Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

“I am completely underwhelmed,” was one of the milder terms McComb used



THE SIDEWINDER:  Following the election of the NDP, anyone expecting quick action on social housing issues in Maple Ridge, and the rest of British Columbia, will likely be in for a huge disappointment.
NDP MLA Selina Robinson
Coquitlam - Malardville

As part of his gender balanced cabinet, Premier John Horgan appointed Coquitlam - Maillardville MLA Selina Robinson as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.  Other than having served as a member of Coquitlam's city council, it is not clear what other expertise Robinson brings to the table, particularly on the demanding housing portfolio.

Robinson's performance on Jon McComb's CKNW talk show on Monday morning revealed her seemingly total lack of ability to answer even the simplest of questions on housing issues.

Robinson said there was no clear timeline on how or when the NDP government would tackle the housing crisis.

McComb is usually thoughtful and polite, regardless of who he is interviewing but following Robinson's less than stellar response to questions concerning housing, the normally genial talk show host offered a very harsh critique of her performance.
“I am completely underwhelmed,” was one of the milder terms McComb used.

He added that she was mealy-mouthed and was still campaigning.

How all of this plays out in Maple Ridge could result in further delays in dealing with the homeless issue, and low cost social housing.  It seems that Nicole Read's 2014 campaign goal of dealing with homelessness within a few months of her election as mayor could be even further delayed. 

Even though BC Housing still has $15 million set aside for a purpose-built shelter in Maple Ridge, and city hall has had the report of the MLAs committee on a proposed shelter, Mayor Read's council appears stuck and totally lacking in direction on the topic.

With the next municipal election only 16 months away, I guess we can expect that the mayoralty campaigns will soon begin to heat up with new and even bigger promises on issues such as homelessness, drug addiction and related crimes, and alcoholism and mental health.

The almost certain promises and commitments of the coming campaign remind me of a few lines from a soliloquy in MacBeth,

“It is a tale told by an idiot,
Full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”




SANDY Macdougall (aka The Sidewinder)... is a retired newspaper reporter. He was elected for three consecutive terms to Maple Ridge municipal council in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and also ran for the Progressive Conservatives in Kim Campbell's ill-fated federal election campaign
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The NDP is destroying BC's softwood industry as 100 Mile House mill shuts down and jobs vanish

No more than a few days after the province hosted its much-touted summit to discuss the continuing impact of U.S. softwood tariffs, and with Statistics Canada reporting another decline in BC’s softwood production, the axe has fallen on West Fraser Timber’s 100 Mile House mill. Lorne Doerkson, MLA for Cariboo–Chilcotin , says the devastation now hitting the South Cariboo is what happens when government ignores every warning sign coming from the forest sector. “One hundred and sixty-five people in 100 Mile House just lost their jobs,” said Doerkson. “That’s 165 families wondering how they’ll pay their bills and whether they can stay in their own community. The ripple effect will hit every business on main street, from the gas stations and restaurants to the grocery stores.” “The Minister’s thoughts and prayers aren’t enough for those families facing unimaginable hardship. It’s time this minister did his job and not another photo op,” said Doerkson. “The Minister thinks the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Premier’s Office Acknowledges Richmond Residents Affected by Cowichan Land Claim Face Issues on “Mortgages, Property Sales”

“The Premier’s Office is secretly sending letters to my constituents behind my back. If the NDP were truly committed to transparency and supporting residents, they would have proactively engaged with owners years ago, not rushed out last-minute letters to cover their tracks.” ~~ Steve Kooner, Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and Opposition Critic for Attorney General Steve Kooner, Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and Opposition Critic for Attorney General, is criticising Premier David Eby and the NDP provincial government for secretly delivering non-committal, last-minute letters to Richmond residents affected by the Cowichan Tribes land claim. For over six years the NDP misled British Columbians on the implications of indigenous land claims. Premier Eby is now quietly sending staff to conduct damage control following public fallout from his 2019 strategic directive for government lawyers not to argue extinguishment of aboriginal title, even over p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kamloops woman’s cancer test cancelled due to Interior Health mandates for OB/GYNs (iNFO News)

A Kamloops woman’s cancer screening appointment was considered urgent by her doctors and scheduled within weeks, but it was postponed indefinitely when Interior Health ordered her gynecologist take that day’s on-call shift. Troylana Manson now waits with the mystery of whether she might have cancer amid a staffing crisis for women’s health care specialists in Kamloops. “I was happy to have that appointment in December so we could rule this out, but now it’s thrown in the air again. People in Kamloops, certainly people in positions of power, need to realize what Interior Health is doing”  ... CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more