I would personally like to thank John Harding for his editorial in the April 28 paper. The legacy of Ron Cantelon lives on: follow the lead from the boss in Victoria and keep your head down.
Unless our representatives start to ensure that their constituents’ needs and aspirations are — at the least — honestly looked at, what is the point of having an Honourable Member of the Legislature? There is a prevailing feeling in today’s politics that following the party line and keeping your nose clean will give one another term in office and a delectable pension. And that my friends is their “long-term view.”
What I found most interesting and blatant was the remark that Michelle Stilwell found it difficult to keep up her training schedule for the summer games in Rio. She said recently in a PQB NEWS story: “It’s been a struggle to maintain my training schedule.”
Really? I would have thought her only priority should be her civic duty as an MLA to ensure her constituents’ concerns were addressed. Her main focus since becoming our member of the legislative assembly has been Paralympics and maintaining the status quo with Christy Clark.
In the paper recently I read an article on the concern of open fires in our area. I brought this up with our previous MLA and got the answer, if you can believe it, “....well, wood will release carbon into the atmosphere anyway. It doesn’t matter if it is burned, chipped or left to rot.”
I replied that I was more concerned with our population of seniors and their health degradation from smoke particulates. He never did get it, the party line then was carbon taxes and he would not approach his government with concerns of the then present policies on constituent health issues and open fires. The days of slash and burn are over.
In closing, I would suggest that every member of our riding should be very aware of the lack of constituent concerns by our MLA and be prepared to either make a change in the next election or get very comfortable with what you have, because there will be more of the same. Remember if you can’t stand up for yourself, do not expect anything other than what you deserve. For me, Majorca looks pretty good should this continue. I do hope we have an independent come summer cause that is who I will vote for.
Bob TritschlerParksville