During the recent town hall meeting in Penticton, Premier Clark continued to demonstrate how disconnected the government is from the people and the issues facing the province.
Insisting on building a prison in a location that only has the support of a handful of ambitious politicians while the people are screaming No is only one of them.
In Summerland not a single person has voted to support the prison in any poll conducted by a credible polling organization, and 4,300 in Penticton voted No.
Summerland’s municipal elections clearly demonstrated the incumbents were rejected by the voters, a clear reflection of the arrogance and defiance that was consistent during their term in office.
We have to agree when Clark insists the economy is a priority, but what is equally important is to get government spending under control, and that includes opening the books on all Crown corporations.
‘The B.C. Job Plan’, proposing to open the doors to immigrants to fill a million non-existing jobs while unemployment is close to double digit, is a huge disconnect.
Those jobs will not materialize while the Natives put up road blocks denying the mining industry access to our resources, and the petroleum industry is choking on their oil and gas because Natives are denying access to markets.
The biggest challenge facing B.C. is not a fragile global economy, it is a growing mountain of claims for title and resources.
That will not be resolved as long as governments continue to fill the pockets of Natives while negotiating baseless claims for compensation for loss of cultural and spiritual connections to the land.
The only ray of hope for change is the fact that the B.C. Conservative Party finally has a credible leader and candidates that are committed to adding some sanity to the way we are governed.
Andy Thomsen
Summerland
