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The Patrika
Abbotsford’s Mike de Jong- one of the longest serving MLA’s of British Columbia prepares himself for 2017 elections!
M
ichael de Jong was first elected to the legislative assembly in a 1994 by-election for Abbotsford West, an area that he continues to serve for six consecutive terms. De Jong currently serves as the Minister of Finance and Government House Leader, prior serving the province as Minister of Health, Attorney General, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, Minister of Labour and Citizen’s Services, and Minister of Forests.
Abbotsford, the city that De Jong proudly calls his hometown has seen him grow from playing hockey with the Abbotsford Pilots Junior B hockey team, to then being elected as the youngest school trustee at the Abbotsford School District 34, to now serving as the British Columbia Government House Leader. Whether it be roller blading through the annual Canada Day parade, walking bare foot with the Sikh Parade (Nagar Kirtan) floats, or hosting a monthly community breakfast at his office, through all his ministerial roles, Michael expressed value for community involvement and communication. On a provincial level, Michael de Jong continues to serve with diligence. As a finance minister, Mike de Jong has accomplished a budget surplus for 2014-15 of $879 million, introduced early childhood tax benefit of $660 per year for children under six, and implemented a $3 billion funding increase for health care system. Over time, Mike De Jong has also dealt with major provincial issues, such as the recent real estate market hike. Although the hike contributed to an increase in jobs and a boost to the economy, the everyday British Columbian worried about the practicality of purchasing a residential home as the prices of purchasing homes averaged at about a 30.1 per cent hike. To overcome the issue, Mike de Jong introduced the home vacancy tax and also implemented a system in which buyers are now required to declare on their property tax transfer form if they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, or else provide their country of citizenship. Mike de Jong also noted that the real estate hike was in fact a positive response of the government’s efforts to sell BC to international investors
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through events such as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. The hike as he noted puts British Columbia in lead across Canada for best economy, lowest employability, and highest job creation, for the challenges produced through this hike are just a symptom of a good economy. He has also announced a 15% tax on foreign buyers of real estate property. Over the years, De Jong has also had the opportunity to work with the local University of the Fraser Valley, the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre as well as the Abbotsford International Airport. His strong sense of community involvement has also led him to overseas trips to countries such as China, Malaysia and India. “I bought this from there” he laughs pointing to his suit while sharing stories of his journey across the rural districts of Punjab, India. As De Jong’s sixth term comes to an end, he slowly gears towards another provincial election in 2017. He says that there is a lot of work to be done in the coming future. One of the initiatives that Michael speaks very strongly about is the newly introduced “Abbotsforward Plan”, an official community plan for the city to accommodate a rising population that is anticipated to reach 200,000 people. Despite ministering British Columbia to a Canadian lead in economy for two years at the provincial level, De Jong still feels that there are families that are not benefitting, and is striving to cater to these individuals in his upcoming term. In preparation for what he calls the “shareholders meeting”, locally, Mike De Jong plans to be more available to constituents, and drive around to more community events in his “entourage” of a “little car.”
Friday, August 12th, 2016
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