With a provincial election just over a week away, I urge you all to do your homework unless you want a mess like they have south of the border!
Big decisions are upon you to make the right choice for you as well as the province.
For those living in the southeastern part of Prince George, you have incumbent Shirley Bond of the B.C. Liberals, Natalie Fletcher of the NDP and Nan Kendy of the Green Party for Prince George-Valemount.
Those of us living in the northwestern part of the city and surrounding area, we have B.C. Liberals incumbent Mike Morris, Bobby Deepak of the NDP and Hillary Crowley of the Green Party. They are candidates in the Prince George-Mackenzie riding.
One of the best forums to hear the candidates will be held at UNBC on Tuesday. This, as well as other forums, will give you a peek at each candidate. CFIS-FM will have a one hour candidates' forum on the radio on May 4 and May 5 at 9 a.m.
In addition, do some serious homework, go to the campaign offices and ask questions. Do not limit yourself to one party. Check them all out. At the end of the day, you should be able to make an informed choice.
Please do not put an X on the ballot for a nice person, a person you like socially, or because of family connection. Vote for the person that you have researched and you feel confident that they will do a good job.
The candidates are approachable. We have some dedicated, bright and unselfish folks willing to work hard for this area. If you still have questions, make a phone call and invite one for a coffee and a chat.
We also have the question of whether to vote for the person or the party.
All of the local candidates have affiliated themselves with a party. Parties deal with more global issues, some of which can be more important regionally, such as the cost of housing in the Lower Mainland and the time frame for the completion of the Cariboo Connector in the Central Interior. That's right, the Cariboo Connector. Some, including our candidates, seem to have forgotten about that one.
Do the beliefs of the person running match the interests of the party? Or does the candidate connect with a party because he/she feels that there is a greater chance of winning a seat? It happens more often than we think. Just look at Trump's marriage of convenience with a Republican Party in disarray.
And then there are those issues of investments in mega projects which may put the province in a good position in the future, while delivering jobs in the present, but possibly at the cost of environmental sustainability. Site C comes to mind as does LNG and various pipelines leading to offshore shipping complications.
I could go on but I leave it up to you to inform yourself of the candidates' and the party positions on the issues which concern you whether they are taxes, the economy, jobs, minimum wages, health care, education, welfare, housing, child care, infrastructure, transit, urban affairs, energy, environment, campaign finances and more.
So, if you have not already started, remember, May 9 is less than two weeks away to inform yourself.
One thing that irritates me is when someone says: "My vote will not matter so I will not vote." That gets my knickers in a knot big time. Voting is a privilege as well as an obligation as citizens of this amazing province. Every single vote is important.
Time is running out. Please put this serious decision on the front burner. Make it a priority. Do the right thing for your province.
