Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda Published Convergys Comment

Some of my long-time readers might recall some eighteen months ago, when I broke the story (Will Convergys Close Kamloops Call Centre?) of comments from Convergys President and CEO David Dougherty that the company planned to move some of its Canadian operations to Asia, and questioned whether this would impact the Kamloops operations.

That post generated a lot of attention both in terms of traffic to this web site, and within the local media. The latter I found rather curious, given that I hadn't actually added any value other than to discover information that was already freely available in the company's public record.

Anyways, an anonymous comment left on a follow-up post, Convergys Relocation Statements Cause Anxiety Across Canada, stated that the Kamloops location would in fact shut down, and that Convergys would evacuate the country completely by the end of 2008:

I cant say who I am or what I know but Convergys Canada will be completely gone by December 2008. Kamloops and Ottawa will be closed 100% by September 2008, and the rest will follow in the coming months.

In subsequent posts (Ethics, Anon!) I troubled a bit over whether or one should publish anonymous comments, and invited the author of that comment to contact me off the record. Then, after speaking with Convergys' Vice President of Business Development for Canada, Igor Sarenac, who unequivocally refuted any intentions to shut down Kamloops operations, I ultimately I chose not to share the comment, either with my readers or with interested local journalists. Given recent events however, the point is now moot.

Yesterday, news broke that the Kamloops Call Centre would in fact close (Dave Eagles, I am again in awe of your nuanced photojournalism).

So, I'm looking for input... did I miss the boat, or did I get it right by not publishing the comment? It's very possible that the commenter was spot-on, but that shifting economic realities (like a Canadian dollar that plunged during the recent financial crisis) kept this call centre open when it otherwise would have closed back in December. Should a blogger care whether or not interesting information comes from a single, anonymous source?

Obviously there is value in verification, but I personlly engage greater skepticism when reading blogs by amateurs than when reading professional online media, and expect others to do the same. Does that render absent the need for any even a passing wave at journalistic practices? Believe me, bloggers like me typically struggle to simply post on a regular basis, let alone verify (or even consider following) reader-submitted leads.

I'm listening...

To share your thoughts about the Convergys, the local economy, journalism, blogging, anonymity, or anything else with readers of Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

I, Culprit

The only constant is change, but change is constantly hard. I say that from the perspective of having built, then lost (with much hardship and heartache), a company that employed a significant number of skilled and well paid workers here in Kamloops and across the province.

Too many Canadians today, in too many industries, are experiencing change that impacts both their livelihoods and their passions. In most cases, a staggeringly complex combination of market forces are at play.

Unfortunately, those who are affected by change often feel the need to cast the righteousness of their plight in opposition to a single, responsible culprit.

Anyone with half a brain can tell the difference between journalism and blogging, but it seems that many voices within the profession - such as one commentator over at Fouldsy's Blog - insist on building themselves back up by knocking us down.

If journalists continue to focus on the myth of the culprit blogger instead of anticipating and overcoming the real causes of their predicament, the future of their profession will hold much more hard change.

To share your thoughts about the Kamloops This Week, journalism, blogging, scapegoats, culprits, or anything else with readers of Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

Be Right About What You Know

It's been strange, being so distant from the BC provincial election this week, while attending to business on the road since Sunday.

First in Winnipeg, then in Toronto (where I currently sit, waiting for my return flight back to Kamloops), it was strange to be in rooms full of people, knowing I was the only one with the election on my mind. If anything, I received more condolences about the Canuck's post-season follies than inquiries about the Grits, NDP, and electoral reform.

But I couldn't help bringing it up, maybe because the people I've worked with this week didn't have any emotional attachment to the race. And the reaction I've most often received has been surprise.

Surprise that the election largely turned on the NDP's opposition to a carbon tax. Often the expressions of my interviewees conveyed as much sympathy as confusion, confusion about the counter-intuitive political ground staked by the party, and sympathy for living in such a strange political climate. As per today's National Post editorial - Saved from the Wreck Beach nudist party - about BC-STV, "...B. C. is B. C., for heaven's sake--a realm so ethnically balkanized, and geographically and economically diverse that it's often considered near-ungovernable under any system at all", we are still widely recognized across Canada as a polarized and slightly wacky political relation.

Carol James' brash bet against her better sense bit her and the party hard on the ass. She didn't just lose the election and confuse Canadians from other provinces. She also confused a league of middle voters who thought the party stood for something besides political expediency.

Whatever the party you're against does, how much can its actions really harm your morale rightiousness and and political engagement?

But when your own party lets you down, that's something different. The BC NDP, with its "Axe the Tax", proved to the youthful voters it courts that it is as cynical as any other party.

Carol James' campaign against an obviously green initiative for the sake of political gain didn't make sense. And maybe that's one of the reasons there is so much voter apathy among youth.Not because we don't reach out to youth, but rather because the parties that do reach out to youth are the ones that always break their hearts.

To share your thoughts about the Carol James, the NDP, the carbon tax, or anything else with readers of Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

Modified Best Ballot

Looking for results of the May 12, 2009 provincial election, such as Kamloops-North Thompson, Kamloops-South Thompson, and the Referendum on Electoral Reform? Click here for that information

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to what motivates people to cast or waste their vote. Certainly if voting is perceived as futile, that would be a big disincentive. Proponents of Single Transferable  Vote (STV) suggest that change will improve voter turnout, but  changing the voting system is like changing the colour of consumer product packaging, then calling the product itself "New and Improved!".

But consumers buy into superficial change dressed up with cosmetic appeal all the time. Although voters here in Kamloops, the province, and elsewhere in Canada have said "No" to electoral reform in the past, change is a popular theme these days, and so it is no doubt just a matter of time until it electoral reform is adopted somewhere.

But before you opt for STV, allow me to suggest an alternative (and do-it-yourself) approach to electoral change that will cost less and individual engage voters more.

I call the system Best Ballot Format (BBF - with apologies to golfers everywhere). It's essentially a scavenger hunt designed to expose voters to every possible method of voting. Voters in BC can vote a number of different ways, including:

• General Voting Day
• Advance Voting
• Absentee Voting
• Special Voting
• Alternative Absentee Voting

1. Voting by package (vote by mail)
2. Vote now in the district electoral office

Each voter must utilize a different method each election, until they have voted each of the six different ways. Because one can only legally vote via a single method during each election, it will no doubt take some time to achieve a personal straight (votes via all different methods). For that reason, several variations allow voters to achieve positive outcomes over either compressed or extended time lines, such as:

• Personal Flush: Individual voters compete against each other to compile the most votes via a single method.
• Shotgun: Voters form teams to collectively vote via all methods in a single election
• Modified Best Ballot:Like-minded voters form teams to collectively vote for a single outcome (candidate, party, etc.) via a single method in a single election. The winning team may then be determined based upon a combination of factors, including the number of pledged votes within the team, the number of actual votes within the team, and the actual outcome of the election.
• Modified Alternate Ballot: Opposing teams of voters select the methods via which members of the other teams will vote. Winning teams may be determined via criteria including the number of pledged votes within the team, the number of actual votes within the team, and the actual outcome of the election.
• Rotten Ballot: Expected to be used only by those voters who have already compiled personal straights and then look to extend, the Rotten Ballot requires the voter to vote via all the different methods in a single election. The voter will potentially then waste both one and many ballots at the same time. Warning: if Elections BC discovers the prank, legal complications may follow.

This year for example, I worked myself one step closer to my own personal straight by casting an Advance ballot (to go along with the ballots I've cast in previous provincial elections via the General and Absentee methods) at St. Paul's Cathedral. I also re-discovered with some embarrassment that St. Paul's Cathedral is the white church on Nicola St., not the majestic red-brick church (Sacred Heart Cathedral) on Nicola, upon which the sign at left was posted.

While the above list of possible gaming voting variations is by no means exhaustive, the spectrum of possibilities and the massive number of current participants across the province could surely help raise interest in the mechanics - if not the substance - of our personal voting choices.

