What regional, provincial, national and international news stories will capture the attention of, and spur discussion from, Parksville Qualicum Beach residents in 2017? In the first week of January, it’s all about unanswered questions.
Will the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion actually move forward this year? The answer, how this plays out, will be much more interesting than the question.
We choose to lead with this issue because it touches all of those location bases — regional, provincial, national and international.
The fact the federal government has given its stamp of approval for this pipeline expansion seems to be more of a starting point for this story, rather than a conclusion.
There is no shortage of people — from Joanne Citizen to First Nations to high-profile politicians — who are unhappy with the federal government over this decision.
And they plan to do more than verbalize their displeasure. There has been talk of a 2017 version of the War in the Woods — remember Clayoquot Sound in 1993?
It’s important to note this is the twinning of an existing pipeline. And it is not going through our backyards in Parksville Qualicum Beach. But the increased tanker traffic from the expanded pipeline is going through our front yards, the Salish Sea.
How this issue will play out in another big 2017 regional and provincial story, the B.C. election in May, remains to be seen.
That reshuffling of seats in Victoria’s Legislature will dominate the headlines for a couple of months in B.C. It will be interesting to see how many Parksville Qualicum Beach-specific issues emerge during the campaign.
Perhaps you believe the big picture of province-wide political party platforms should be the focus. It’s difficult to deny health care and education their due. They are the Big Two of provincial responsibilities and they require a B.C.-wide vision, which plays into the party system.
Thing is, we can get that vision from party leaders
every day during the campaign. These people want to be premier, a job defined by big-picture thinking.
We urge local candidates, the people who want to represent places like Qualicum Bay and Coombs and Parksville and Qualicum Beach, to talk about those communities and their issues, and leave most of the big-picture stuff for their party leaders.
— Editorial by John Harding
