Independent candidate for Salmon Arm-Shuswap wants to bring fiscal responsibility back to provincial government

Castanet is running a series of candidate profiles in the run-up to the provincial election on Saturday, Oct. 19. Today, get to know independent candidate Greg McCune, who is running for MLA in the Salmon Arm-Shuswap riding.

With 50 years of experience living and working in the Shuswap, independent candidate Greg McCune thinks his customer service-focused approach to government makes him the right choice to be Salmon Arm-Shuswap's MLA.

McCune, a former Enderby mayor, said he believes the BC NDP is spending too much.

“I find it really ironic that we have all these families and young people and elderly with fixed income struggling, yet you've got the current government running a $9 billion deficit,” he said.

McCune said bringing fiscal responsibility back to the provincial government is one of his number one reasons for running for MLA.

“If the government can manage their interests better, then it'll work out good for the average person,” he added.

Healthcare is an issue he believes should be top priority.

“I believe our healthcare is in a crisis,” he said. “We at one point were number one in Canada, we're now running last.”

He said with COVID-19 and other changes in healthcare, labour shortages have become a very real issue.

“We are running very skeleton staffs at all the facilities in the Shuswap,” McCune said. “I think it's almost a ground-up rebuild where we actually do invest in the doctors and nurses, not just say that we are, and start from there.”

He also raised concerns about the criminal justice system.

“We're finding that the court systems have completely let down the people that are actually doing the job,” he said.

McCune believes lenient court sentencing is letting serial offenders back out on the streets.

“Each community has their list of prolific offenders, 10 people cause 80 per cent of the crime, but we just let them do it over and over and over,” he said.

McCune is in favour of “letting the RCMP do their job,” and he said a lot of changes have to happen.

One of the changes he supports is involuntary care for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.

“I 100 per cent believe it has to happen,” McCune said. “We're in a scenario where families themselves have given up on some of their loved ones, they've tried everything they can try.”

He stressed the importance of holding discussions with families about their loved ones before actions are taken but believes some people are out of options.

“I think it's going to take a heartfelt approach, but also in the best interests of that person,” he added. “We need a place for them to land, we need a place for them to get better, and it should be 100 per cent funded by the province.”

McCune has lived in Enderby since his family moved from Calgary and purchased Sutherland’s Bakery in 1975. He has three adult children, has served five terms as a city councillor in Enderby and served for eight years as the city’s mayor.