It feels like summer!
August 7, 2022 - Newsletter #4, walk the plank, crop circles, tyre vs tire, and a friendly giant
The news cycle usually slows in summertime (yay), but we found a few stories for you to ponder.
First, the politics. The NDP government seems to be cleaning house at a few of its largest ‘controlled’ corporations and CEOs are feeling the heat. Earlier in the summer, the BC Ferries board of directors underwent a major overhaul, then party stalwart and crown corporation clean-up hitter Joy MacPhail was appointed board chair. What followed is a “swashbuckling” tale best recounted by Les Leyne of the Times Colonist. In a similar time frame, half of the BC Housing board were fired following a highly critical third party review. CEO Shayne Ramsey then jumped ship last week. Is this a necessary post-pandemic cleanup or a sign the government is shifting to more direct control of the independent corporations it owns?
Meanwhile, Kevin Falcon, BC Liberal Party leader, hit some northern and interior hotspots on a two-week, nine-city tour. Falcon spoke with Rob Shaw about what he learned. Turns out, people in BC’s North and Interior are worried about much same issues as the rest of Canadians – health care, affordability, and crime. Compared to previous decades or times, is there really something new happening? Look for some interesting answers here, here, and here.
Also out-and-about on the summer circuit are BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau and the rest of her rowdy MLA caucus, Adam Olsen. Both have been e-biking their way across the province (joking – those are real mountains around Creston) stoking party support in strongholds like Vancouver Island, the Kootenays, the Wet’suwet’en camp and elsewhere on their healthcare fact-finding/stir-things-up tour. Olsen may have gone to Nelson (who doesn’t love Nelson), but leadership has its benefits because Furstenau scored an invite to the annual Crop Circle concert series in Nanaimo. No word yet on whether Slim Sandy and the Hillbilly Boppers were in the house when Furstenau swung through. (Maybe next year, Adam.)
With the sun out and the weather so fine, I’ve already done what I try very hard not to do in the summer – burn – so I thought maybe a quick debunking session on sun exposure, tanning and protection might be in order. Turns out over-exposure is still a leading cause of cancer, skin damage and premature aging (farmer’s tan excepted).
I’m not sure how deflating tires helps fight climate change, but it will certainly unendear activists to most of the general population and make no gains for their cause. A copycat group (it’s ‘tire’ here, guys) deflated tires on a few dozen SUVs in Oak Bay during the night recently in the name of scaring vehicle owners into riding bikes or driving “regular-sized” cars. Besides being somewhat hilarious, their “How To Spot An SUV” instructions are inaccurate and contrived. Also, if SUVs are so much different than cars, why do they need a guide to recognize them? Hopefully, this movement fizzles out before activists are confronted mid-tire-deflation by an unimpressed SUV owner (my husband, for instance). If they do keep it up, it may only be a matter of time before their anonymity is defeated by diligent internet sleuthing and a civil legal action ensues, similar to that threatened against save old growth protesters.
This week, we close yet again with a salute to animals (including the human variety) who get out there and engage with our beautiful world and fascinating creatures. We bring you the first date (possibly of many) between a humpback whale and a small boat northeast of Campbell River. Apparently, Neowise, the young male whale suitor, may have been drawn to the alluring voice of the boat – it’s echo sounder – which resembles whale song (if you’ve got an ear for it). Awesome name aside, Neowise makes a compelling case for sophisticated cross-species social interaction. (Also impressive were the humans who didn’t completely freak out at having a bus-sized whale under their boat.)
C’est tout for now. As always, pls share our newsletter and our e-zine stories on northernbeat.ca. Pls subscribe, for free or otherwise. And most importantly, don’t get too much sun and steer clear of the wildfires.
Thanks for reading!
Fran