Today I am the Scout Troop leader, and every Scout night, I measure my actions by the way my scout leader taught me

It seems to me that BC Conservative Party leadership candidate Dan Brooks, really has a way of connecting with people.  I have seem it through my own interactions with him ... and in observing him speaking with, and listening to, others.

The other day I had a recent letter passed to me by an old acquaintance of Dan's.  I think it speaks to the character of who Dan is ... how, if elected, he will lead the BC Conservative Party ... and from there show the leadership needed to govern our province, when elected to the legislature, with our team of BC Conservative MLA's.

Have a read, and see what you think:

As a young man in the Scouts Canada program I experienced first hand the great out doors of Beautiful British Columbia. From the seat of a canoe and under the shoulder straps of my first back pack I learned to enjoy nature and recognize the testimony it presents of the beauty of life.

But Scouts, believe it or nor,  wasn’t always so pleasant.

Putting several teenage boys together in a classroom or out in the wild can be quite hectic, and even dangerous. Dan Brooks knew how to take those – so called – difficult years of a boys life and mold them into the “bar” of his life.

On more than one occasion in my adult life I have found myself asking; “If this were scouts, would I be giving up?”

Three lessons – in particular – have always stuck with me and pushed me to stretch myself to greater heights.

The first; Respect, and we never forgot it. Second; Chap stick, thank goodness we had it. And third; “Your going to do it, your going to like it, and your going to be happy.”

On Dan’s first scout night as our newly called leader, he taught us to respect ourselves, girls and women, your parents and leaders, and the out doors. The second scout meeting he taught the same principal. The third meeting, once again; we learned respect. Every meeting and scout camp there after we learned to respect.

I still find myself naturally opening doors for women, looking some one in the eye when they are speaking to me, listening when being spoken to or taught, having something of value to add, and reporting back. A habit developed as a boy.

Second; chap stick. It’s a long, involved story of which I urge you to ask Dan about yourself, but for me the memory and life lesson was behind the funny experience. It happened on a cold winter night in the shoulder deep snow between home and Kennedy lakes.  The younger scouts stayed at home lake while Dan and the rest of us broke our own trail and headed for Kennedy – a distance of approximately 8 km’s. 

Forseth endorses Brooks for Leader, joins team as Campaign Manager

It's official ... and I am announcing the following today:

 

 

KAMLOOPS:  Dan Brooks, candidate for the leadership of the BC Conservatives, today announced that Al Forseth, a long-time party member, regional director and former constituency-association president, has endorsed him as the best choice for Leader.

Brooks also announced that Forseth has accepted an appointment as Campaign Manager of his leadership team.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have Al Forseth endorse my candidacy and join my campaign team as manager,” said Brooks.

“Al’s passion and dedication are legendary throughout our party and across the province, and his decision to manage my leadership campaign sends a strong signal of our unwavering commitment to building the BC Conservative Party into a vital force that will be reckoned with well into the future.”

Forseth said that Brooks shares his belief that British Columbians deserve a better political option than they have faced in recent years – a choice between the lesser of two evils: the New Democrats or the BC Liberals.

“The BC Conservatives – indeed, British Columbians across our great province – desperately need a Leader with a vision of how to create prosperity through well-paying jobs, a place where businesses can thrive and where we have a solid foundation for health-care, education and more,” said Forseth.

“I am inspired that Dan Brooks has a vision and a plan for our party – one where party members will be fully engaged and asked for their full input.

“I believe that Dan has the drive, passion and openness to listen, which will get us back on a path to gain the support of British Columbians and to governing British Columbia.”

Brooks concluded by saying that he will make additional, important announcements in the days leading up to the BC Conservatives annual general meeting, to be held in Vernon on October 19.

With this announcement, I will no longer be be considered neutral in commenting on the BC Conservative Party leadership campaign.  That said, I WILL however continue to make comment on social media, and on this blog, on things I beleive are important to our party -- and that includes information on Rick Peterson's campaign, and the vision and direction he also has for the party.

