Once again, living proof that our area, in this case the Boundary-Similkameen riding, is not some sleepy little area.
Within the last two weeks, I’ve had to scramble on Monday to get stories on the local provincial political scene – Mondays are when the Gazette lays out the issue that comes out the following Wednesday.
Last week, incumbent MLA and BC Liberal John Slater announced he had left his party, after it refused to endorse him in the May provincial election.
He said he would stay on as MLA but at the time, he told me he hadn’t made a decision about running in May. He subsequently said he would run but changed his mind and won’t.
I remember thinking to myself that the odds just turned in NDP provincial candidate Marji Basso’s favour, as she had been campaigning relentlessly across the riding, even making a number of appearances here in Grand Forks.
Lo and behold, this past Monday, word came down that Basso had stepped down for reasons that, as of press time, are unknown, although there has been speculation.
As of late-Tuesday afternoon, no replacement for Basso has been announced.
While it has been great for media outlets across the riding, it doesn’t bode well for the riding in general.
While you may not agree with how John Slater represented the riding, he was a known commodity.
He made appearances in the area and from my point of view, was always accessible by phone.
The same for Basso, although she hasn’t responded to my request for comment on her resignation.
You heard what she stood for and she was visible.
I don’t know who will be the NDP candidate and as for the Liberal candidate, Linda Larson from Oliver, B.C., I haven’t had a chance to meet her.
What are her views? What are her thoughts? May may seem like a long way off but it will be here before you know it and I’d like to know a lot more about who I’m going to cast my ballot for in the provincial election.
As it stands, it looks like I’m going to be flying blind when I hit the polling station.