DAY SEVEN … a look back at the week of September 29th to October 5th

This week we have two different looks at the students strikes for the environment – one from Adam Olsen, and another from John Feldsted … a former BC politician, Gordon Wilson, gives us his thoughts on the Canadian election … the thoughts, and comments of MLA Todd Stone take two spots this

week … I take the BC NDP’s Judy Darcy to task for failing to abide by the Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Bill C-81 … all this and more.

It’s Day Seven … and it’s time to look back at the top commentaries and op / eds of the week …

#10 … After two years, we’ve seen little action from this government that effectively combats the affordability crisis except re-announcements of BC Liberal projects (October 5^th)

… with so few new rental units opened under this government to date, nobody believes the NDP will ever deliver on their promise of 114,000 new homes. British Columbians deserve better …

#9 … OLSEN -- It was difficult to stand on the partially deconstructed home in central Vancouver and not think about all the houses that have been landfilled (September 30^th)

… there is some old-growth that I fully support harvesting. Much of it is hiding in plain sight in the fully-developed urban landscapes of Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. I am talking about the beautifully preserved old-growth found in many homes built before the 1970’s.   Each year however, more than 1000 such homes are demolished in these communities …

#8 … FELDSTED -- Today’s students need to arm themselves with critical thinking, skepticism and closely examine the conventional wisdoms they have inherited (October 2^nd)

… today’s students are our future scientists and political leaders. They need to arm themselves with critical thinking, skepticism and closely examine the conventional wisdoms they have inherited. Our advances in science over the past quarter century are breathtaking. We have better understanding of our earth and how it works than ever before …

#7 … The stats clearly demonstrate the need for professional and impartial advice at the time of purchase, renewal, and refinancing of mortgages (October 3^rd)

… The material concern in this is how easy it makes it for the government to over-regulate the industry, with clients blaming the banks—rather than the appropriate parties. This disconnect is deeply concerning. Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that only four out of 10 Canadians (39%) know they can avoid paying default insurance on their mortgage if they make a down payment of 20% or more…

#6 … FELDSTED -- There is nothing remotely righteous about children leaving their classrooms and declaring they are ‘on strike’ and demanding ‘justice’ (September 30^th)

… the notion that immature children -- lacking real world experience and no sense of responsibility -- are free to leave their classrooms and demand “justice” from those who provide them with the necessities of life, and the luxuries they indulge in, is preposterous …

#5 … WILSON: How one leader can be subject to weeks of judgemental commentary about a foolish choice to blacken his face, while another removes his turban to pander to actual bigotry (September 30^th)

… our politicians are campaigning for seats, appealing to special interest groups who operate on a members-only policy, be they Quebecois, the "black" community, LGBTQ, recent immigrants, middle-class Canadians or Indigenous people. But who is campaigning for Canada? Who is fighting for the fundamental principles enshrined in our Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms? …

#4 … ADAM OLSEN -- Speaking honestly and from her heart she shows people of all demographics that one, single, solitary human being can make a difference (October 3^rd)

… in all of the chaos, a young woman from Sweden named Greta Thunberg emerges on the steps of the Swedish Parliament. Speaking honestly and from her heart she shows people of all demographics that one, single, solitary human being can make a difference. In the process of a few months, she shows us that I can change the world …

#3 … FORSETH -- While many have called for what they term a ‘living’ wage, the question has to be asked, exactly what should that be? (October 4^th)

… I am unsure how many two-parent families are bringing in a combined hourly wage of between $30 to $40, however I would have to think that number would be low. I also have to think that single-parent families are well below that figure, making it extremely difficult to care for, and raise, and young family …

#2 … TODD STONE -- ‘A bit of a rant, but this issue is very personal for the Dad in me, and many, many parents and grand-parents who are in full support of our call for action’ (October 4^th)

… no action has been taken, and only recently has Dix made it clear the NDP will be moving forward with a package of actions soon (could be 2 weeks or a month away). While I understand that legislative / regulatory action can take some time to prepare, at minimum the NDP should have taken the time over the summer to put the resources in place so that funding was provided to support awareness, prevention and support programs in every middle and high school across BC …

And now to the final spot … I had words for BC’s Minister for Mental Health and Addictions …

#1 … FORSETH -- Judy Darcy is wrong for a number of reasons, and if those reasons are not recognized, their efforts to create a Framework for Accessibility Legislation will fail dismally (October 2^nd)

… there is a need for me (and heaven knows how many others) to have a dog for support --- it has been recognized and recommended by a qualified government recognized medical practitioner, and yet this need is not being filled through government licensing. Hopefully you will be able to see the importance and need of see this to change, and perhaps you can lead the charge? …

It’s been a busy week … and it starts all over again tomorrow.  Just a reminder again that I welcome you to share this post with others you feel may be interested in checking out the blog … and remember, we welcome your thoughts on stories that we should consider.

Thanks again … and have a great week ahead!