I fact, in conversation with Dan regarding my endorsement, and taking on the role of Campaign Manager, I indicated that it would be a deal-breaker if this was not acceptable.

To quote Dan ... "I wouldn't have it any other way."

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.

Let's do it in a way that is honest; not through manipulation and sensationalization

Since the first days of settlement at what is now Vancouver, British Columbia, much of the area, including portions of Stanley Park were clear-cut logged at least 3 times.

 

I heard that from Patrick Moore himself (an early member of Greenpeace) at a meeting I attended in Clearwater many years ago.  As I recall from his talk, much of the area was totally logged off to build the homes, businesses, etc; nothing selective in those days.

 

Also, I feel certain this is not an actual photo, but instead a drawing. I grew up in the Cariboo and can recall what clear-cuts looked like. There is not on scrap of brush, broken branches & limbs, drag marks from the tree's being moved, or even smaller growth of trees that would have been left because they had no value.

There is nothing in this picture that represents what an actual logging cut like this should look like.

 

 

If this is indeed an actual photograph (which I highly doubt) I'd be interested in knowing when and where it was taken.  What these enviro people would say is that its is likely a … ‘picture meant to be an example, not a real, or actual location.’

 

And yet our province is attacked as horrible polluters -- and using the worst of mining / logging practices --by enviro-groups (some not all) that are funded by the war chests (so-called make the world a better place foundations) of the 3rd and 4th generations of families of corporate USA ... as well as by all ages of European society, all whom sport the latest fads in clothing, electronics, footwear, etc (and all needing the resources of the land).  

Could this in fact be the real reason, for the BC Liberal government, to be declaring they will not agree to the Northern Gateway Pipeline proceeding

Let me begin today's Conservative Thoughts blog post with the following:

"Under our feet lies as much energy as Alberta has in its oil patch. It is in the form of natural gas, a cleaner alternative to oil or coal, in the Northeast corner of British Columbia ... our goal is to have a Liquefied Natural Gas industry that will add value to our abundant natural gas resource by shipping it by sea to Asia ..." ~~~ 2013 BC Liberal Election Platform

 

I'll come back to this shortly.

 

With the Final Hearings and Questioning Phase yet to be held, by the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel, the BC Liberal government Environment Minister, Terry Lake, has already announced "Our questions were not satisfactorily answered during these hearings." 

 

For those unaware ... there are still twelve days of hearings yet to be held in Terrace from June 17th and 28th.  Would it not seem to be in BC's best interests to wait for them (the hearings) to conclude before coming to that decision? 

 

BC needs a provincial government that is prepared to work with and for British Columbians, to implement policies that take full advantage of our natural resources, our geographic position, and our hard-working residents.  

 

Yet despite that, and just two short weeks after the provincial election, both Premier Christy Clark, and Environment Minister Terry Lake, are both showing the Liberals are going to be a failure in that area.  

 

Our province has suffered ongoing interprovincial population loses since Christy Clark first became Premier two and a half years ago.  With Environment Minister Terry Lake's announcement Friday, the people of BC can except that trend, officially documented and recorded by BC Stats, will continue. 

 

Once again, this government, led by Premier Christy Clark, is about to betray the hard working men and women of the Peace River and Northern BC, by rejecting the Northern Gateway development, before the Review Panel completes its duties. 

 

It's one thing to criticize, but what are your expectations; what will satisfy your government?  Both Terry Lake and Christy Clark can't simply say they are opposed.  What is the government's real position; and what outcomes do you need to have met, so that they can be realistically addressed. 

 

In a story on Saturday (June 1st), in the Kamloops Daily News, they state:
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Minister Diana McQueen issued a statement saying the two provinces have a shared commitment to both protecting the environment and economic growth. 

Meet Ed Fehr, BC Conservative Party candidate for Kamloops North Thompson

Kamloops North Thompson BC Conservative
Party candidate Ed Fehr

I was born in Beaver Lodge, Alberta. My family moved to a small community called Takysie near the Lakes District community of Burns Lake, BC.  At Takysie, my family bought and operated a small sawmill.

