The never-ending U.S. pre-election “news” in the Canadian mainstream media is giving me the pip.
Of course the outcome of the presidential race will have huge impact on us, but there is little we can do to influence the outcome. The antics are entertaining, but enough is enough. There are other issues we could be hearing about. For instance, no matter what your opinion is of Margaret Trudeau, she recently received, from the Simon Fraser University, an award for her work advocating for victims of mental illness. She previously received an honorary law degree from the University of Western Ontario in recognition of this work. Why so little recognition for her?
What about the newly appointed Forest Enhancement Society? It has $85 million of taxpayers’ money to spend but its mandate is unclear. Eighty-five million isn’t chump change. Surely taxpayers should know how it’s spent. The new Societies Act will come in force in November this year, and it merits some publicity, too, as it has some implications for B.C.’s 27,000 non-profit organizations.
Site C will have an horrendous impact on B.C. ‘s future. It would be helpful to have some in-depth reporting on the pros and cons, like why it is such a good idea, and what will be done to mitigate the downsides — i.e. what will replace the agricultural land that will be lost? And what about the plans to sell hydro power to Alberta? We need to have more information on fracking, also, and better explanations on just how LNG is environmentally OK.
Australia has successfully used trained dogs to snuff out a noxious weed in a national Park. The four-legged botanists have found hundreds of hawkweed plants in the park that would otherwise have gone undetected. Could dogs be used in the battle against B.C.’s noxious weeds?
Back to the US elections. Some say if Donald Trump becomes president, disgruntled Americans will consider moving to Canada. This could be a good opportunity for the Cariboo. We already have those great local videos for attracting doctors, why not get some made to attract U.S. immigrants?
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
