From the premier’s comeback, to smart meter angst, to booze and tax reform, there was no shortage of news stories in British Columbia this year.
Black Press has compiled the following trivia questions to test your knowledge of what went down in 2013:
1. When Premier Christy Clark took the stage after her upset election win May 14, the first thing she said was:
A: I’m going to Disneyland!
B: Well, that was easy!
C: Oh no, now I have to pay off the debt!
D: Socialism is dead!
2. How many proposed liquefied natural gas export proposals are there on the B.C. coast, according to the premier’s latest estimate?
A: Four.
B: Six.
C: Eight.
D: Ten.
3. After winning $25 million in the lottery, Terrace construction worker Bob Erb gave six-figure donations to:
A. Local anti-poverty and other community groups.
B. Pay for $300,000 in dental work for locals who couldn’t afford it.
C. Provide cars and trucks for people he considered needy.
D. Sensible BC marijuana legalization campaign.
E. All of the above.
4. How has the province said it would raise money to pay for a promised new bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel?
A. Tax increases.
B. Toll like the Port Mann Bridge.
C. Small tolls on all Metro Vancouver bridges and major roads.
D. It hasn’t.
5. What admission to U.S. border guards did some B.C. residents find can be deemed a “crime of moral turpitude” and result in America barring your entry?
A. Atheism.
B. Past use of marijuana.
C. Past conviction for impaired driving.
D. Past or present membership in the NDP.
6. Which of the following wasn’t proposed in B.C.’s liquor law review?
A: Licensing alcohol sales at farmers’ markets.
B: Letting children into pubs with their parents.
C: Serving alcohol for slot players on BC Ferries.
D: Selling hard liquor in grocery stores.
7. Burnaby’s Tung Sheng (David) Wu was convicted and jailed for performing illegal:
A. Proctology.
B. Taxidermy.
C. Electronic waste recycling.
D. Dentistry.
8. Since his triumph in the HST referendum, former premier Bill Vander Zalm has campaigned against:
A: An alleged secret global surveillance system using smart meters.
B: An alleged secret global climate control scheme using “chemtrails.”
C: An alleged secret European Union plot to control world finance through consumption taxes.
D: All of the above.
9. What’s the transportation ministry’s solution to prevent the new Port Mann Bridge from dropping more ice bombs onto cars?
A. A system of scrapers and brushes along each cable to remove ice.
B. Aerial drones that spray the cables with de-icing solution.
C. A flock of seagulls trained to peck loose ice chunks.
D. Closing the bridge and waiting for ice to melt.
10. What did Metro Vancouver mayors propose in 2013 as a new way to raise money for cash-strapped TransLink?
A. $5 toll at the border on all vehicles heading south to the U.S.
B. Regional sales tax of up to 0.5 per cent.
C. Adding magnets to new SkyTrain fare gates to suck loose change out of pockets.
D. Forcing SeaBus passengers to row to help save on fuel costs.
E. Installing slot machines in SkyTrain stations.
11. The government is considering spending $6 million to stop the B.C. legislature dome from:
A: Cracking.
B: Peeling.
C: Twisting.
D: Sinking.
12. Which was not a 911 call received by E-Comm operators who begged cellphone users to be more careful about declaring emergencies?
A. Asking who won the hockey game.
B. Broken TV set.
C. Big spider in living room.
D. Politician breaking election promise.
13. B.C. pharmacies were ordered by their regulating body to stop doing what?
A: Offering wine tastings at the pharmacy counter.
B: Issuing reward points or other “kickbacks” to customers buying prescription drugs.
C: Refusing to sell prescribed medical marijuana.
D: Refusing to act as supervised injection sites.
14. In 2013, the B.C. government approved:
A: Enbridge’s Northern Gateway oil pipeline to Kitimat.
B: Twinning Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline to Burnaby.
C: A pipeline to carry jet fuel from tankers on the Fraser River to Vancouver airport.
D: A pipeline to transport glacial water from Garibaldi Park to Squamish for export.
15. The poaching of what prompted Vancouver Island aboriginal groups to post a $25,000 reward?
A: Roosevelt elk.
B: Abalone.
C: Seals.
D: Easter eggs.
16. Which B.C. municipal council fended off a court challenge (and death threats) over its deer cull program?
A: Oak Bay.
B: Cranbrook.
C: Invermere.
D: Penticton.
Answers: 1-B, 2-D, 3-E, 4-D, 5-B, 6-C, 7-D, 8-D, 9-A, 10-B, 11-C, 12-D, 13-B, 14-C, 15-A, 16-C
