Meanwhile, there are candidates in the BC Conservatives that have made repeated climate science denialism, Islamophobic, homophobic, and anti-Indigenous statements. If we want to keep moving forward with solutions and building a stronger, more compassionate BC where everyone has a chance to succeed, then John Rustad’s BC Conservatives are a risk we can’t afford.
Voting stations will be open from 8 AM to 8 PM on Saturday at these locations:
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