STANDUP PREMIER — Premier Christy Clark’s hot-and-cold relationship with Victoria is hot again, although you have to wonder about the change of heart.
She got some attention three years ago after declaring the capital had a “sick culture” full of inside-the-beltway debate.
“All they can think about is government and there are no real people in Victoria. I try never to go over there,” she told a Vancouver reporter.
This past week, she spoke to a fundraising dinner at the conference centre and was apparently moved by the fact 860 people made top-dollar contributions to the B.C. Liberal Party in order to hear her speak.
“Here we are in this beautiful spot with daffodils and crocuses coming up, the tulips are coming up, the cherry blossoms. …,” she said. “It is such a beautiful spot, unlike anywhere else.”
The observations turned out to be a setup for a punchline: “It’s so cold in Kitimat that I saw a New Democrat with his hands in his own pockets.”
Langford Mayor Stew Young was awarded the job of introducing her and joked that he consulted with other mayors about what to say.
He said that Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps urged him to talk about chickens. “Everybody loves chickens.”
Oak Bay Mayor Nils (Deer Hunter) Jensen told him to ask if she wanted any venison. And, he said Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell was busy meeting police on the side of the road.
RISKY BUSINESS — The B.C. Coroners Service took an unusual approach to its report on the deaths of young drivers last week.
The service examined 106 real deaths from 2004 to 2013, but decided to lead off its findings with two quasi-fictional narratives. The service described the stories as “composite accounts,” which means that details were pulled from different cases and used to create a single storyline.
That’s a risky tactic for any agency that values its credibility. After all, if you make up the first part of your report, why should anyone believe the rest of it?
TO BE CONTINUED — One sure sign that there was nothing new in the speech from the throne this week? The choice of verbs. Few things were launched, started, initiated, begun, floated, put in motion or attempted. But a lot of things were “continued.” Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon used that word, or a variation thereof, 24 times during the speech. Or as NDP Leader John Horgan called it: “Half an hour that none of us will ever get back.”
THREE’S NO CHARM — NDP MLA Claire Trevena challenged the need for a throne speech last week, telling the Liberals that three in one year is a bit too much and the regular display of pomp “smacks of a government throwing baubles to the crowds.”
Liberal MLA Scott Hamilton replied: “First, they complain that we never meet, and now I guess they’re complaining that we’re meeting too much. I can’t quite keep up.”
— With files from Les Leyne and Lindsay Kines
