Thoughts on BC Politics and More

With the provincial election just a short ten and a half months away, it seems rather odd that there is no word on who may be running in 2017, for the  Kamloops North and South Thompson ridings, with two exceptions.  BC Liberal Transportation Minister Todd Stone, by all accounts, will be running BC Liberal Health Minister Terry Lake again, however two term Health Minister Terry Lake has yet to announce his intentions.  Lake was elected in 2009, for Kamloops North Thompson, after serving on Kamloops Council as both a councillor and Mayor. For the moment both BC Conservative Party, and the NDP, have no rumours or talks of anyone running. I find this especially interesting for the NDP, given that they held a special election readiness / preparation workshop in Kamloops over the weekend.  According to the BC NDP website ... Forward 2016  will showcase new ideas, strategies and technology being used in elections across Nort...

Just a quick note from me today. The Georgia Strait has an interesting commentary today ( Looking for a leader and in search of John Horgan ) from former Socred, Reform, Liberal researcher / advisor Martyn Brown ... who by all appearances from his most recent article, has fully gone over the deep end to the NDP side.  The following comment however, towards the end of his article, is completely correct I believe: " In the end, it is strong leadership that most voters want. Leadership that dares to be better. Leadership that taps into voters’ frustrations and anger with the status quo. Leade rship that negates phony partisan-fueled fears with a more hopeful agenda for positive change ." YES ... we DO want a leader with an agenda for positive change, but instead of simply saying we need "strong leadership that most voters want", can we also include, "F rom ANY party BUT the NDP or Liberals"? I and many others, I feel certain, are of the beli...

Today, I'd like to refer you to a news story in Kamloops This Week, entitled " Primary-care teams, rather than ‘doc in a box’ the new health-care reality "   In this story, Health Minister Terry Lake says: We may never return to the “doc in a box” physician for every resident scenario, Health Minister Terry Lake told Central Interior members of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Wednesday night. But, he added, that doesn’t mean each resident in Kamloops and across B.C. should not have access to quality patient-focused care . Well I've got news for you Terry ... having access to a family physician IS having " access to quality patient-focused care ". Having a on-going relationship with a family Doctor means we as patients have someone who follows us through various stages of life ... some one who can see immediately when changes occur ... who we can then have confidence in discussing things with, because ...

Really ... is all we get are political parties like the BC Liberals, or the NDP?  I want a choice ... and so, I believe, do many British Columbians when it comes to who we will have the opportunity to vote for next May. For cryin out loud, just look at these excerpts, from just a small sample of news stories about the BC Liberals, in only the past two months. A sudden flurry of school district funding announcements by the B.C. government — after several years of all but ignoring the complaints of cash-strapped school boards — boils down to a very simple political calculation from Premier Christy Clark: Education will be a ballot box issue in next year’s provincial election. Clark said as much in an interview with The Vancouver Sun two weeks ago, citing people’s satisfaction with their kids’ education as one of the key questions voters will ask in deciding whether to re-elect her government . Vancouver Sun June 1st, 2016 ...

Currently the next Provincial Election in British Columbia, in May of next year, for the moment appears to be between the BC NDP and the BC Liberals.  Two recent polls had the numbers flipped between each of those parties leading, and both had the BC Conservative Party, and the BC Greens just over double digits. In it's most simplistic terms, the NDP led by John Horgan are being portrayed as the party of "NO" and being closely affiliated with big labour unions.  Meanwhile the BC Liberals led by Christy Clark promote they are the big tent free-enterprise party.  The Green Party, again using the most simplistic description, could be said to speak for the environment. So where does that leave the BC Conservative Party? I described the NDP, Liberals, and Green Parties as championing one specific area, however is there not a way for another party, say the BC Conservatives, to bridge all three? I remember very well the beginnings of the ...