It's time to change with the times, according to B.C. Green Party candidate Connie Sahlmark in the Penticton riding, who says the "old-time politics" is becoming obsolete.

Sahlmark told Castanet during a one-on-one interview that evolving politics is what she and her party intend to bring to the table for the May 9 provincial election.

"Things have changed a lot. The old-time politics of just focusing on the bottom line and money, it's not applicable anymore," Sahlmark said. "We're looking at a situation where our planet is seriously compromised, we have a lot of social issues, we need to start also focusing on people, planet and profit."

Those three Ps, the triple bottom line, have become a slogan for Sahlmark's candidacy, and she says in politics the first two tend to be forgotten.

B.C. education was a touchy subject during Tuesday night's debate aboard the SS Sicamous, where candidates had their third of four faceoffs on policy. Sahlmark scolded incumbent MLA Dan Ashton particularly over last summer's threats of school closures.

Speaking with Castanet, Sahlmark outlined a few of her party's ideas for ensuring those schools don't face closure, including 25 hours of free weekly early education, and ramping education spending up to $1.5 billion, up from $250 million.

"You can imagine how that's going to support having enough teachers, smaller classes," she said, adding that the education system could be looking at multiple uses for school buildings to keep them running.

"Something that's sort of symbiotic; maybe a daycare in there as well, or a community use, a few offices."

Sahlmark added that the Greens would give a $2,000-per-year tax rebate to post-secondary students over the course of five years to help manage student debt.

"Which is very important. As a student, I know," she said. "Takes my breath away how much money I owe."

And while the B.C. Liberals are gradually increasing the minimum wage on a yearly basis, with the B.C. NDP promising a $15 minimum by the end of a four-year term, the Greens are looking at something a bit different – the basic income, or minimum income, which would top up the salaries of everyone making under a certain yearly income.

Regardless of one's views of the proposal, it's a topic that has only recently surfaced in the public consciousness, but Sahlmark says it would help offset issues arising out of a fluctuating loonie and a flat-rate minimum wage.

"That's why we're having a commission to establish what we need as a minimum wage, what is a living wage and to fund the gap in between," she said. "You need to keep the incentives there for people to be innovative."

That, she says, will help people to retrain in new industries and be more entrepreneurial as more and more jobs become automated.

"You can't do that if you can't be assured that you've got your basic needs covered."

Castanet will hold similar one-on-one interviews with the other candidates ahead of the May 9 election.

If you have thoughts on these issues or on the election in general, send us a letter to the editor to [email protected].