EDITOR,
Re.: "Falcon delivers for Squamish," Council Corner, The Chief, Jan. 21.
Shame on Councillor Lalli's misuse of the valuable "Council Corner" to toady up to the B.C. Liberal Party and leadership candidate Kevin Falcon.
The Campbell/Falcon Liberal legacy includes lies and deceit; like the promise not to implement the HST and then shifting $1.9 billion in taxes onto consumers. And the broken promise not to sell B.C. Rail? Now wasn't that "especially good" for our community. To say nothing of the abrupt end to the B.C. Rail corruption trial and the "guilty" plea deal that cost taxpayers $6 million in defendants' legal fees.
On the economic front, Lalli must support the continuation of stagnant wages. Between 2001 and 2009, B.C. had the lowest growth in average hourly wages and the second-lowest growth in weekly wages in Canada. Last month B.C. lost 9,100 jobs in addition to the 12,800 positions lost the previous month. By 2013, the B.C. Liberals will have presented seven deficit budgets, including the largest budget deficit on record.
And while every other province in Canada has raised its minimum wage, the Liberals have frozen it at $8 per hour since 2001. They lowered the minimum age for children to work to 12 years, giving B.C. the worst child labour laws in North America along with the highest rate of child poverty in the country.
Then there's the Ashlu and Bill 30, when the Liberals arrogantly put an end to local input on private power projects by removing any opportunity for citizens to have meaningful input in their communities' future.
Let's take a closer look at Falcon himself. Lalli gives him credit where none is due.
Everybody knows the Sea to Sky Highway wasn't built for Squamish, but for Whistler and the Olympics, while Squamish was refused the use of even the mild, friendly logo "the Heart of 2010."
And while Falcon may have dedicated the Squamish Hospital addition, it was his duty as Health Minister. He hardly initiated the project. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that it was his idea to dedicate the addition to Squamish health care pioneer and icon Dr. LaVerne Kindree. That honour came from the community of Squamish.
All that being said, Falcon doesn't need the support of common voters. Political columnist Vaughn Palmer describes Falcon "the preferred candidate of the party establishment" noting that, "there's the suspicion that departing Premier Gordon Campbell secretly favours him as well" (Vancouver Sun, Jan. 25). So if you like what Campbell has done, Lalli says that Falcon is your man.
Just take a look at the full-page colour ad in the Jan. 31 Vancouver Sun. Of over 100 signatories, all but three are listed as CEO/COO/president/owner etc. of large businesses and corporations. No anti-poverty or child-care advocates on this list.
Falcon's support includes restaurant chain owners, so we can probably expect a continuation of Campbell's "Six Bucks Sucks" beginners' minimum wage. Then there's charter Falcon supporter Roger Hardy of Clearly Contacts, who emailed his customers urging them to join the B.C. Liberal Party to vote for Kevin Falcon. Coincidentally, the firm had greatly benefited from a Falcon-led decision to relax regulations regarding sale of glasses and contacts.
And who can forget Kevin Falcon's response to forestry workers who had lost their jobs? "Boo-hoo," he said. (Hansard, Feb. 18, 2008).
I don't know what Councillor Lalli hopes to gain by playing sycophant to the B.C. Liberals, but the citizens of Squamish deserve better.Sandy BauerSquamish
