It’s time to have some fun with a little Friday Sing-Along special just for those of us in British Columbia.

Are you ready?  Set?  Then click the Karaoke link to sing along!

Our MLAs are working at the Legislature
Over on Vancouver Island
Our MLAs are working at the Legislature

Just to pass the time away
Can't you hear the wind a blowin’
It starts up early in the morn
The Sergeant at Arms is callin’
Get ready to blow your horn

Horgan won’t you blow, Horgan won't you blow
Horgan won't you blow your ho-o-o-orn
Horgan won't you blow, Horgan won't you blow
Horgan won't you blow your horn

Now wasn’t that fun??

After that joyful sing-along, let me just say that I only nail the NDP government for a multitude of self-congratulatory news media release (many of them set on multiple occasions) ... the BC Liberals mastered this tactic, I believe, well ahead of the NDP.

The bottom line is either they have too many staff in their government ministry communications departments -- or -- they have been ordered by supervisors to find any and all reason to create and send out media release.  Personally, I believe it to be both.

I am sure I will get push back from supporters of John Horgan’s BC NDP government, however to prove my point, here are six examples of recent news release, that I have received in just the past 4 days; these are not all of the releases sent out ... just 6 examples.

February 1^st:
... Provinces funds free activities in celebration of BC Family Day ... invested more funding this year, so that everyone has the opportunity to take part in free community activities with their loved ones.

ME NOW:  Just how many families will actually get to spend the day together as family?  Government employees, excluding essential services, certainly will.  The rest?  Just another day working at the office or store.

January 31^st:

Public safety and environmental conservation efforts throughout the province will benefit from community gaming grants ... these programs have a powerful impact on people in our province, saving lives and protecting our precious natural environment ...

ME NOW:  Whatever did we do before the largesse, generosity, and benevolence of our generous government?  Oh right – they weren’t gouging every penny they could find from our clenched fingers.  We actually did for ourselves through community fundraising that didn’t require union paid government staff to sort, manage, and administer this money, after which a much smaller portion got to the public.

January 30^th:
... Surrey families will soon have access to over 150 new licensed child care spaces thanks to a $1.25-million investment through the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund. “Surrey is one of the fastest-growing cities in the province, and there are not enough child care spaces to keep up with demand”

January 29^th ...
... BC families now have access to 426 new licensed in-home child care spaces that have been created through the Province’s new Childcare BC Start-Up Grant Program. These licensed spaces are in addition to the 1,600 spaces that have been created up to now through the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund ...

January 29^th ...
... BC government is providing the Langley School District with $8.3 million to purchase the property for a future K-5 elementary school.

ME NOW:  I think most parents would be more interested in hearing that shovels are going in the ground, and hearing what the actual opening date will be.

January 29^th ...
... redevelopment project to provide 331 new and affordable homes in Burnaby ... the Edmonds Town Centre neighbourhood in the 1970s, Hall Towers is home to 342 people

ME NOW:  For all intensive purposes, it appears the government is simply updating and renovating existing affordable housing stock

In the past I have pointed out, on multiple occasions, the absurdity of government announcements informing us that new washrooms were being built in government facilities ... that seniors housing facilities were getting new beds ... line painting was underway ... the list goes on.

On February 1^st alone, the BC Government news department generated six separate releases to tell us about, “Better supports for seniors in __ insert community name __ with age-friendly grants”.  And, heaven help us if any more announcements (dozens already in the past few months) get churned out from the communications department to tell us about new child-care spaces.

Recently we also had an announcement that yet another report on Legal Aid is being reviewed by David Eby’s Attorney Generals Ministry – this one also likely to end up on a pile with others that have not been implemented, and simply ignored.

Oh, and this BC Government News release from January 22nd is just priceless; “Seniors in Burnaby are benefiting from a nearly $4-million investment in 2018-19 to increase staffing levels and ensure seniors get the care they need in residential care homes”. 

SERIOUSLY?  They should be embarrassed to tell people that care for seniors was being so hopelessly under-funded -- not just in Burnaby, but also Comox Valley, the Fraser Valley, Delta, Langley and Surrey (stay tuned because I’m sure we’ll be seeing more on the coming weeks and months).  All I can say is that they should hide their heads in shame thinking this is something worthy of a news announcement!

I think my head of steam on this has run out ... but I ask that in the days, weeks, and months ahead ... listen, read and see what comes from the government’s communications ministry.  After a bit you’ll see the similarities and duplication of announcements coming from John Horgan’s NDP government.

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops.  If you have any thoughts on this, or anything else you read on the blog, I welcome you to share them in the Comments Section below.