Three years later, we moved to Fraser Lake, BC, where my parents bought a 160 acre farm on which our family raised 200 head of sheep.  At an age of 12, this helped me learn the importance of being responsible, and knowing the value of hard work. 

Ed Fehr is; “A guy that’s willing to have boots on the ground, go door-to-door and talk to people and bring their issues back to Victoria."

Over the course of my life, I have worked in several industries including operational aspects mining; and  like our party leader John Cummins,  I have taken pride in being able to see the end results of hard work. 

I cut my teeth in politics with the Saskatchewan Party while living there between 1997 and 2004.  I held the role of Vice-President in Saskatoon Center, and then went on to become President of the Riding Association a year later. 

Ed Fehr sees increasing access to doctors as a major priority for the next provincial government; "We need to have more doctors, and the health-care system needs to be completely revamped.”

I returned to BC in 2007, and in March 2012, I was elected as president of the Kamloops-North Thompson Constituency Association for the BC Conservative Party.

I married my lovely wife Naomi in 1996. 

Throughout my life people like late Cyril Shelford (BC rancher and Social Credit MLA), have made a lasting impression on me, to be a voice for the people of British Columbia in the provincial legislature.

BC HYDRO Part 3 (AKA) Does "No" actually mean "No" to the BC Liberals? To all of them? Some of them? And on what day?

Today's Conservative Thoughts commentary is a guest op / ed.  Unfortunately I am unable to include the name of the writer, but this is a person I have known and have respected for nearly 20 years.

 

As B.C. Hydro and Corix installers roll out across the province, targeting people who’ve refused the Hydro smart meters, the message changes constantly.

“I’ve been ordered to put a meter on every house
and I’m doing it.”, he replied ... and he did.

From 85,000 to 140,000 British Columbians have registered with Hydro to refuse the smart meters. Reasons include health, safety, privacy, time of day billing and, as one man put it, “the jack-booted way it’s being imposed”.

On January 22nd Energy Minister Rich Coleman reassured the hold-outs that meters wouldn’t be forced upon them.

On January 29th Liberal MLA Gordon Hogg issued a statement, telling people pressured to accept new meters, to notify their MLA’s.

On January 30th a Kamloops reporter wanting to confirm the government’s position, phoned several MLAs.  BC Liberal MLA and Energy Minster Rich Coleman wasn’t available, but his office sent a copy of the Jan. 22nd statement that Smart Meters would not be forced on them.

Gordon Hogg’s office replied “Mr. Hogg is no longer speaking to the media on the smart meter issue.” 

Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger, the only Liberal MLA who would speak, said “..We always have some people who think everything’s bad for them. …however there are some people with really unique health conditions.  I don’t want to have smart meters anywhere near them."

People felt reassured.  It didn’t last long.

Between January 28th and February 1st, the city of Kamloops was targeted for a final installation blitz. Corix, the company doing installations, employs mostly young men who are paid by piece work.  Every morning they held a team meeting during which they’re told where to go, what to say and what to do.

On January 28th, a 72 year old woman insisted to the installer that she didn’t want a smart meter.  “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” she asked. 

“I’ve been ordered to put a meter on every house and I’m doing it.”, he replied, and he did.

Another woman, who has medical problems, explained why she was refusing. “Now I’ve talked to you can I be confident no one else will come install a meter?” 

"We’ll be back”, was the response.

“When?”, she asked 

The response?  ... “Maybe tomorrow.” 

One man became so exasperated, after he was asked three times why he was refusing, that he grabbed for the smart meter.  In the scuffle a Corix employee fell to the ground.  The RCMP arrived within 15 minutes and told the householder he would be charged.

Finally, Christy Clark has said something that I can agree with! It is possible to ... "predict future behaviour based on your previous record.”

Given Premier Christy Clark's comments, I predict
rising taxes and fees ... and ever increasing debt

The following comments are from an opinion piece, in the Victoria Times Colonist, which was written by Les Leyne; "Leaders differ on balancing the budget"

NDP Leader Adrian Dix said ... there’s no way it will be balanced. Premier Christy Clark said it most certainly will ...

