As all-candidates' meetings go, the recent gathering at the Eagle Eye Theatre was reminiscent of Goldilocks' porridge: a restrained sort of affair, not too hot and not too cold.
Independent candidate Jon Johnson is in the high-end camera business. Johnson told the audience he is more or less on a protest mission against the big, bad party machines who are sabotaging the interests of individual constituents. He clearly understands his chances of winning this riding are akin to a snowball surviving in that sweltering subterranean region where, according to some observers, Beelzebub and his minions hold court.
Teacher and Green Party candidate Richard Warrington lived in Denmark for 25 years and recently returned to the Lower Mainland. If elected, he envisions spreading elements of the Danish social and environmental safety net here. Although his commitment to environmental issues appears genuine, the subtext of his presentation was that he has gravitated to the green banner as a flag of convenience.
Conservative Ian McLeod currently works for B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing. He is adamant about cutting taxes and whittling government down to a more manageable size. When it comes to local issues, he is opposed to the controversial LNG plant at the former Woodfibre site. One of the main pillars in his platform steers us into pipe-dream territory with a feel-good promise to elevate constituents' demands above the party's agenda.
Jordan Sturdy is a three-term Pemberton mayor,a successful farmer and now a provincial Liberal candidate. Job creation and economic development, including the local LNG plant, are high on his bucket list. He obviously brings more than ample political experience to the table. However, as the evening progressed Sturdy did not stand out as a candidate who could provide a stronger voice in Victoria than some of the other contenders, in particular NDP hopeful Ana Santos.
By now the Santos saga is a familiar narrative. The 2010 Squamish Citizen of the Year and founder of the Squamish Climate Action Network hit the ground running after she arrived here from Spain in 2004. She has embraced a classic NDP smorgasbord centred on new health care initiatives, judicious resource stewardship, job creation, an all-out assault on child poverty and a heavy emphasis on education funding. If the ballots had been cast at the all-candidates meeting, her enthusiasm and grasp of the issues would likely have prevailed. Unfortunately for Santos, although the NDP is expected to form the next provincial government, this riding has been in the unwavering grasp of a series of Liberal MLAs for the past 22 years. That does not imply the election results are already carved in stone. Anything can happen in one of the most diverse constituencies in the province. Still, the likelihood of a major sea change is remote.
