Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Photo: Global News   Okanagan RCMP Superintendent Jim McNamara and Inspector Gord Stewart Today is Pink Shirt Day - a day to recognize bullying, in all of its' forms and everywhere it occurs - in public, in the workplace and at home.   My nephew, Steve Forseth, posted the following comments on Pink Shirt Day, which I have asked to be able to share here. Here is what he had to say: The history of this day goes back to Nova Scotia in 2007 when local Grade 9 student Charles Mcneil was bullied for wearing a pink shirt during the first day of school. Subsequently, David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, Nova Scotia then bought and distributed 50 pink shirts to support Charles Mcneil. Since then, it has grown all across the world. It is also referred to as "Anti-Bullying Day". in 2012, the United Nations declared May 4th as "Anti-Bullying Day" 2018's Pink Shirt Day theme is "Nice Needs No Filter" and a ...

Dan Davies, BC Liberal MLA, Peace River North On Saturday February 24th Dan Davies, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Peace Rover North, decided to enlighten voters (especially those who support or voted BC Conservative in the last general election), with what he considered to be the correct (?) political knowledge regarding conservatives and liberals.   This was done on his Facebook page .  Here is the statement he posted: I just wanted to put a post out regarding some information being shared by the BC Conservative Party. As I have said many times before - our party is made up of people from the Center Right to the Right of the political spectrum; it is a coalition party. I have been a member of the CPC (Conservative Party of Canada) for many years, and was on the local Riding Association executive for a time. The BC Liberal Party is about Free Enterprise, smaller government and is fiscally conservative. As you can read below * , the fed...

Today I pleased to be able to present a guest commentary from Tom Birch.   A former resident of the North Okanagan, and a gentleman who states he is a "proud conservative", he now resides in the City of Prince George.   Out of everything I have read regarding the Colten Boushie ** murder trial, this is by fair the most honest, and balanced .   The Boushie murder trial is tragic on many levels. It is not about the right to defend yourself. Self-defense was not the plea. It was about whether the death was accidental due to the chaotic events created by the crime in process. For those saying that the farmer, Gerald Stanley, had the right to kill Boushie because he was committing a crime, please stop. It was not about race. What happened was the result of the crime in process and the question is whether it was an accident or not. Those who bring racism to this trial were already carrying it with them. And for those few who say he had it comin...

Or I guess I could have titled this commentary after the Little Texas song, "It's Time To Be Loud and Proud" Some might say (and indeed have done so) that it's, " Time to recruit Diane Watts as the leader of the BC Conservatives ."   Well for starters, she probably isn't interested, but if she was I'd say, " Please ... NO ... the party does NOT need some one else's hand-me-down !" Many would say that she has true conservative bona-fides, but then if that's the case, why is she a BC Liberal?    She ran as a BC Liberal leadership candidate. ... she lost as a BC LIBERAL leadership candidate ... and BC Conservatives should not even think of considering her. I say that not simply because of what just happened on Saturday evening, on the fifth and final round of voting for the BC Liberal leadership, but rather, because of what happened six years ago.  

Two giants in their own right. NDP leader Dave Barrett being interviewed by Jack Webster Rest In Peace Dave Barrett ... a personal reminiscence from the Sidewinder, Sandy Macdougall I never voted for Barrett but he was a giant in BC politics, and his like will never again be seen in socialist ranks.  John Horgan, and his NDP colleagues, are panty waists compared to Barrett. When they are all gone and long forgotten, Barrett will still be remembered by many as a legend in this province and in Canada. The first time I met Dave Barrett was when he picked me up as I was hitchhiking, from Mission to Haney, in the mid 1960s. Barrett was a Captain of the Guards at Haney Correctional Institute (a jail mainly for Young Offenders.  It later became Pacific Vocational Institute after the jail was closed) .  He was fired shortly thereafter for his political activities * The John Howard Society then hired him (I also worked for them many ye...

NOTE : This is an edited version, of a written submission, present by Sandy Macdougal (AKA The Sidewinder), at a January 31st, 2017 Public Meeting on homelessness. In terms of sheltering the homeless, whether they are drug addicts, alcoholics, or mentally ill, I will state at the outset that doing nothing is not an option for our neighbourhood.   The status quo does an injustice to local residents and does nothing to improve the lot of the homeless. I would also point out that this is not a matter of democracy. It is a matter of government at all levels carrying out their implied duties to maintain peace and good order in our community The Four Pillars are supposed to include prevention, treatment, enforcement and harm reduction.   A vast array of supportive statistics usually accompany the promotion of these pillars but actual experience and observation by police and the judiciary show another side of the argument. As stated by retired provinc...