Even while continuing the advertising blitz, the government announced it is currently a half-billion dollars off its budget

Clark said ... “We are going to make sure we are the lowest tax jurisdiction in the country for personal income taxes ... that is the most important way government keeps life affordable for people.”

Although the running tally for the current year’s deficit is higher than expected, the plan is to erase it in a new budget next February.

Now ... here's another comment that our BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark made, and now probably wishes she hadn't, back in December of last year.  QUOTE: “It’s possible to predict future behaviour based on your previous record.”

Okay Christy ..., let's do a little research to see if in fact that comment, which YOU made, is indeed correct.

BC Ministry of Finance (Summary of Provincial Debt Report -- page #5)
* total BC debt 2001: $33,385,000,000 ($33.385 BILLION)

BC Ministry of Finance (Fiscal and Debt Summary) 2nd Quarter Report 2012 / 13 dated November 28th, 2012
* total estimated Provincial debt (March 2013): $56,356,000,000 ($56.35 BILLION)

BC Ministry of Finance (Budget & Fiscal Plan: 2012/13 - 2014/15 - page #5) -- government document is dated February 21st, 2012
* total estimated debt by 2014/15: $66,354,000,000 ($66.35 BILLION)

Will you look at that!  Christy Clark has finally said something that I can agree with! It is definitely possible to ... "predict future behaviour based on your previous record.” 

But what a dismal record that is for British Columbians here and now ... and those in the future who will be saddled with the results, and consequences, of that ever increasing debt.

John Cummins not only has what it takes to lead the BC Conservatives in the next election; he is best suited to be the next Premier of our province

Today, my friend Sean Smith posted what I think is the best take on the differences between BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins and Premier / BC Liberal leader Christy Clark.  He said:

BC Premier Christy Clark

"It's the difference between having a leader with no experience working hard in BC industry, and one that had an active part in it. Christy Clark hasn't worked a hard day as a labourer in her life, while Cummins helped build the WAC Bennett Dam, was a commercial fisherman AND was a teacher. Experience in leadership is everything!"

My soon to be retiring Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA, Kevin Krueger, came back to say:

What you say is not true. Christy worked in the hospitality industry as a young person. She is so obviously bright, and politically astute, that she was drafted into political activities very young, and ran a pan-Canadian political organization for youth. She is well into her second year as the Premier of British Columbian, while looking after her little guy as a single Mom. You think John Cummins' challenges stack up better than that?

    

Christy is a leader; she is kind to people, and knows how to enable a team. Her team's results are the best in Canada, with Alberta's. John Cummins has a history of scrapping, not leading, as far as I have seen. It is ridiculous to suggest that he is the more accomplished person.

Not wanting to miss out on a good discussion Sean responded by saying:

Seriously!? You are going to compare her time as a hostess / waitress to Mr. Cummins time in construction / commercial fishing/education? The only reason she was drafted into politics was because of her father’s connections! For cryin' out loud, how out of touch do you think the people of British Columbia are!! Next you will be talking about her education at SFU, the University of Edinburgh and the Sourbonne, none of which she actually graduated from! Perhaps you would like to put that up against Mr. Cummins 2 degrees!

John Cummins DOES have a better connect with the people of BC – he knows what it means to work hard – he knows what it means to put food on the table, and a roof over the head of his family.

Why do I say that?  Well here’s the facts:

POLITICS 101 … the wacky world of British Columbia

In British Columbia we do things differently when it comes to politics.  Anywhere else, the topic of politics and politicians can come up, and a civil, even occasionally heated, discussion can take place.

NOT in British Columbia.

Mention the words ‘politics’, and / or ‘politicians’ and the fight is on.  Either that, or folks tune out entirely.

Thoughts that come to mind for many are money grubbing … power seekers … looking out for number one … unaccountable … unresponsive … and a host of other things that can’t be repeated.

