Image Credit: Shutterstock
May 08, 2017 - 10:34 AM
OPINION
Editor,
On May 1, Christy Clark was a no show at the Kelowna West All Candidates Forum, but managed to arrive in Kelowna the next day, May 2, for a 15-minute rally at the Laurel Packinghouse.
There were almost no people under 40 years of age among the small crowd.
During her speech Christy mentioned how beautiful the Okanagan region is, then said: "No one in Kelowna has anything to complain about.”
Right.
A person in attendance informed me there were at most 50 people present, including media and Christy’s advance team. She took no questions, then spent about 15 minutes on selfies with those wanting their picture with her.
On May 3, before leaving Kelowna, Christy appeared with Shelley Cook (B.C. NDP) and Robert Mellalieu (B.C. Green) on AM1150. (The audio of both the West Kelowna and Kelowna-Lake Country candidate forums can be heard at iheartradio.ca/am-1150/audio)
Yet Christy had no time to meet with any of her West Kelowna constituents regarding the Ministry of Transportation’s proposed plan to create roadways through local outdoor recreation areas as part of the Second Okanagan Lake Crossing Project.
She couldn’t have taken 15 minutes out of her busy schedule to meet with her own constituents?
These created roadways would greatly affect the wildlife and communities of Glenrosa, Smith Creek, Shannon Lake, Tallus Ridge, Rose Valley, West Kelowna Estates, and Knox Mountain.
Read the petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-ca/512/484/701/stop-the-destruction-of-our-urban-parks-in-the-central-okanagan.-say-quotnoquot-to-the-bypass./
This election, the B.C. Green Party could pull votes from the B.C. NDP, the B.C. Liberals, or both.
Google the video "BC Don't split the vote" by Twyla Roscovich: youtube.com/watch?v=ANgSt8LWy_g
From Twyla's narration: “They are a few ridings in B.C. where the Green candidate does actually stand a chance of winning, and these are around southern Vancouver Island, so down here it might makes sense to vote Green. Take a close look at your candidates. But everywhere else in B.C. it makes no sense. Here are the ridings from last election where the Greens split off enough votes to keep the NDP candidates from defeating the Liberals. Without this split we would have had an NDP government. And the Liberal Party is counting on us. They love the Green Party for this reason. Christy Clark even ran ads last election promoting the Green Party because she knows it works in her favour when people vote Green. The best thing that could happen for Green supporters is if we had electoral reform and were able to ditch this dysfunctional system. Luckily, that is what the NDP is offering. This change could forever empower Green voters and never allow the kind of corrupt government we are seeing to hold power again."
On April 27, Global BC’s legislative bureau chief Keith Baldrey said on Vaughn Palmer’s "Voice of B.C." telecast: "If they (young people) come out, a 100,000, 200,000, who haven’t voted before, throw all the research up in the air because all sorts of unknown, unanticipated results may come."
Google the article: "Will Youth Voter Turnout Decide the B.C. Election?” desmog.ca/2017/04/25/will-youth-voter-turnout-decide-b-c-election
Do young British Columbians know they have the power to decide which party forms the next B.C. government, if they will only vote?
If they know, do they care?
— David Buckna was a public school teacher for nearly 30 years in West Kelowna.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor.
News from © iNFOnews, 2017