I really want to tell you that in Nelsonia we are protected from what is happening in the rest of the world, but that would definitely be fake news.
Property owners need only look at the recent BC Assessment notices, up nine per cent on average.
These are ripples from the Vancouver housing market, which in turn has been skyrocketing because of foreign investment.
Living in Nelson does allow me the short-term luxury of feeling that I am an observer of provincial, national or international events.
I can even have moments of dreaming that what is happening out there will not affect where we live.
Do not make the mistake of minimizing the fact that on Jan. 20 the leadership of the most powerful country in the western world was put in the hands of the billionaire business class.
The new American protectionist stance and withdrawal from free trade agreements, both NAFTA and TTP, will have a huge impact on our economy. Reviving pipeline construction and removing restrictions on carbon fuel extraction ignores the alarm bells of climate change science and global warming.
I am willing to take the risk of being regarded as an alarmist and would love to be wrong.
I do take comfort in the hope that this dramatic shift from respect for mother earth, feminism, free choice and universal caring for each other in favour of winning and profits will be a short lived, last gasp of a past generation that values money above all else, including our health and the health of the planet.
There is much that we can do.
Get informed. Get involved in making a difference. Find out who the candidates are in the next provincial election, which will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.
Get to know your neighbours, be of service, plant a garden, write a letter, make eco-friendly choices, be a conscious consumer, volunteer, consider creating a secondary suite or renting a room to a student.
We can make a difference in the world. We have the opportunity with every choice we make and how we treat every person we meet.
Just as we can be impacted by what happens on the world stage, never doubt that what we do in our neighbourhoods, our communities and our town can have a positive influence on the world.
Nelson city councillor Michael Dailly shares this editorial space with his council colleagues.