That’s because, as I mentioned, we do things differently here in BC.

W.A.C. Bennett

We generally have one party that’s in power for a long period of time, with one sitting on the wings … waiting to take over when voters get sick and tired of the governing party.  We’ll say, “Well at least these guys can’t do any worse than those jerks”.

This really began in 1951 when W.A.C.  Bennett, “Wacky” as most people called him, took over what was then called the Social Credit League, and renamed it the Social Credit Party.  Social Credit really was a big tent party that keep both small ‘c’ Conservatives, and small ‘L” Liberals, all under one roof. 

Bennett reviled the NDP with a passion, calling them the Socialist Hordes, and so it must have been with a great deal of anguish and upset that he turned the reins of government over to Dave Barrett and the NDP following the election of 1972.

That government was short lived however, only staying in power for one term.  The ‘socialist hordes’ as Wacky called them, tried their social engineering much to fast -- overtaxed industry – raised debt dramatically -- and scared the hell out of the majority of people in BC once they realized what they had voted for.

Then Wacky’s son Bill Bennett took over the leadership of the Socred’s, winning the next election, and became Premier in in 1975.  The Socreds then remained in power again, for another 15 years.

What led to their downfall, and demise, after those 15 years? 

Most people would say it was due to a disconnect with the people … and an arrogance where they believed themselves to be the natural ruling party (much like the federal Liberals used to be).  Another issue was Bill Vander Zalm, who took over leadership of the party once Bill Bennett resigned.   With Bill Vander Zalm as leader, many also objected to what they considered to be his right wing, socially conservative, policies.

Bill Vander Zalm

Vander Zalm was ridiculed in the media … and he took a tongue lashing from voters in Letters to the Editor, and phone in talk shows.  He too was forced to resign, and Rita Johnson then took over the reins – not for long however.

Does any of this sound familiar?

In 1991 voters returned the NDP to office.  This time they governed a little more slowly with their social policies, and taxation, and managed to be re-elected several times.  Again however, a disconnect with voters, and a number of scandals (the financial debacle of the Fast Ferry’s, and Bingo-Gate, spring to mind) which saw the leadership of the party switch from Mike Harcourt, to Glen Clark, and finally to Ujjal  Dosanjh.  Changing leaders was no help however, and they were soundly trashed at the polls in 2001; retaining just 2 seats in the legislature.

Again, the ruling party was tossed from office by the voters who no longer believed anything they said, and who were tired with the scandals that surrounded them.

What also happened, in the time between 1991 and 1996, was the growth of a third party following the decline of the Socreds.  Just prior to the 1996 election, four Socred members, led by Jack Weisgerber, moved to the populist BC Reform Party.  In 1996 Reform duked it out with the BC Liberals, who had a much better organized and better financed machine, for dominance as the center right party.

As history shows, the Liberals won for dominance as BC Reform was reduced to just 2 seats, and British Columbia was once again back to a two party system; one big tent center right party (the Liberals) … and a center left party (the NDP).

She has no legal leg to stand on, and she is simply posturing to try and regain the support of an electorate that is rapidly choosing to support other options

Alberta Premier Alison Redford and BC Premier
Christy Clark.  Clark is on attack mode with
both Redford and the Federal Government

I hope Premier Christy Clark is aware of the applicable Constitutional Provisions, that would apply to Principle 5, which she said must be addressed if, “… we are to consider support for such pipeline developments in our province.”

That principle (#5) was that, “British Columbia receives a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of proposed heavy oil projects that reflect the risk borne by the province.”

Now it should be noted that the two Constitutional Provisions, which apply in this and any other similar case, state that:

 … the exclusive Legislative Authority of the Parliament of Canada extends to all Matters coming within the Classes of Subjects next hereinafter enumerated; that is to say,

 2. The Regulation of Trade and Commerce.

 10. Navigation and Shipping

Additionally there is the following: 

Export from provinces of resources (Authority of Parliament)

92(A)2) In each province, the legislature may make laws in relation to the export from the province to another part of Canada of the primary production from non-renewable natural resources and forestry resources in the province and the production from facilities in the province for the generation of electrical energy, but such laws may not authorize or provide for discrimination in prices or in supplies exported to another part of Canada.

