Skip to main content
regional report

Traffic moves through Kelowna, B.C. on Tuesday evening, Aug. 26, 2003.GARY NYLANDER

It's time to end the automobile insurance monopoly in British Columbia, says an editorial printed in newspapers in Penticton and Kelowna.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia has indicated it plans to apply for a rate hike later this year. The announcement comes weeks after unveiling a proposal - stopped by Premier Christy Clark - to hike rates for drivers after a single speeding ticket. While an increase for speeders on their first offence seems excessive, it is more fair than a general rate hike, says the editorial in the Penticton Western News and the Kelowna Capital News.

"The concept seems simple enough, but it's one that's apparently lost on ICBC. While the corporation has steadily increased rates on drivers found at fault in a collision, this latest proposed hike will take safe drivers along for the ride," the editorial says. "The time has come to see if private companies can provide the service at a better value to the province's drivers."



................................................................



Bob Simpson, the B.C. MLA who was kicked out of the NDP caucus and now sits as an Independent, says it's time for all MLAs to stop campaigning. Both political parties have been posturing toward the next election for the past two years and little governance has taken place, Mr. Simpson says in a column published in the Williams Lake Tribune. Many anticipated an election in June after Christy Clark was chosen as Liberal Party leader. The election was not called, Mr. Simpson says, largely because questions were raised about the constitutionality of a non-elected premier dissolving the legislature to call an election. However her by-election victory did not end the electioneering. The rumor mill indicated the election would be held in the fall. But that now appears to have been ruled out.

"If it proves to be true that we're not going to have an election this fall . . . I sincerely hope both political parties will stand down and stop electioneering," he says. "If there's no election this fall, then MLAs should be enabled to do what voters believe they elected them to do: work together to govern this province."



................................................................



The penny-per-litre increase in B.C.'s carbon tax on July 1 had no obvious impact on tourism and traffic in Summerland, in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. Summerland Chamber of Economic Development and Tourism tracks gas prices because local tourism operators depend on vehicular traffic and tourists cannot reach Summerland any other way, Lisa Jaager, the Chamber's general manager, told the Summerland Review . Despite the increase in price, the number of recreational vehicles has not declined, she said. "At this time, we have not seen an impact yet," she told the newspaper.



....................................................................



Two decades after the "bingogate" scandal in Nanaimo, the city is looking forward to the most recent review of B.C.'s community gaming grants. Bingogate in the early 1990s involved a scheme to siphon funds into the coffers of the BC NDP from bingo charities. The scandal turned a spotlight on provincial government gaming grants. The current review is once again looking at the community gaming grant system. Charities and non-profit groups anticipate good news as a result of the review, says an editorial in the Nanaimo News Bulletin.

"At the very least, a review involving all stakeholders, and showing how and where the money is allocated, will prove educational for the government, providing a clear picture of the entire situation," the paper says. "The review might not improve the lot for cultural groups and charities – there can be an argument made that investment in health care and education should take top priority – but at least they will have an opportunity to present their cases and show how millions of dollars in cuts have affected their ability to better their communities. After all, another argument could just as easily be made that investing in the social health of a community is equally valuable and important as investing in frontline health care," the newspaper says.



.........................................................................



Meanwhile in federal politics:







The withdrawal of Canadian Forces from the combat mission in Afghanistan this month should not mark the end of Canada's support for the war-torn country, say editorials in newspapers on Vancouver Island. "There will be plenty of questions surrounding Canada's presence there, not the least of which will be: was the whole enterprise worth it?," writes the Parksville Qualicum Beach News.

"Should the worst occur — as has happened throughout Afghanistan's history — then yes, Canada's efforts there will be deemed futile . . . But what would Canada be if it didn't at least try to make a positive difference in the lives of others?," the paper says. "The end of missions and even economic realities might see soldiers leave there, but to abandon Afghanistan completely would be a mistake."

The Campbell River Mirror writes that the end of Canada's mission in Afghanistan is a historic moment for the nation. "The book is closed on our decade-long involvement and it will take at least as much time before we'll truly understand what our soldiers were able to achieve," the editorial says. The question now is what's next for Canada's military, the paper says. Regardless of whether it is in Libya or the Arctic, Canadians can take pride in the work done by military personnel over the last decade "and feel confident that whatever comes next, they'll make a difference on the world stage," the paper says.



Interact with The Globe