But it gets better! On election night, rather than listening to media talking heads feeding us micro-updates all night long, we could instead tune in to oddsmakers speculating whether the Norkam Shotgun Marriages can continue their streak of voting diversity to finally overcome the magnificent maleficence of the Summerland Vote Spoilers. And why waste your time waving placards at politicians, when we could instead be defiling opposing voters' Modified Best Ballot trading cards at rallies instead?

Listen, the last thing I would ever want to do is trivialize the Single Transferable Vote, especially when you consider all the taxpayer dollars we'd get to spend on the marketing and lawyers and consultants and bureaucrats required to put that system into place. No, when you consider all the money we've already spent on all those things, despite having already said "No" once to an alternative model, $TV is far from trivial.

It amazes me to witness the lengths people will go to get the government to legislate something we should be doing ourselves. As individuals we can make voting interesting, even if the characters and issues bore, frustrate, or even evade us.

In 1990, Robert J. Jackson and Doreen Jackson published the 2nd edition of Politics in Canada (Prentice-Hall Canada Ltd.), in which they wrote:

Electoral systems do not determine the nature of party systems, nor the type of government, majority or minority, single-party or coalition, in any country. Governmental outcomes are largely a function of the balance of party forces: the party system, in turn, is largely shaped by a country's political culture and social structure and by the electoral behaviour of its citizens.

The Green Party says that, "... no other party in British Columbia will benefit more from STV than the Green party," because it will put them in position to, "... hold the balance of power." That's what this is really about, power. Not change. Not progress. Power!

But if politicians want power, shouldn't we ask them to first earn their stripes? With some notable exceptions, the party system is already largely effective at weeding out the personalities and ideas that can't earn power or promote change.  Politicians who want to short-circuit that grueling party process should consider another occupation before they ask us voters to do their work for them.

If a given issue can't earn the attention and support of a party then it doesn't deserve to be heard in the legislature. Likewise with parties and their candidates.

If one's chosen party is so marginal that it can't affect immediate change, then you've got a choice; either build the party from the ground up like Preston Manning and the Reform Party, or like Gordon Wilson and the BC Liberal Party, or work to build a bigger tent within a well-established party. Either choice will likely require the essential political skills which the STV seems to: patience and compromise.

As suggested in this space back in September of 2007 (Elector, Heal Thyself!), politicians should work within their parties to build coalitions on their own damn time before they hit the polls, rather than deferring the task and then assembling the coalition after the election at taxpayer expense.

Which is why this advance voter indicated a preference for the crummy system we already have (and for which we have already paid), rather than some other crummy system for which we will continue to pay in the years to come.

To share your thoughts about STV, First Past The Post (FPTP), Modified Best Ballot, spoiled votes, gaming, personal responsibility, or anything else with readers of Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

Little 'Loops Riding Lost

Looking for results of the May 12, 2009 provincial election, such as Kamloops-North Thompson, Kamloops-South Thompson, and the Referendum on Electoral Reform? Click here for that information

What Spring? Here it is Cinco de Mayo in the northern land of cactus and sagebrush, but it still feels like friggin' winter, and with just a week remaining until the provincial election I still don't know who I'm going to vote for. Where has the time gone? And can somebody tell me which friggin' riding I'm in?

How is it that a self-proclaimed politico can be so clued out? Can't be my fault... it's those damn bureaucrats and their newfangled riding boundaries that are to blame! 

Both Premier Gordon Campbell and NDP leader Carol James spent time in Kamloops at the outset of the campaign, and the press made much ado of Kamloops' reputation as a bellweather bellwhether bellwether riding. But that reputation may well be at risk if otherwise informed voters like me can't even figure out where to make our votes count. And yes, despite what all those busybody STV advocates tell you, our votes do count (but that's another story).

The electoral boundaries for the two Kamloops ridings in the previous (2005) election were as indicated at right(scale varies between the two images, shared boundaries are highlighted in purple, and arrows indicate the municipality of Kamloops). Click on one of the following links to view the full-size map of the Kamloops or Kamloops-North Thompson riding map prior to the most recent redistribution at Elections BC.

The ridings for this election look considerably different (as below), and even one of the riding names have changed. Today, the Kamloops-South Thompson riding has a significantly more east-west orientation. Meanwhile the Kamloops-North Thompson riding is now essentially due north with the southern perimeter having shifted away from Chase and toward Deadman Creek.

Find Out What Riding You're In

Thankfully, Elections BC has made available a tool to help citizens determine the riding in which they reside and the options at their disposal for voting; just click here to access the tool at the Elections BC web site. 

If you're in a rush, much of the same information is reproduced below. Keep in mind, Elections BC is the best source for accurate voting information.

Kamloops-North Thompson

Advance Voting

Advance voting is held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (local time) on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the week preceding General Voting Day. Advance voting is available to any voter and all advance voting places are wheelchair accessible. Advance voting days will be May 6-9, 2009.

• Barriere Lions Club Hall, 350 Borthwick Ave, Barriere Wheelchair Accessible
• North Shore Comm Centre, 730 Cottonwood Ave, Kamloops Wheelchair Accessible
• Royal Canadian Legion 259, 3 257 Glen Rd, Clearwater Wheelchair Accessible

Candidates

• Kesten C. Broughton - Work Less Party
• Doug Brown - BC NDP
• April Snowe - Green Party of BC
• Wayne Allen Russell - BC Refed
• Terry Lake - BC Liberal Party

District Electoral Office

Sharon Lyons, District Electoral Officer
Betty Faulkner, Deputy District Electoral Officer
5A-750 Fortune Dr, Kamloops
Phone: (250) 554-5918
Fax: (250) 554-5925

Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local time)
Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time)

For information about other district electoral offices see
http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/DEOs-2009.pdf

Electoral District Profile

For more information on your electoral district, please visit the BC Stats website at http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/cen06/profiles/PEDs/Kamloops-North Thompson_BC.pdf

Other General Voting Day Voting Places

• A.E. Perry Elem School, 1380 Sherbrooke Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Arthur Hatton Elem School, 315 Chestnut Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Arthur Stevenson Elem School, 2890 Bank Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Barriere Lions Club Hall, 350 Borthwick Ave, Barriere - Wheelchair Accessible
• Bert Edwards Elem School, 711 Windsor Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Blackpool Comm Hall, Old North Thompson Hwy, Clearwater - Wheelchair Accessible
• Blue River Elem School, 5917 3 Ave, Blue River - Wheelchair Accessible
• Chief Louis Centre - Assembly Hall, 200 355 Hwy 5, Kamloops
• Country Store Antiques, 3653 Louis Creek Rd, Barriere - Wheelchair Accessible
• Darfield Comm Hall, Hwy 5, Darfield Wheelchair Accessible
• David Thompson Elem School, 1051 Pine Springs Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Dee's General Store, 1537 Birch Island-Lost Creek Rd, Clearwater
• Heffley Creek Elem School, 500 Marriott Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• John Tod Elem School, 435 McGowan Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Kay Bingham Elem School, 950 Southill St, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Little Fort Comm Hall, 24 Hwy, Little Fort - Wheelchair Accessible
• Mary van Sickle Residence, 676 Agate Bay Rd, Barriere
• McLure Fire Hall, McLure Ferry Rd, McLure - Wheelchair Accessible
• North Shore Comm Centre, 730 Cottonwood Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• North Thompson Indian Band Office, 500 Dunn Lake Rd, Barriere - Wheelchair Accessible
• Parkcrest Elem School, 2170 Parkcrest Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Parkview Activity Centre, 500 McDonald Ave, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Pinantan Elem School, 3205 Holbrook Rd, Pinantan Lake - Wheelchair Accessible
• Rayleigh Elem School, 306 Puett Ranch Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Rose Seymour Residence, 5075 Heffley-Louis Creek Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Royal Canadian Legion 259, 3 257 Glen Rd, Clearwater - Wheelchair Accessible
• Sun Peaks-Burfield Lodge, 1280 Alpine Rd, Sun Peaks - Wheelchair Accessible
• Tilley Residence, 9744 Meadow Rd, Tranquille Valley - Wheelchair Accessible
• Vavenby Comm Hall, 82 Vavenby Bridge Rd, Vavenby - Wheelchair Accessible
• Westmount Elem School, 745 Walkem Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Westsyde Elem School, 3550 Westsyde Rd, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Whispering Pines Indian Band, 615 Whispering Pines Dr, McLure

Kamloops-South Thompson

Advance Voting

Advance voting is held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (local time) on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the week preceding General Voting Day. Advance voting is available to any voter and all advance voting places are wheelchair accessible. Advance voting days will be May 6-9, 2009.

