They had to pick a Tuesday for the election, didn’t they? Since Tuesday is our press day at the Peak, we did not have provincial election results in time for publication of today’s paper. Instead, we ran them on prpeak.com.
By now, we all know who won the provincial election (or so we thought), as well as the MLA position for the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding. Either you are celebrating the current government because it is who you voted for, or the realization has set in that the vote you made did not have its desired result.
Regardless of who is now in power, we can all agree that much work needs to be done in this riding. We detailed some of the key issues in our provincial election hot-seat series over the past eight weeks, receiving a variety of answers from the candidates that equated to election promises. Now is the time for those promises to become a reality.
Attention given to Powell River-Sunshine Coast during this election was encouraging. All three party leaders visited the area in the past year. Even Christy Clark found time in her busy schedule to wield off protesters and make her first public appearance in Powell River since becoming premier more than six years ago.
Meanwhile, candidates in this riding each made repeated claims to bring more funding and attention to the Sunshine Coast, particularly in Powell River, where population appears on the cusp of a mini boom. We’ve all heard about newcomers to the area, now we need funding and services to improve it for everyone, and the three main candidates each had their own ideas on how to make it happen.
With the MLA position decided, and regardless of who it is or what party they belong to, Powell River area residents need to be proactive in rallying that person to represent us diligently and comprehensively in Victoria.
Kissing babies and shaking hands during an election campaign is one thing, but tangible action and representation that will make a concerted difference in our riding for the next four years is another thing altogether.
The real work begins now for our MLA and government. Let’s be sure to keep them busy.
Jason Schreurs, publisher/editor
