If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The story that has now become known as "ethnicgate" is disturbing because it reveals something so disrespectful not only about the way Clark's government uses ethnic voters, but also the way they flagrantly disregard rules, regulations and democracy.
If B.C. Premier Christy Clark is forced into an early resignation in the next couple of days it won't have much to do with "ethnicgate" -- the press' clumsy name for her party's recently-leaked scheme to use "government initiatives and projects" to rally the immigrant vote. Clark's caucus never liked her.
Party leaders will say all the right things to deny the obvious: we're campaigning for the votes of all British Columbians, we don't take any vote for granted, or we're running to win in all 85 ridings. But after all that voter ID, statistical analysis and polling, strategists know very well that there's likely less than 250,000 voters living in less than half of B.C.'s 85 ridings who will actually count on May 14. And the two main parties will fish where the fish are.
B.C.'s proposed Prosperity Fund is meant to capitalize on the future opportunities from natural gas development. If done correctly, the fund could be a huge benefit to both current and future British Columbians. As with many things though, the devil is in the details. Thankfully there are lessons to be learned, and avoided, from our neighbours, Alberta and Alaska.
Tuesday's provincial budget is supposed to present a plan to finally balance the books. But after four consecutive years in the red, British Columbians can't yet breathe a collective sigh of relief. Critically important is how Finance Minister Mike de Jong plans to eliminate the deficit. Will he take the path of tax increases or spending reductions? He would be wise to go with the latter. And this is why...
When Christy Clark took over as premier of British Columbia two years ago, she had a window of opportunity to change taxpayers' perceptions of her government. To improve her chances in the 2013 election, Clark needed to throw out unpopular and unworkable ideas brought in by her predecessor Gordon Campbell. In a symbolic way, she needed to string a huge banner over the B.C. Legislature that said, "Under New Management."
With the May 14 provincial election approaching, I have decided that this time is going to be different; this time I will be informed. Becoming politically savvy evokes anxiety for an amateur like me. I have to sift through an overload of messages, rhetoric, jargon, and buzzwords. I can't compete with the political junkie, and I don't intend to. I just want to make sense of the basics.
B.C. Premier Christy Clark's sentiment is that the burden of daycare is a "temporary" one for families. I disagree. Many families cannot afford to purchase a home because of it. Many women (and men) take themselves out of the workforce because of it. Many families go into debt because of it. Many couples decide not to have children (or more than one child) because of it.
There is absolutely no point in agreeing or disagreeing with the premier or the B.C. Teachers' Federation if we the parents don't speak up and have a voice in how our children are being taught in the 21st century. Our school has a large computer centre with its own teacher. I have NO clue what is taught there. The kids bring home printouts about "online safety," but I don't think these courses actually mention things like Facebook or Twitter.
Legislative oversight is fundamental to good government. And with less and less of it, the government does more and more by decree. B.C. isn't well-served by that. In 2012, the B.C. legislature sat for 47 days. Among its numerous legislative duties: to debate and approve a $44-billion budget. Forty-seven days is simply insufficient to do that and everything else well.
Timing is everything in B.C. politics. And wouldn't you know, it's also the essence of thousands of Bollywood films. A chance meeting that develops into forbidden love? Bollywood. The moment the evil uncle clunks granny on the head and makes off with the family fortune, leaving the heroine a pauper? Bollywood. But who thought India's prolific Hindi film industry would be at the centre of a dramatic saga of its own, playing out on location over the next five months across British Columbia's political soundstage?
The B.C. premier announced this week Metro Vancouver will host the Times of India Film Awards. Reactions within the South Asian community are mixed; some are touting it as a political ploy to gain South Asian votes. What remains to be seen is if the community and businesses at large will be able to tap into the longer term business opportunities an event of this nature can provide.
Never in my 18 years in radio did I ever think that I'd become the story, especially about something that I thought was a cheeky, throwaway question to B.C. Premier Christy Clark: "What's it like being a MILF?" The question was laughed at, then answered, and that was that. There's a fine line in radio, and if you cross it all hell can break loose, I crossed that line — well, that station's version of the line anyway.
f we really lean into this we will simultaneously increase prosperity for our people, reinvigorate the American Dream, and restore this magnificent blue planet. This is the greatest challenge and opportunity of our lifetime.
I'm still shaking my head at a column by the Times-Colonist's editor-in-chief on the double standard being applied to poor Christy Clark who was asked by a radio DJ if she would rather be a MILF or a cougar. She sure did answer the quickly... with the worst answer a politician could have come up with, male or female.
In B.C. and across Canada, the past 12 months have seen information rights make headlines on a regular basis. And usually not in a good way. At the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, much of our year was spent (once again) in sparring matches with the provincial government over access, transparency, and privacy issues.