• Chase Comm Hall, 547 Shuswap Ave, Chase Wheelchair Accessible
• Savona Seniors House, 6605 Savona Access Rd, Savona Wheelchair Accessible
• St. Paul's Cathedral, 360 Nicola St, Kamloops Wheelchair Accessible
• Valleyview Comm Hall, 2250 Park Dr, Kamloops Wheelchair Accessible

Candidates

• Maria Dobi - Conservatives
• Tom Friedman - BC NDP
• Kevin Krueger - BC Liberal Party
• Bev Markle - Green Party of BC

District Electoral Office

Bob King, District Electoral Officer
Dennis Paget, Deputy District Electoral Officer
403-1150 Hillside Dr, Kamloops
Phone: (250) 314-6009
Fax: (250) 314-6016

Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local time)

Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time)

For information about other district electoral offices see http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/DEOs-2009.pdf

Other General Voting Day Voting Places

• Aberdeen Elem School, 2191 Van Horne Dr, Kamloops
• B.C. Wildlife Park, 9077 Dallas Dr, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Beattie School of the Arts-McGill, 492 McGill Rd, Kamloops
• Beattie School of the Arts-Pineridge, 1770 Springview Pl, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Chase Comm Hall, 547 Shuswap Ave, Chase - Wheelchair Accessible
• Dallas Elem School, 296 Harper Rd, Kamloops
• Dufferin Elem School, 1880 Hillside Dr, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Juniper Ridge Elem School, 2540 Qu'Appelle Blvd, Kamloops
• Kamloops Curling Club, 700 Victoria St, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Lloyd George Elem School, 830 Pine St, Kamloops
• McGowan Park Elem School, 2080 Tremerton Dr, Kamloops
• Pritchard Comm Hall, Duck Range Rd, Pritchard - Wheelchair Accessible
• Ralph Bell Elem School, 1764 Valleyview Dr, Kamloops
• Rivershore Golf Club, 330 Rivershore Dr, Kamloops Wheelchair Accessible
• Robert L. Clemitson Elem School, 5990 Todd Rd, Kamloops
• South Sa'Hali Elem School, 1585 Summit Dr, Kamloops
• St. Hilda's Anglican Church, 6633 Ernest St, Savona - Wheelchair Accessible
• St. Paul's Cathedral, 360 Nicola St, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Valleyview Comm Hall, 2250 Park Dr, Kamloops - Wheelchair Accessible
• Westwold Elem School, 5408 Hwy 97, Westwold - Wheelchair Accessible

Calgary Taxi Poll

It's been quite a hiatus, with so much happening in my life over the past several months that I've been hard pressed to read a blog, let alone write one. But finally, after weeks of pneumonia, and with a handful of inhaler devices under my belt, I finally feel the need and ability to write once more.

And so, with a nod to Mr. Bentz, Alice, and others who have given me shit online and off for keeping my thoughts to myself, I'm preparing to spread it around again from my station here in the Maple Leaf Lounge at the Calgary airport. Although you can often find me in one of these places between flights, I'm not much of a drinker and very seldom imbibe before flying. But having decided to venture a tipple, I now wear a puckered expression that will probably last until I get back to Kamloops; the bottle said Malbec, but this stuff in my glass tastes a lot more like paint-thinner. TANSTAAFL, I guess.

But in my weakened condition even half a glass is maybe too much, for between that paragraph and this I meandered over to the restroom on the left instead of the restroom on the right, intent on freshening up a bit before heading to the gate. Thankfully the lack of appropriate fixtures on the wall caught my eye before I entered a stall, otherwise the expression of surprise on the lady behind me at the mirror surely would have been complemented by a somewhat more intense and audible reaction.

OK, I was a little distracted even before the wine.

On the way to the airport, I asked my cabbie whether he followed politics. When on the road, I seek out local opinion in equal measure to local cuisine, and have discovered that cab drivers can usually serve up the first and drive you to the second with similar dexterity. Today (with the Pundit's Guide on my mind), I specifically asked about Michael Ignatieff.

I attended Mr. Ignatieff's luncheon a couple of weeks ago back in Kamloops, and left with a decidedly more favourable impression of a federal Liberal leader than I've formed in some time. Mr. Ignatieff painted many of his responses to the audience's questions in shades of blue, but with enough nuance to put rosy smiles on most faces. In the past I've perhaps incorrectly assumed that most of the audience at these events were card-carrying party members. But if many of the other attendees were invited - like me - by someone who hopes that Iggy can pull Harper Liberals back to the middle party, then Mr. Ignatieff`s ability get a roomful of hinges nodding in agreement was actually quite impressive.

My Pakistani cab driver didn't seem so impressed however, with Iggy or any other politician. "The faces may change, but nothing they do helps me one bit," he replied. He immigrated here in the mid-nineties from Islamabad where he was a successful banker. He and three friends - all professionals - moved to either Canada or the US in search of a better life. But while his friends in the US succeeded on Wall Street and elsewhere, Mr. Cab Driver was turned down by one prospective Canadian employer after another; you don't have any Canadian business experience, you're overqualified, etc.

"But I am not alone," he insisted, "half the cabbies in this town could tell you the same story. We are so many professionals, stuck here driving cab 7 days a week, even with a sore back. My friend was a heart surgeon in Islamabad, but when he came here he cried every day because there was nothing but the taxi for him. Now he has gone back home, so he can make something for his children."

Maybe this is why so many have so little to say about politics. You can't call it apathy if the matters involved are genuinely of little import. If politicians and their policies don't create much impact for citizens one way or the other, maybe politics is more of a pastime than a necessity.

That's a sobering thought. Maybe I'm just tired... it's been a long week on the road and it's always hard being away from the family. But now I fear that even when I return, it will be some time before this lingering sour taste leaves my mouth.

To share your thoughts about Michael Ignatieff, taxi polls, immigration, politics, plonk, bathrooms, or anything else with readers of Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

S'no Removal Like Your Own Removal

Several stories have appeared in local media over the past few days regarding the condition of city transit stops. As reported by Kamloops This Week on Tuesday, one Kamloops Transit operator "... pulled his bus off the road for a short time to protest conditions." The story was accompanied by an image of a hooded transit sign at a bus stop made inaccessible by piles of snow pushed off the road by city snow blades.

While clearing the bust stops is a City responsibility, these stories make me wonder about the local residents who use transit. Surely it must be an inconvenience to have one's stop inactivated, even for a short period of time.

The street my family lives on is above the 850 meter mark, and so probably sees more snow than the average Kamloops street; we also have a city transit stop. The stop is kept clean however, by at least one concerned resident who removes the snow that accumulates there, whether it is deposited by Mother Nature or a passing snow blade. As a result, not even disabled transit users are precluded from affordable public transit, even during the worst winter storms.

I agree that the city should be on top of snow removal, and I frequently bitch about deficiencies in that removal (at least as much as the next guy). But when it comes to bus stops on residential streets, surely a little common sense should come into play; grab a shovel, and as Peter Gabriel says, DIY!

To share your thoughts about snow removal, transit, doing it yourself, or anything else with readers of Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

Little Flakes, Big Snow

After six full seasons, the winds of change have finally brought a different look to Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops. Those of you who have visited this space previously will observe that the vibrant (ahem) colour scheme is gone, replaced now with something a little more muted and somewhat more seasonal. Over the next couple of weeks you can expect to see some additional albeit smaller modifications, but  the big stuff is done (at least until Spring).

While the look has changed, the Trans Canada motif remains. Several readers have asked me about the connection to Highway #1, as I seldom explicitly mention it.

In lieu of editorial counsel, I keep some touchstones around which help my otherwise scattered posts retain at least a little consistency with respect to demeanour and perspective. One such touchstone is the honorific, which I hope steers me toward a respectful tone even when my purpose is critical.

