Voters head to the polls across B.C. in four weeks from today to answer the same question they do every election, regardless of whether it's municipal, provincial and federal.
Should the government of the day stay or go?
Most voters cast their ballots with mixed feelings, either because they're not thrilled with the government of the day but the alternative is worse or vice versa. Many voters won't start paying attention until the final week, making the early opinion polls largely irrelevant.
The question in Prince George revolves around Shirley Bond and Mike Morris, the two local Liberal MLAs, both seeking re-election.
In the last six weeks, the two cabinet ministers showered money and love on their ridings with the abandon of drunken sailors on shore leave.
Here's the list:
March 3 - Rural Dividend Fund grant to five Prince George and area projects ($475,000).
March 10 - Prince George named host of 2022 B.C. Summer Games ($2 million annually to B.C. Games Society)
March 11 - Fraser-Fort George Regional District for Mackenzie landfill transfer station ($1.5 million, federal-provincial small communities grant
March 17 - School District 57 trades training equipment ($169,000)
March 17 - Highway 16 and Highway 97 improvements ($450,000 for Highway 97, Highway 16 cost not released)
March 17 - Trades and career development at Northern FanCon ($20,000)
March 17 - Kelly Road school replacement ($44.3 million)
March 22 - Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan ($2 million)
March 23 - One-time funding to pay for extra students to the emergency medical responder and industrial medic training programs at CNC ($111,000)
March 23 - 20 new campsites at Six Mile Bay Rec Site near Mackenzie (1,900 new campsites across B.C. over next five years announced in December, $22.9 million)
March 23 - School District 57 school upgrades and classroom supplies ($1.6 million)
March 24 - Sod turning on construction of $15-million heavy mechanical trades training facility at CNC (announced in December, $6.9 million each from the provincial and federal governments, rest from CNC)
March 24 - Four-laning of Highway 16 from Bunce Road to Blackwater Road ($15.6 million)
March 24 - P.G. Airport improvement ($1.9 million)
March 24 - Bike trail along Highway 16 ($500,000)
March 27 - Buy Local campaign ($31,000)
March 27 - Phase 3 of the Cariboo Connector ($200 million)
March 28 - Approve construction of the $100 million Valemount Glacier resort
March 31 - $2.5 million for ultrasound diploma program at Prince George's CNC campus and $1.7 million towards a new CNC campus in Vanderhoof.
Last week, there were a handful of announcements but the whopper was on Friday, in the form of a $12.5 million upgrade to the University Hospital of Northern B.C.
What an incredible coincidence that this announcement took place just the day before the largest annual gathering of doctors for the Bob Ewert dinner, the annual fundraiser for the Northern Medical Programs Trust.
Nothing to see here, Bond assured the gathered members of the health establishment Saturday night at the Civic Centre.
Just your hard-working MLAs and Liberal government in action.
And she really cares about health care because she was born in Prince George, delivered by Dr. Jack Mackenzie, one of the members of the trust's hall of fame, and her kids were born here and so were her grandbabies.
For those who think that story and all that money is wonderful, they're likely to vote for Bond or Morris, depending on the riding in which they live, on May 9. For those who think that story and that money is the worst kind of political pandering, they're likely to vote for Natalie Fletcher or Bobby Deepak, the two NDP candidates to choose from in Prince George-Valemount and Prince George-Mackenzie.
There are only a few voters but there should be many more who think both - that the money and the work by Bond and Morris as MLAs and cabinet ministers has been good but maybe it's time to see if another representative with another party could do better.
After all, Bond and Morris were only capable of a handful of small spending and project announcement in Prince George last spring but somehow, just before the election, they were able to bring big dough to their constituents.
The Citizen's extensive election coverage starts today and will run right through May 9. The Citizen, along with our friends at CKPG, the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and UNBC will also be once again hosting an election all-candidates forum, scheduled for May 2 at the Canfor Theatre at UNBC.
What happens four weeks from now is up to the voters now and The Citizen will work hard to provide local residents with the information they need to make the best choice they can.
-- Managing editor Neil Godbout