Marginal note: Authority of Parliament

92 (3) Nothing in subsection (2) derogates from the authority of Parliament to enact laws in relation to the matters referred to in that subsection and, where such a law of Parliament and a law of a province conflict, the law of Parliament prevails to the extent of the conflict.

The exception to the above would be for pipelines which lie completely within the borders of a single province; these are regulated by that province's regulatory body.

Is it too much to ask that the Premier, sign the letters of response to questions posed to her?

Last week I made mention of a program at Science World, that takes science to kids across the province, was losing its government funding.  I encouraged folks to write to the Premier if they agreed this should have a second look.

I myself did write, and sent the following to Premier Christy Clark:

Ms Christy Clark

Premier of British Columbia

Several days ago came across a news story that said, "A popular program that brought science learning to hundreds of thousands of children across the province will come to an end after Premier Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government stopped its funding."

I find this surprising after you recently praised the work being done, and the importance of having children involved and plugged in to science.   I believe this program is important, and should be continued, and ask that you reconsider this decision.  Perhaps some of those bonuses currently being paid to CEO's and Execs of Crown Corporations and agencies could be used to fund this?

Sincerely … (my name, address, phone number, and my email was included)

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, I received a rather generic response back this morning – what was more surprising however was that this ‘generic’ response was unsigned! 

Is it too much to ask that the Premier, or whoever she designates to reply to her correspondence, sign the letters of response to questions posed to her?

"Fear of a name, increases fear of the thing itself"

Former BC Solicitor General Kash
Heed to retire after just one term

Remember the classic rock anthem from Queen ... Another One Bites the Dust?

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey, I'm gonna get you too

I was reminded of the song, when yet another BC Liberal MLA decided to call it quits late last week … former Solicitor General Kash Heed.  Heed was only elected as a BC Liberal MLA in the 2009 provincial election, in the riding of Vancouver - Fraserview. 

The fact that he has decided to bow out, after just one term, speaks volumes to the chances of BC Liberals in the next general election.

In an interview with the Asian Journal, Kash Heed laid out several reasons for his decision, including the following:

"...the system within British Columbia is very, very difficult to change and there really was no real, clear action by the government to make those significant changes."

"Unfortunately, our government has decided to move forward on signing a multi-billion-dollar, 20-year contract with the RCMP without doing, in my opinion, due diligence on what the best policing model is for British Columbia.

"I go away from politics, saying that I am glad I had my 31-year career in policing, because had I entered politics as my career, I would have been so, so disappointed.”

Kash Heed is now the third sitting BC Liberal MLA to announce he will not be seeking re-election.  The first, sometime ago, was Harry Bloy.  Last week, Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger also announced he was stepping down and would not run again.

Leave no authority existing, not responsible to the people

Providing quality and affordable health care … education … and social programs, for all British Columbians, must be one of the top priorities of government.

For that to happen, I also believe that government needs to provide us with the opportunity to have real input into the planning and implementation of programs and services.

Further … for government to have the money we need for these programs and services, it must reduce its debt, so we can stop paying millions of dollars, each and every day, just to make the interest payments.

Paying nearly $7 million dollars a day just in interest payments is bad business! 

Plain and simple, this is a waste of the financial resources we have entrusted to the government.  What we need is a smaller, less intrusive, government that lives within its means.

It is apparent to almost everyone, that our current provincial government is indeed living way beyond its means. 

Every new dollar government borrows increases our debt … adds to interest payment to service the debt … and means less money available for education, health care, social services, and other needs of the people of BC.

Madame Premier … what do you have to say?

Statistics Canada has released its latest Jobs Report for May.  That report shows that employment across the country is staying stable, however the largest reason for that may be the continued growth of jobs in Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with the province of Quebec.

So how did we fare in Western Canada? 