Another is Kamloops and its relationship to the nation, as a filter for - and influencer of - the issues and opportunities that affect Canada, both real and imagined. Occasionally the posts here address that relationship directly, such as this entry from July of 2007, Hinton, Conservatives Continue Summer Spending Spree:

The struggles and values and priorities and opinions of the citizens of Kamloops exist at the core of the middle-Canadian and western-Canadian identities. 

...The Trans-Canada Highway and two national railways that run through this town sometimes remind us of the tenuous connections and broad differences between our own experience, and the experiences of other Canadians in other towns, and other villages, and other cities all along these razor-thin corridors across the country.

...Overall we may be less diverse and more redneck than most big cities, but we still find a way to lead from the front of Canada's social reality, having elected not only the first Chinese mayor in North America (for three terms!), but also the first Status Indian to the House of Commons (who later became a member of cabinet, then a senator).

...If the only thing that mattered at the polls was how much pork [then-MP Betty Hinton] brought home, I'd say she's earned my vote.

But that isn't what really matters, so I don't know why it seems to be the bar against which we've chosen to measure her. We should measure her based upon how well she represents the values and common sense of the citizens of Kamloops Thompson Cariboo, and to what extent those values help shape the nation and its laws.

As you can see, I never pass up a little excuse for a long explanation. The Trans-Canada logo remains, because it helps me maintain focus on two things that have always interested me; local and influence.

But issues come and go. Here are some of the ones that garnered attention from me and my readers this year:

• You got humour in my politics! - Be it Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Tina Fey (s-s-smokin!), or any number of lesser known polebrities, politics and pop culture embraced one another this year as never before. Late in the U.S. presidential campaign, John McCain appeared on Saturday Night Live (for the second time) with Ms. Fey (she really is) as Sarah Palin, although IMHO the purpose of the visit was not so much to get out the vote as it was to resurrect his once-popular appeal from the miscues and carnage of the campaign. Like Bill Clinton in his Final Days video, but with some popular cachet. Humour. Politics. Two great tastes that taste great together! Embedded video from CNN Video

• Voters got high on democracy - We enjoyed a fine harvest this fall with a federal election, an aborted hostile takeover by the opposition in parliament, and BC municipal elections. Lucky west coast voters feasted on a cornucopia of homegrown politics that varied from bloodthirsty to outright boring. Readers of this space definitely had the political munchies; during the heat of the fray we served up well over a thousand visits a day. But don't freak out, there's another election bud growing. You can save the pangs of withdrawal for June, after the upcoming provincial election in May. And Dude! You can become a registered voter online right now!

• The consumer is in the house - but the recycling bin is on the curb. The Baker household produces enough recyclables to pretty much fill the blue bin every week. Although we used to visit the municipal recycling bins on a regular basis, I'm confident that curbside recycling has helped us divert a significant amount of material from the landfill over the past 10 months. And I've been recycling jokes for years.

• The speed of news - Every news delivery medium exhibits some manner of latency. But all familiar media, whether broadcast or print, are feeling the pinch as consumers demonstrate less patience for latent news today than in the past. Meanwhile, demand for real-time/near-time news market is expanding, which is one reason blogging has become so popular with news hounds. Consumers want to follow stories, to slake their thirst for information in the now, not the later. When traditional media don't satisfy this craving, consumers look elsewhere.

It's been almost a year since the last assessment of the local media's online efforts was published here, which means it's about time to revisit; with the exception of Kamloops This Week, things look pretty meager. I can't assess what I can't see, so if any media reps would like to discuss your future online strategies, this is your invitation.

• Hold please? As reported here in February, Convergys announced it would move some of its Canadian operations to the Philippines. This blog not only received a tremendous amount of traffic from readers across the country looking for more information, but also anonymous tips about the future of Convergys in in the Great White North. I Interviewed a senior manager for Convergys in Canada, but wasn't able to corroborate and ultimately chose not to pursue. I may not be a journalist, but publishing uncorroborated information provided by persons unknown with uncertain motivations (especially about a publicly traded company) seemed to be both unethical and and poor use of my time (that's me reserving the right to publish trash if it is a good use of my time). In the end, some of the information was accurate and some of it was not; maybe it was simply overtaken by current events. For now, I'll stick with my own unsubstantiated speculation, thank you!

• Emerson Greene will represent Kamloops in Ottawa - Speaking of unsubstantiated speculation, my wild guess about David Emerson becoming the Member of Parliament for Kamloops earned me some attention here and there, but no doubt perpetuated the notion that some bloggers have more time on their hands than access to inside information. What's next? Look for my exclusive interview with Bat Boy, who I predict will be deployed to Kamloops this spring to help manage mosquito populations.

• Debtmageddon - debt has been the US' largest export for years. But as with many other products, when production increases quality tends to decrease. Now you can't give it away (this I know from personal experience). Canadian financial institutions seem a little healthier than south of the border. But with all the cheap money flowing, I just wish I knew how to get in line at the pump. Anyone for big government?

• What happens in the KMHA stays in the KMHA - As expected, parents of youth hockey players were too timid or too jaded to hold the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association executive accountable at this spring's AGM. Rather, Ladd Maloski serves as a reminder of what happens to those among us who put common sense before the status quo.

There you have it, some of the biggest stories of 2008 here at Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops. Think I missed something? Leave me a comment below, and tell us all about it!

Rope-a-dope, Ottawa style

In separate developments today, lone holdout Bob Rae fell in line behind Michael Ignatieff's leadership bid, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper extended an olive branch to the Liberal party while giving the Bloc and the NDP the sharp end of the stick. Here's an excerpt from the Prime Minister's interview this afternoon with Peter Mansbridge (emphasis my own):

Harper suggested Tuesday that the coalition had little to do with frustrations over his approach to the economy, but was in fact a conspiracy on the part of opposition parties to bring down the recently elected Conservatives.

 "I think, frankly, after the election - if not before the election - the opposition parties decided that they would work against the government as an essentially unified front," Harper said.

He went on to accuse NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe of backing the Liberal party into a corner where it was forced to either vote against the government or be "condemned as sellouts."

The future of the coalition, however, has since come into question after embattled coalition and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion announced Monday he will step down earlier than planned to make way for a replacement.

His presumed successor, Michael Ignatieff, as well as some other Liberal MPs, have signalled they could be willing to work with the Tories on the economy.

Ignatieff - who some say has been lukewarm to the coalition deal - has suggested he'd be willing to listen to Harper if the Conservatives seek cooperation.

So after all the drama, a truce now between two men who turned the tables so quickly and effectively against their other rivals. Coincidence? Or, as suggested here previously, did Mr. Ignatieff and Mr. Harper collaborate to rope-a-dope the Dion-Layton-Duceppe coalition?

Then again, maybe I'm just becoming another crackpot conspiracy theorist. Got to stop watching so much TV (as below).

To share your thoughts about the democracy, expediency, political coalitions, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe, Michael Ignatieff, diebold, conspiracies, shadowy puppet masters, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Swing Vote

Amazing the difference a week makes.

Last Monday, it appeared that Stephen Harper and his Conservative party had lost the confidence of parliament. This morning, it appears instead that Mr. Harper is fine, but that Stéphane Dion has lost the confidence of his Liberal party.

Mr. Dion had positioned himself at the head of a centre-left coalition government-in-waiting with the assistance of Jack Layton and the NDP. As stated here previously, this is the route (a big tent) that should be taken if these two parties really want to rout resurgent Conservatives.

Mr. Layton of course would do just about anything to get into cabinet, and prove that the NDP are just as capable of governing as the Liberals. And therein lies the danger to the Liberal brand; Mr. Dion would assume power (and, one supposes, the re-assume the reins of his own party), but in so doing challenge the notion that the Liberals are the natural governing party. Instead, they would become one of the alternatives to a Conservative government.

That doesn't wash with Michael Ignatieff, the presumptive heir to the Liberal throne, and so now Mr. Dion finds himself on the way out rather than the way in.

The story turns of course, on the most important conversation Mr. Harper has had... well, this week. He successfully swayed Canada's ultimate swing voter - Governor General Michaëlle Jean (who compares quite favourably to her American counterpart, below) - that she should prorogue parliament, rather than allowing what likely would have become a non-confidence vote to transpire this morning.

