Our thanks go out this week to Joanne Boissonneault (NDP), Mike MacDonald (Green Party) and Liberal candidate Marlo Raynolds (Liberal) for taking part in the election forum at Silvertip Resort in Canmore, Tuesday (Sept. 29).
About 200 people attended the forum, which showed that, despite Conservative candidate Blake Richards’ assertion that just one forum should have sufficed for the Bow Valley, that there is ample appetite for exactly these types of forums.
What the Banff forum at the high school on Oct. 15 holds as far as Richards’ attending remains to be seen …
As expected, the candidates who did make time in their campaign schedule for the Silvertip forum got some digs in in regard to the absence of the Conservative candidate, with MacDonald saying proof he’d be a better choice to represent area voters was found in the simple fact he was there, while Raynolds pointed out the forum was more or less a job interview; which most employment hopefuls would show up for.
Canmore/Bow Valley residents shouldn’t feel bad the Conservative candidate didn’t show – it’s an obvious campaign tactic among the tight-lipped Stephen Harper crowd. Clearly, Conservatives believe it’s better to absorb some anger from voters about not appearing at forums, or being available for questions, or defending their policies, than to have a candidate insert their foot in their mouth in some Conservative-damaging way by speaking freely.
In B.C. recently, a North Okanagan/Shuswap Conservative had to backpedal and agree to attend more forums than originally intended as, much in this valley, citizens expect someone who wants their vote to appear before them.
In regard to the Lower Mainland, we in the office read a hilarious inter-office transaction between the Burnaby NOW newspaper and a Conservative communications handler in regard to three candidates who preferred not to make appearances or make themselves available.
The manner in which the communications person refused to communicate was political comedy; the paper and the handler went round and round about how or if Conservatives could be contacted, with the handler, after being notified of the paper’s deadline, agreeing to pass on requests for affirmation of forum attendance. The deadline passed with no further correspondence.
Possibly with the bulk of the Banff-Airdrie riding population being located in the eastern portion of the area, only forums in Cochrane and Airdrie have been judged as being worthy of any effort when it comes to forums.
It remains to be seen how the Conservatives’ need for controlling all information, and angering voters by not attending forums or commenting on policies, plays out on Oct. 19.
YWCA safe house an obvious need
Millions of dollars from all levels of government are poured into this valley every year and we think it’s safe to say that a good portion would be well spent on constructing a purpose-built shelter and transition housing project for women and their children subjected to domestic violence.
While our Bow Valley is often viewed as a charming, beautiful, desirable location to live and recreate, it also has a dark side that rarely comes to light.
Like elsewhere in Alberta, which has one of the highest rates of domestic and sexual violence in the country, women here suffer abuse and at times desperately need a respite in the form of a shelter.
Money for a shelter and transition housing project would be money well spent.
