The smoke is beginning to clear. The blackberries are on the vine. And rain is on its way to spoil the PNE. It’s almost time to put a fork in this summer and look to the fall ahead.
If you haven’t had one already, before long there is going to be someone knocking on your door and asking for your support (or money) for the Oct. 20 local government and school board elections.
We’re aware of a couple dozen new and returning politicians out on the campaign trail already and the nomination period doesn’t even open until Sept. 4. While two of our current mayors won by acclamation in 2014, we’ve got battle royales shaping up in all three municipalities this time around.
The next councils have some major issues to contend with beyond the perennial unaffordability and transportation woes: Where and how recreational pot can be sold, potential studies into amalgamation, major infrastructure projects to see through to completion and community plans left dangling in uncertainty. And we expect our new council members to be bringing a lot of fresh ideas to the table.
Now is a good time to start calibrating your B.S. detectors. If a candidate tells you they’ve got a simple solution to any of the challenges we face, they deserve some tough questions. If they’re on doorsteps promising a new, 10-lane bridge to Vancouver, they’re either promising something they can’t deliver or running for the wrong level of government.
We want to see everyone marching into the ballot booth on Oct. 20 with an informed position. It’s not too soon to start paying attention to the candidates. Goodness knows, they’re paying attention to you.
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