Mr. Harper's behaviour in some respects may have dimmed the shine of his political star, but his ability to help the Governor General see his logic shows he hasn't lost the magic. He likely asked her to put the coalition to the wait-and-see test, rather than his government. If the coalition can survive until the end of January, then maybe it should govern. But if it can't survive its own birth, what chance does it have running the government?

As suggested here the other day, Mr. Harper has sprung the trap, possibly with intent, but so far without grievous bodily harm. Since then the internecine politics within the Liberal party have allowed him to survive, and possibly even enjoy increasing popular support for the Conservatives. Meanwhile, Mr. Ignatieff is positioned to assume the mantle of leader without troubling a single rank-and-file party member with a bothersome leadership conference.

Which causes me to wonder... if Mr. Dion - an otherwise seemingly inept leader - was able to cobble together other parties to initiate this threat, is it possible that his competitors within the Liberal party (say, Iggy and friends) were concurrently reaching out to their own strange bedfellows (the Prime Minister maybe?) to thwart Mr. Dion's efforts? Why else the incendiary budget update (you know, aside from mean-spirited über-partisanship), if Mr. Harper didn't already know the trap was laying in wait for him?

To share your thoughts about the democracy, expediency, political coalitions, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Homer Bound

Finally, after an extended business trip and a family wedding, I'm home. At least for a couple of weeks. Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Calgary... the variety of beds, cramped plane seats, airport lounges, and hacking/coughing fellow travelers I encounter on the road invariably leave me with some wonderful parting gifts, like my currently sore back, plugged sinuses, and certainly a deeper appreciation for home.

Uneventful trips are the kind I like best. I've had my full share of lost luggage, falls, and holding patterns at 30,000 feet in the midst of lightening storms, so it's nice when things go as planned. Which is probably what many of our federal representatives must be thinking right now, some of them ruefully.

Rueful would no doubt describe how Stephen Harper and his Conservative brethren are feeling, now that their appetite for humiliating Stéphane Dion has put them in a pickle.

This is the same crowd who less than a week ago looked like shrewd carnivores gleefully anticipating the next misfortune to befall their opponents. But pity those who gloat; now the troubling task of unlocking their bigger, better mandate has revealed them to be an everyday variety of Homer-esque stumblebums.

It turns out that the Conservatives weren't the only ones who counted Stéphane Dion out in error. While his heir-apparent, Michal Ignatieff, was building support within the Liberal party, Mr. Dion was building a much more important base of support without the Liberal party. Now, all Mr. Ignatieff can do is impart some favourable spin on a story quite which likely will doom his opportunities for higher office... permanently. Does anyone really believe that once Mr. Dion gets his hands on the wheel, he's likely to give it up?

It's hard not to admire Mr. Dion's cunning. A good Liberal is one who achieves power; retaining it is tomorrow's problem. While there is some risk that his coalition-building endeavours will degrade the Liberal brand (a knack for which he demonstrated back in Apil '07 when he announced the party wouldn't run a candidate against Elizabeth May in Central Nova), Mr. Dion has almost accomplished in parliament what would likely take another election or two outside the house; the defeat of the Harper Conservatives.

Some argue that what Mr. Dion's attempt to thwart the results of the federal election is undemocratic, but that's hogwash. Canada is not a pure democracy, it is a parliamentary democracy. Back-room Ottawa deals aren't getting in the way of our democracy, they are the way of our democracy.

Look, I'm a staunch Conservative. But the way I see it, Mr. Dion has finally demonstrated the cut-throat instincts that Canadians expect of their Prime Ministers. With a little luck, he could very well turn this gimmickry into more than a brief stint at 24 Sussex.

All the same, it's hard to believe that three separate parties could have kept this nascent coalition secret for so long in a town like Ottawa. It's possible, if unlikely, that Mr. Harper was aware of the impending palace coupe coup (thank you, John!), and so intentionally goaded the opposition to act now - immediately after the election when it would rouse the greatest public outcry - rather than waiting for it to unfold on a schedule he couldn't control. In which case, maybe the opposition is busy gloating when it should be waiting for the other shoe to drop.

D'oh!

To share your thoughts about the democracy, expediency, political coalitions, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

2008 Kamloops Municipal Election Results

Looking for results of the May 12, 2009 provincial election, such as Kamloops-North Thompson, Kamloops-South Thompson, and the Referendum on Electoral Reform? Click here for that information

Find Kamloops municipal election results right here: http://www.kamloops.ca/election/2008/flash_results.swf

To share your thoughts about the 2008 Kamloops municipal election, the candidates, or any of the issues that were or were not discussed during the campaign with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Where do I Vote in Kamloops?

Looking for results of the May 12, 2009 provincial election, such as Kamloops-North Thompson, Kamloops-South Thompson, and the Referendum on Electoral Reform? Click here for that information

If you need some help finding your polling station or discovering what the process looks like, check out the information below.

I have included some cursory information lifted directly from the Kamloops municipal web site to assist in the event that the city's site goes down (heavy visitor traffic during the federal election brought the Elections Canada web site to its knees). 

Do not assume that this information is correct! For definitive information, call the city's Legislative Services Division at (250) 828 3483.

Who Can Vote

You can vote in a local government election in Kamloops, on November 15, 2008 if you:

• Are a Canadian citizen *
• Are 18 years of age or older on general voting day
• Have lived in B.C. for at least six (6) months. (since May 13, 2008)
• Have lived in Kamloops for at least thirty (30) days. (since October 15, 2008)
• Are not disqualified by law from voting

All Kamloops residents who meet these requirements can vote. It does not matter whether you rent or own your home. If you own property in Kamloops but live somewhere else in BC, you can also vote in Kamloops elections. This is called being a "non-resident property elector." As such, you can vote, as long as you:

• Are a Canadian citizen*
• Are 18 years of age or older on general voting day
• Have lived in B.C. for at least six (6) months. (since May 13, 2008)
• Have owned real estate in Kamloops, registered in your name, for at least thirty (30) days. (since October 15, 2008)

    * Are not disqualified by law from voting

Non-resident property electors can vote only once, regardless of the number of properties they own. If there is more than one registered owner of a property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the other owners, register as a non-resident property elector. If you have any questions about registering and voting as a "non-resident property elector," contact the Legislative Services Division at 250-828-3483.

*Landed immigrants who are not yet Canadian citizens are not permitted to vote in civic elections.
*Corporations are not entitled to vote.

Where to Vote

On November 15, 2008 from 8 a.m. to 8 pm you may vote at any of the places below.

• Stuart Wood Elementary School 245 St. Paul Street
• NorKam Secondary School 730 12th Street
• Lloyd George Elementary School 830 Pine Street
• John Tod Elementary School 435 McGowan Avenue
• Parkcrest Elementary School 2170 Parkcrest Avenue
• George Hilliard Elementary School 985 Holt Street
• Westmount Elementary School 745 Walkem Road
• Beattie Elementary School 492 McGill Road
• Aberdeen Elementary School 2191 Van Horne Drive
• South Sahali Elementary School 1585 Summit Drive
• Dufferin Elementary School 1880 Hillside Drive
• Ralph Bell Elementary School 1764 Valleyview Drive
• Marion Schilling Elementary School 2200 Park Drive
• Dallas Elementary School 296 Harper Road
• Robert L. Clemitson Elementary School 5990 Todd Road
• Arthur Stevenson Elementary School 2890 Bank Road
• Westsyde Secondary School 855 Bebek Road
• Rayleigh Elementary School Puett Ranch Road
• Heffley Creek Elementary School Heffley Creek

Who are the Candidates?

Contact information for all city council and school board candidates is available here. Arjun Singh has also done an excellent job of collecting links to council candidate web sites and images of candidate flyers, all of which you can access here.

To share your thoughts about the your experience at the polling stations, your predictions, or anything else about the 2008 Kamloops municipal election with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

I, Tourist

It was unavoidable. At some point, I knew I would start making excuses. With my outside voice.