Alberta had an increase in employment with 9,800 net new jobs; their unemployment rate now stands at just 4.5 percent ... Manitoba basically remained the same as they went from from 5.3% to 5.1% ... and Saskatchewan still has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 4.1 percent.

And how do things look here in British Columbia? 

The issue of downloading services from one level of government, to the next, is obviously having a serious affect on municipalities

Last week in Penticton, mayors from 86 communities across British Columbia met to discuss issues they have been facing, and of concern, as more and more areas previously looked after (and funded) by Federal and Provincial governments, get downloaded on to them.  

In a story from the Okanagan’s CHBC TV News, Dianne Watts, Mayor of Surrey said:

“B.C.’s municipalities need a new deal with the provincial and federal governments to provide the services our constituents expect.  Municipalities provide the vast majority of the service in areas such as infrastructure while being given only 8 cents out of every tax dollar to do it.”

While Penticton Mayor Dan Ashton said:

“We all realize there is only one taxpayer and those taxpayers are challenged these days and that challenge is one that we as mayors and council have to address.  The analogy of people being able to support more services through taxation is not one that any mayor in this province wants to accept.”

A news release from the Mayors, following their meeting in Penticton, also brought up a number of additional areas of concerns, where local governments are:

• now providing land as a precondition for the Province to build social housing projects
• now responsible for ensuring residential tenancies are properly maintained by landlords
• paying more for policing as new federal laws require more work to gather more evidence to support charges being approved
• managing flood hazard areas and related liability
• dealing with the aftermath of psychiatric hospitals closures by the Province which has placed many vulnerable people on the street
• paying local fire departments to respond to medical calls, displacing the need for added resources by the provincially funded ambulance service

I told you to deal with the problem … not to make it worse

Margaret Thatcher - British Prime Minister
from 1979 to 1990 -- "The Iron Lady"

Let me start off today with a quote from former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher:

“If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.”

These are words, which when we read them all these years later, still ring true! 

Now compare the above to the words of Christy Clark following her win as the new leader of the BC Liberal Party just over a year ago:

"I want you to be my partners in change in Victoria. I want you to be my partners in bringing open government. You can count on me to listen, you can count on me to engage, and you can count on me to make sure government really does include you. I have specific ideas on how to do these things but I also need to hear from you.”

How many would agree that this change has indeed taken place in British Columbia since she became Premier of the province?

I know there are many people, well not as many as a year ago, who think that Christy Clark is one of the best leaders the so-called free enterprise coalition has ever seen. 

I do not share that opinion.

One who does however, for reasons many cannot fathom, is Preston Manning … the leader of Canada’s Reform movement, which went through a variety of transformations to finally become today's Conservative Party.

Recently, he went so far as to call Christy Clark Canada’s “Iron Snowbird”.  In a news story from earlier this spring (B.C. Premier Christy Clark lauded as 'iron snowbird') he had this rationale behind the name:

By-Election coverage in the news today

It’s Election Day in two riding's in British Columbia, as the polls opened at 8am in Port Moody Coquitlam … and Chilliwack Hope.  Here’s a quick snapshot of stories that have been in the papers this morning:

BC byelections under way: Conservatives say they're in the mix with Liberals, NDP

If Conservative candidate John Martin wins, it will bring John Cummins's party one step closer to official status in the legislature and could tempt more dissatisfied Liberal MLAs to join John van Dongen on the other side of the floor with the Tories.

A Liberal win, meantime, would provide some much-needed good news for Premier Christy Clark, who has had to face a string of public-opinion polls that suggest her party and leadership are in real trouble.

Clark braces for by-election results

Premier Christy Clark plans an election-day visit to Port Moody today, but she won't be attending victory parties there or in Chilliwack tonight.

With the surging B.C. Conservative Party making a close three-way race in Chilliwack-Hope, Clark continued to stress keeping the "free-enterprise coalition" together. And she allowed that she is aware of merger discussions going on at the constituency level.   "I will certainly be leading this free-enterprise party," Clark said