The Member of Provincial Parliament in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound said its great to be in a "different phase" of COVID-19 as we head into 2023.
Rick Byers said the last few Januarys have been marred by constant worries about COVID-19, and while he said the pandemic is far from completely over, we are in a place where he feels he can start prioritizing the issues that matter to residents living in his riding.
"Obviously inflation and the cost of living have been a big concern" said Byers, who was elected as MPP for the first time in June, taking over for the retiring Bill Walker. "Inflation seems to be flat-lining, and hopefully that continues to improve in 2023. We'd love to see interest rates come down."
While Byers said his primary focus remains on healthcare, he has also branched out into housing and touting the benefits of Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act.
"We have a big initiative upcoming on housing, and I'll be looking in 2023 to make sure the objectives and framework are achieving what they're intending to," said Byers.
Byers intends to carry a "big agenda with heavy items" in 2023, and while he understands the current cost of living is a challenge, he said the provincial government is making a number economic development investments into the auto plant, energy and resource sectors, saying these investments are important for the economy and the environment.