I've been writing - but not posting about - the upcoming civic election. Three separate and largely complete stories in the can... but in each case I've backed away from actual publication.

My apparent loss for words has prompted several readers and politicians/organizers to ask me, "What's up?" It hasn't been writer's block per se, more like an overactive sense of discretion. Imagine!

In any event, Sunday afternoon at the Canada Games Pool I ran into Michelle Young of the Kamloops News. As our respective families splashed, she teased me about my radio silence. And that's when it happened.

"I'm just too busy to write," I whimpered in response, "and of course, I'm not getting paid!"  But as my words fell flat into the hyper-chlorinated pool water, it suddenly occurred to me that my children may have come by their chore-avoidance whine honestly; apparently it's my legacy.

Publishing a blog becomes a chore at times, especially when my inexperience and lack of discipline as a writer/editor becomes an obstacle to, rather than a catalyst of, the expression of opinion and ideas that will stand on their own. Barry the editor and Barry the writer both want to cover the election, but the two can't agree on how to explore the subject. 

Truth be told, I've painted myself into a corner. I've said before that I'm not a journalist, but all the same in past years I attended forums, chased the issues, and even joined the occasional campaign; I was well-informed. This year I resolved to let the news - and the politicians who make it - find me. Not a journalist, remember? This time around, I'm a tourist.

The result? I'm experiencing a crisis of political faith. I've never been so bored outta my friggin' skull!

This has been the most plodding municipal election I've ever seen. None of the issues or candidates have really caught my attention, and I'm not sure I know many of them better than I did before the election started. Is it always like this?

Can't be... look at Salmon Arm.

In the Heart of the Shuswap, voters are fully engaged. Over the course of (count 'em) five nights of full-to-capacity public hearings, council voted down the SmartCentres (a.k.a. Wal-Mart) development on the flood plains west of the city. Since then however, pages of backlash in the Lakeshore News suggest that the every candidate for council will in some way be judged by his or her position on the issue.

In Salmon Arm, the SmartCentre has become a wedge issue; regardless of how councilors have voted in the past, this issue could realign and reassign their traditional support. Do we have a wedge issue in Kamloops?

Dale Bass has identified one of the key concerns of the election (and the dominant concern for the North Shore) as "ongoing social issues". But while social issues may be on people's minds, if that was the number one priority one would expect the food bank cupboards might be brimming, rather than bare. Here in Kamloops, we seem to be living a wedge-free existence.

Despite the lack of action, lack of wedge issues, and lack of informed bloggers (or maybe because of those things), I have an election gift for you. It's a special Uninformed 2008 Municipal Election Version of Baker Likes, with a focus on the positive. These are the people who got through to me during the course of this election, and in some cases, over the course of their previous terms on council:

Baker Likes:

• Ken McClelland - I know Ken personally a little, and have always been very impressed with his grasp of issues and willingness to listen. He is unashamedly pro-business, and given this city's history of folding up like a cheap tent when recession winds blow, that's exactly the kind of leadership I'm looking for.

• Peter Milobar - Peter has run a campaign that puts the capital "Buh" in "Boring." His ads in the newspaper led with... sewage? Can you imagine a bigger buzzkill? Maybe not, but it's tough to argue with capable leadership when it focuses on the real (rather than imagined) responsibilities of city hall. Believe me, I've tried.

• Murphy Kennedy - Murphy is a likable candidate who fell into the same trap as some others before him; he tried to create issues where none existed. In retrospect, maybe he should have made it about him and Peter, and turned it into a good old-fashioned likability/popularity contest; I'm pretty sure that approach has worked here before.

• Bill McQuarrie - While it hasn't commanded a lot of media coverage during the election, I still get the sense that a lot of Kamloops residents have unresolved feelings about the backyard burning issue. Given how boring the campaign has been, one wold think that most of the incumbents will be returned. But if the turnover is significant, this issue will be the culprit. Mr. McQuarrie doesn't appear to be a one-trick pony however; at the Media Candidate's Forum (I cheated, and watched it on Shaw cable) he also took a chance by reminding the crowd that the provincial and federal governments collect taxes to fund social issues, so the municipality should stick to its knitting; local infrastructure.

• Pat Wallace - I've heard other candidates and politicos complain that the only reason Ms. Wallace is a councilor is that she needs to supplement her pension. So what? Aren't we all motivated by something? She has a tonne of experience, and ends up on the right side of most issues. Pat Wallace rocks!

• John O'Fee - John has impressed a lot of people this last term with his ability to speak graciously about his old federal foe, Betty Hinton. I like his focus on neighbourhoods, which is a more appropriate and right-sized challenge for this municipality than "eliminating homelessness" as per Tina Lange (maybe we should cure cancer while we're at it). And he's been part of the airport solution to boot. I'm always impressed with John's willingness to reason and argue, even when I dislike his vote. He'll get mine.

• Nancy Bepple - I like Nancy's chances to make the short list this time around. She's an interesting combination of green, innovation, and fiscal savvy. Consider a recent entry on her blog, which states,

"Kamloops has among the highest water and sewer rates in the province. In fact, for every $1 in city taxes, the average homeowner in Kamloops pays an additional 61 cents for water and sewer.

The fact that Kamloops water and sewer rates are among the highest in the province is nearly impossible for the average taxpayer to know [...] Kamloops taxes are compared to other cities, but no equivalent comparison is done for the water and sewer charges. Transparency, the hallmark of good accounting practises (sic), is ignored. [...] we as taxpayers should demand equivalent accountability from local levels of government as at the provincial and federal levels."

I've heard lots of people bitch about how the real taxation we pay has been obscured by utilities, but this is the first time I've heard a call for a provincial auditor of BC municpailities. I Like It.

That's it! To share your thoughts about the Kamloops municipal election, Pat Wallace, Nancy Bepple, John O'Fee, Bill McQuarrie, Murphy Kennedy, Ken McClelland, Peter Milobar, or any other candidate present or past with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Kamloops Election Results

Looking for results of the May 12, 2009 provincial election, such as Kamloops-North Thompson, Kamloops-South Thompson, and the Referendum on Electoral Reform? Click here for that information

The Conservative gamble paid off in Kamloops--Thompson--Cariboo this evening, as Cathy McLeod took the riding with a significant margin of victory.

UPDATE: With all polls reporting, Ms. McLeod captured 46% of the votes cast, out-polling not only two-time NDP candidate Michael Crawford (35.9%), but also retired Conservative MP Betty Hinton's results from the two of the last three elections (2006 - 39.3%, 2004 - 40.4%, 2000 - 50.3%). The chart above right (image and data courtesy of Pundit's Guide to Canadian Federal Elections) shows the popular vote received by the different parties in this riding over the past four elections, where light blue represents Conservative votes, yellow represents Green votes, orange represents NDP votes, and red represents Liberal votes.

As you can see, the big story is the collapse of the Liberal vote, which has bled off to the Conservatives, NDP, and Greens. In fact, Green candidate Donovan Cavers picked up 8.1% of the vote, less than two points back of the votes garnered by Liberal Ken Sommerfeld (10%).

It's got to be a heartbreaking loss for Mr. Crawford, who has campaigned almost non-stop since the last election. With another minority Conservative government it would make sense for the local NDP to keep their best foot forward, but one has to wonder whether their candidate will be up for another tilt.

Nationally, Prime Minister Harper managed to increase his mandate with respect to the number of seats and popular vote. However he ran into a wall in both Newfoundland & Labrador (where he was locked out) and Quebec (where he retained roughly the same number of seats). It was Quebec however where he had hoped to break through into majority territory.

During national coverage on CTV, Lloyd Robertson and Craig Oliver speculated about the impact of Quebec denying the Conservatives a majority. Mr. Oliver suggested that there will be lingering resentment among some Alberta Conservatives. Given Mr. Harper's gracious acceptance speech however, I doubt he will abide by that kind of sentiment, especially given it was the Conservatives, not the Bloc, which announced funding cuts for artists prior to the election.

While the move may have played well in some rural ridings, it was head-shakingly stupid for any party trying to make inroads in Quebec to suggest that arts (read: culture) should lose federal dollars.

