NDP’s Debra Toporowski in hot seat at Cowichan Valley all-candidates meeting
NDP candidate Debra Toporowski’s role as councillor for both Cowichan Tribes and North Cowichan was scrutinized at an all-candidates meeting Monday in Duncan.
During the one-hour, 45-minute meeting attended by a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 people, each of the five candidates in Cowichan Valley was given the opportunity to ask another candidate one question.
Conservative John Koury challenged Toporowski’s decision to recuse herself from a council vote on Mar. 6, 2024, regarding a major development near the new hospital site in the Bell McKinnon area.
https://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com/local-news/north-cowichan-turns-down-major-development-near-new-hospital-7328991
Toporowski told council at the time: “I have decided to recuse myself from this matter given the impact of the decision on some voting members of Cowichan Tribes.
“As you know, I am currently seeking Cowichan Tribes council and there may be a perception that I may be influenced in my voting on this matter in an effort to obtain votes from Cowichan Tribes election.
“My decision to recuse myself is directly as a result of me actively seeking election for the Cowichan Tribes Council.”
The development failed on a 3-3 vote. Toporowski won election to Cowichan Tribes on March 7. She was re-elected to North Cowichan council in 2022.
At Monday’s all-candidates meeting, Toporowski provided a different reason for recusing herself.
“I was in a direct conflict because my brother was going to be employed by the developer that was there asking for that application,” she said. “Not only that, my brother-in-law was going to be benefitting financially from having a job as well. So, I had to recuse myself from that discussion. Period.”
She added: “I did get a lawyer’s advice to recuse myself at that council meeting. And, yes, I was running for the election, but afterwards I found out that my brother would be financially benefitting from it.
“That’s where people get themselves in trouble because they don’t know what conflict truly is.”
Koury did not feel there was sufficient conflict for Toporowski to recuse herself from the vote. “I’m a governance expert from McMaster University,” he said to jeers from the crowd.
Jon Coleman, the owner of a construction company who is also member of Cowichan Tribes, said he has a problem with Toporowski’s dual role.
“I don’t agree with it, Debra,” said Coleman, who is officially an “unaffiliated” candidate after BC United bowed out of the provincial election race.
“You hold too many cards at both tables,” he said. “In today’s day and age, as a business owner, as an aboriginal business owner, you’re in conflict.”
Toporowski said she recuses herself just like any other councillor when conflicts arise. “I’m very fair and I’m honest in all my dealings,” she said.
She noted that the late Cowichan Tribes Chief Dennis Alphonse served on Duncan council and Cowichan Tribes council. “There is nothing against it.”
During the meeting, sponsored by Downtown Duncan Business Improvement Area, Coleman said he has been personally impacted by the street-level health crisis.
“My sister’s on the street,” he said. “Six years ago I got her eight kids. I’m down to five now.”
He added “you’ve got to get rid of the drugs,” adding it’s become “the norm” to step over people.
“That’s not the way I was raised. I have to drive these streets and check on my sister every other day and wonder at night, ‘is she going to survive?’”
The provincial election is Oct. 19.
Advance voting takes place Oct. 10-13 and Oct. 15-16. Visit wheretovote.elections.bc.ca or call 1-800-661-8683.
More reading: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/310033d6-5b38-479e-bf0e-e4b90548f468
More background on the candidates:
Coleman: https://www.votebcunited.ca/news/jon-coleman-announced-as-bc-united-candidate-for-cowichan-valley/
Haythornthwaite: https://www.cowichansocialist24.ca/
Koury: https://www.conservativebc.ca/johnkoury
Lockwood: https://bcgreens2024.ca/your-candidates/cammy-lockwood/
Toporowski: https://debratoporowski.bcndp.ca/
(Photos: Monday’s all-candidates meeting; Jon Coleman talking to the crowd).
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— Larry Pynn, Oct. 8, 2024