The move got Quebec voters' back up in two ways; 1). governments in Quebec are expected to play an active role supporting and growing Québécois culture, and; 2). when the feds dictate how tax dollars will be spent, it stirs nationalist sentiment. One has to wonder whether any of the incumbent Conservatives in Quebec raised their hand to say,"Non" when the issue came up. Given the very small number of tax dollars at stake, and the entirely foreseeable manner in which the Bloc Québécois would run with the issue, one has to wonder about the party's french-speaking brain trust.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO vote swapping on Facebook? The story was that disaffected, Anyone But Conservative voters would use the social networking site to swap their votes with voters in other ridings in an effort to defeat Conservatives in vulnerable ridings, like Parry Sound-Muskoka, where Minister of Health Tony Clement won his seat by a mere 28 votes in 2006. So what happened? Mr. Clement won the riding with an absolute majority: 50.2% of the vote. See what happens when you prostitute your vote?

SPECULATION ALERT: During his acceptance speech, Mr. Harper extended a hand to the other parties for the benefit of Canadians. Given his creative cabinet appointments after the last election, watch for the Prime Minister to make a similar appointment this time round. Can you say, "Elizabeth May, Minister of Splitting the Liberal Vote?" :~/

To share your thoughts about Stephen Harper, Stephen Dion, the federal election, Stephen Dion, Elizabeth May, Gilles Duceppe, the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals, the Conservatives, the NDP, the Green Party, vote swapping, Facebook, Cathy McLeod, Michael Crawford, Ken Sommerfeld, Donovan Cavers, Lloyd Robertson, Craig Oliver, Kamloops--Thompson--Cariboo, the future of this minority government, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Where Do I Vote in Kamloops--Thompson-Cariboo?

Looking for Kamloops voting locations, Kamloops polling stations, and Kamloops advance voting for the May 12, 2009 provincial election? Click here for that information

Election day is here, if you need some help finding your polling station or discovering what the process looks like, check out the information below.

I have included some cursory information lifted directly from the Elections Canada web site to assist in the event that the Elections Canada web site is down (it was responding slowly to my clicks this morning, and others have also experienced slow responses at it appears the web site has been struggling under the strain of much traffic this morning).

Do not assume that this information is correct! For definitive information, call Elections Canada at 1-866-545-0469 or 1-800-463-6868 for information on how where to vote.

Kamloops--Thompson--Cariboo electoral district:

What kind of Identification do I need?

• In order to vote, you will need, a valid piece of ID containing your photo, name, and address (a driver's licence). Or you can use two valid pieces of ID containing your name. One must also contain your address (ie. SIN card and residential telephone bill).
• If you do not have a piece of ID with the needed address on it, you can also swear an oath, and be vouched for by another elector who is registered within your designated polling division and has the  required identification.

Where do I vote?

The media contact for Elections Canada told me this morning that they do not publish a list of polling stations, as every voter has already been assigned a specific polling station. This means that you can't just walk in to any polling station and vote; if you do arrive at the wrong polling station, you will be directed to your appropriate polling station (the policy for provincial elections in BC is different).

Make sure you go to the right polling station! Call Elections Canada at either of:

• 1-866-545-0469
• 1-800-463-6868
  

Or, go online at the Elections Canada polling station database for information on your specific polling station.

Am I on the voting list?

You must contact the office of your returning officer for an answer to this question. Please contact the following returning office at this link or below:

• Main office of the returning officer:

• Location: Sahali Shopping Centre   
• Address: 945 Columbia Street West, Suite 12, Kamloops, British Columbia, V2C 1L5
• Hours of operation: Monday to Friday:  9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. 
• Name of returning officer: Carolyn Secret  
• Toll-free phone number: 1 866 545-0469 
• Toll-free fax number: 1 888 329-0264
• Additional office of the returning officer
  
  • Location: Provincial Court Building
  • Address: 160C Cedar Avenue North, 100 Mile House, British Columbia, V0K 2E0
  • Name of additional assistant returning officer: William A. Foster  
  • Toll-free phone number: 1 866 754-5432
  • Toll-free fax number: The fax number is not available. Please contact the main office of the returning officer. 

Who are the candidates?  

This list of confirmed candidates for Kamloops--Thompson--Cariboo was issued on Thursday, September 25, 2008.  

• Donovan Grube Cavers (Green Party of Canada) Status:  Confirmed
  • Name of party: Green Party of Canad
• Office phone number: (250) 374-0601
• Name of official agent: Matthew Greenwood
• Name of auditor:  Jayson Bruno
• Michael Crawford (New Democratic Party) Status:  Confirmed
• • Name of party:  New Democratic Party
  • Office phone number:  (250) 573-3677
  • Name of official agent:Mitchell Stefanek
  • Name of auditor:  Robert L. Enns
• Cathy McLeod (Conservative Party of Canada) Status:  Confirmed
• • Name of party:  Conservative Party of Canada
  • Office phone number:  (250) 434-6484
  • Name of official agent:Dennis Riccardo Piva
  • Name of auditor:  Jerry Spice 
• Ken Sommerfeld (Liberal Party of Canada) Status:  Confirmed
• • Name of party:  Liberal Party of Canada
  • Office phone number:  
  • Name of official agent:Christopher John Wilkinson
  • Name of auditor:  Jerry Spice  

To share your thoughts about Elections Canada or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Armchair Electorism

This weekend's edition of Kamloops This Week promimently featured a story about vote-swapping, entitled Vote-swapping across cyberspace. Vote-swapping, a practice in which voters from different ridings agree to strategically vote against their conscience in an attempt to influence election outcomes, has become a novelty pastime with armchair activists across Canada this election season.

The most frequent argument for vote-swapping in this campaign is that it will help coalesce the votes who are currently split between multiple parties on the centre-left, so as to overcome the party on the right (the Conservatives).

Frequently mixed in with (to the point that it is often indistinguishable from) this message is activism against Canada's First-Past-The-Post voting system. The suggestion is that if another voting system was in place, vote swapping wouldn't be necessary. David Thompson of the thetyee.ca recently posted that, "strategic voting is only necessary because Canada still suffers under the first-past-the-post system". And as the people behind Facebook's Anti-Harper Vote Swap Canada explain, the primary goals of this group consist of:

A) Allow third parties to flourish and maintain Canada's multi-party system.
B) Help stop a Harper Majority! If the Tories win big, we all lose equally.
C) Raise awareness about the need for electoral reform - people should not have to go to such lengths to ensure that their vote is not 'wasted.' No party should be elected to a majority with less than 50% of the popular vote.

It strikes me that this justification for vote-swapping has really turned the practice into a substitute for, rather than an demonstration of, electoral activism.

As posted in this space a year ago (Elector, Heal Thyself!, 07-Sep-08), building a tent big enough to  win an election and implement progressive policy is hard work...

Our electoral system is not broken, and neither is the party system. What sometimes gets broken however, is the parties themselves.

Case in point the Progressive Conservatives, which in 1993 lost all but two of their 151 seats in the House of Commons. The Bloc Québécois formed the official opposition with just 13.52% of the popular vote, while the Progressive Conservatives and Reform parties polled with 18.69% and 13.52% of the popular vote, respectively. The right took a well-deserved beating in that election, but developed such a taste for its own blood in the process that it didn't manage to put a winning formula together for another 13 years.

The solution to the right's demise was its willingness to embrace renewal while accepting a spectra of opinions within the coalition.

Now let's look at the left; the NDP has been flanked by the growth of the Green Party in both federal and provincial elections, much like the Green Party and Ralph Nader have disrupted Democratic election results in the United States. Buzz Hargrove of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) saw the writing on the wall in the run-up to the 2006 federal election, and bucked years of tradition by backing then-Prime Minister Paul Martin and the Liberal party rather than his brothers and sisters in the NDP. It didn't work, but he had the right idea.

In 1990, Robert J. Jackson and Doreen Jackson published the 2nd edition of Politics in Canada (Prentice-Hall Canada Ltd.), in which they wrote:

Electoral systems do not determine the nature of party systems, nor the type of government, majority or minority, single-party or coalition, in any country. Governmental outcomes are largely a function of the balance of party forces: the party system, in turn, is largely shaped by a country's political culture and social structure and by the electoral behaviour of its citizens.

Canada doesn't need a new electoral system, and neither does British Columbia. Why legislate, when the power to build winning coalitions already lays within the hands of the members and leaders of our political parties? The problem is that the parties on the left apparently still haven't experienced enough pain to resolve the problem on their own, hence the cry for an electoral system that will allow them to avoid the hard work of building bridges instead of silos.

For those activists who are too work averse or hard-headed to build a big tent, there's always the other option: popular support.

BC's carbon tax is a good example of how issues are often most effectively championed by the very parties that appear to be part of the problem. Gordon Campbell saw an opportunity to garner more votes by implementing a carbon tax. While the policy shift has seen a lot of criticism (from the provincial NDP, no less!), the Liberals have now effectively commandeered an issue that had been owned by the environmentally-friendly oppositon. If an issue enjoys enough support to influence widespread voting behaviour, fundamental change is not only possible, but probable, reqardless of the voting system in place.

Sadly for slacker activists, building popular support for an issue among voters sounds like a lot of work too.

It's likely that some misguided voters in this riding will swap their votes on Tuesday. But before they cast someone else's vote, I encourage them to read these thoughts presented by other Canadians (of various partisan and non-partisan stripes):

• Pundit's Guide to Canadian Federal Elections (non-partisan): Think Twice About Voting Strategically
• Dipper Chick (NDP): VOTE SWAP is a sham
• DevinJohnston.ca (NDP): Strategic Voting, Vote Swapping, and Democratic Reform
• John Laforet's Blog (Liberal): Vote Swapping Stupid, but Legal
• The Invisible Hand (Conservative): Strategic Stupidity

To share your thoughts about vote swapping, vote pairing, strategic voting, the federal election, first past the post, mixed member plurality, proportional representation, armchair activism, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Winnipeg Taxi Poll

Moncton was beautiful as we lifted off the tarmac yesterday, the sky clear and blue. But it was dark by the time we touched down in Winnipeg, and the wind that bounced us on the way down blew all night, then delivered rain this morning. 

But the political temperature of these communities is what really interests me. Our cabbie from the airport first seemed a little reluctant to discuss the politics of his fares, but opened up after a couple of minutes. He related that the discussion in his cab is focused largely between the NDP and the Conservatives; most of his customers are leaning Conservative.

That opinion coincides with the findings of a poll reported this morning in the Winnipeg Free Press, which indicates that 45% of voters plan to vote for the Tories. That number is just a touch higher than the results of the 2006 election, in which 42.8% of Manitobans tilted right, when the province sent eight Conservatives, three Liberals, and three NDP MPs to Ottawa.

This time round two of the more hotly contested Winnipeg races are Saint Boniface and Kildonan-St. Paul. Saint Boniface is a long-time Liberal stronghold with a large french-speaking population which is currently represented by back-bencher Raymond Simard. But Conservative Metis candidate
Shelly Glover has been stumping hard, and her real opportunity to steal this seat may have something to do with Mr. Harper's dramatic attempt to galvanize the vote here this afternoon, when he raised the specter of Prime Minister Dion leading the country into deeper economic turmoil.

Ms. Glover may also very well benefit from the provincial Conservative party's decision yesterday to decline funding from the province, which leader Hugh McFayden called a "vote tax". Gary Doer's government brought in the new funding formula despite widespread popular opposition, so it is possible that Mr. McFayden's stand might generate some fiscal goodwill for his federal counterparts.

In Kildonan-St. Paul Tory MP Joy Smith was a shoe-in until Stephen Dion punted Liberal candidate Lesley Hughes over her wacky conspiracy theories, at which point it became a two-way race between Ms. Smith and blind NDP candidate Ross Eadie. The prospect of a single candidate for a big centre-left tent dimmed Ms. Smith's prospects, but they brightened again last week when Ms. Hughes announced she would remain in the race as an independent. What should loyal Liberal constituents do now that they have to choose between a representative without a party, and a party without a representative? It's a mess... it's a train wreck... it's democracy!

Messy or not, it all looked good to our cab driver who related how, before he immigrated to Canada from Kurdistan, lived as a refugee for four years in Turkey after escaping from the worst of Saddam Hussein's atrocities in Halabja and elsewhere. The pride in his voice was easy to hear when he spoke of free elections in Kurdistan in 1992, and his enthusiasm for politics here in Canada is no doubt directly related to those experiences. While he declined to tell us who he planned to vote for, he was emphatic it would not be a Liberal, nor an NDP. But after hearing his story, discovering for whom this cabbie would cast his vote suddenly took a back seat to the pride we shared at the simple fact that he could cast his vote here in Canada, a land rich in freedom, security, democracy.

That's it... not much of a poll, with a sample size consisting of just one voter driving a cab, and he didn't even tell me who he's voting for! But if for who his customers say they will vote, and for who he won't vote, is any indication of the sentiment in these hard-fought ridings, Winnipeg may be even more Conservatively blue next Wednesday morning.

UPDATE: An oddly similar conversation played out this afternoon with another immigrant cabbie on the way to Winnipeg International Airport, although today's trip included some rather anxious moments as we weaved in and out of traffic a little faster than I'm used to moving while on the ground. This fellow emigrated from India in 1980, and also declined to share who he would be voting for in his riding of Elmwood—Transcona. He did however share that he would be voting against the incumbent party, and said it in a manner that seemed well practiced, like he'd had the conversation with likewise-minded friends many times.

Elmwood—Transcona and its predessecor ridings have been represented by MP Bill Blaikie for 25 years, but now veteran provincial NDP candidate Jim Maloway is up against Conservative (and former Winnipeg Jet) Thomas Steen. It doesn't look like a particularly close race, but for some reason the Anything But Conservative web site lists it as a battleground riding, despite concurrently predicting a win for Mr. Maloway by some 6,200 votes. I don't get it.

To share your thoughts about the the federal campaign, Stephen Harper, Shelly Glover, Joy Smith, Ross Eadie, Lesley Hughes, Raymond Simard, Bill Blaikie, Jim Maloway, Thomas Steen, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

Moncton Taxi Poll

My work often takes me on the road across Canada, and this evening I find myself in Moncton, New Brunswick. Although it sounds though it might warm up tomorrow, tonight Moncton is cold. In fact, as we strolled down Main Street this evening while returning from dinner, I remarked that it smelled like snow.

Weather is something about which taxi drivers nation-wide probably spend more time in conversation than they would like. But if Norm the taxi driver has had his fill of the subject, it was not apparent last night as he ferried me from the airport to downtown.

Thankfully Norm understood that weather served plain might be a bit bland for even conservative pallets, so he liberally sprinkled our one-sided conversation with enough opinions about current news, democratic parties, and sports to leaven things up.

The Liberals, long the dominant federal party in New Brunswick, are in trouble. Norm says he will vote for Conservative candidate Daniel Allain, who is up against incumbent Liberal MP Brian Murphy. In 2006 Murphy took the riding by more than 8,000 votes, but that doesn't bother Norm. He says many of his fares are thinking Conservative, which is probably why both Stephen Harper and Stephen Dion made whistle-stops here this weekend. Like the rest of the province, Moncton appears to be in play.

As does Kamloops, although it seems the needle out west has moved in the opposite direction according to a new poll commissioned by the Kamloops News (Crawford and McLeod running neck and neck as campaign revs up) and CFJC-TV. Mr. Crawford never stopped campaigning after the 2006 election, while Ms. McLeod is still largely unfamiliar.

SPECULATION ALERT: Look for Ms. McLeod's to get some front page press time this week; with Harper scheduled to touch down in Vancouver and Victoria Wednesday, and CTV's election heat-map showing little time on the ground for the Prime Minister in the west, I wouldn't be surprised to see a next-to-next-to-last-minute photo-op in Kamloops to give Ms. McLeod the small lift she needs.

UPDATE: A couple of birdies from Antigonish told me that the race in Central Nova is tightening up, with Green Party leader Elizabeth May benefiting from her strong showing in the leadership debate. According to a Metro Halifax/CTV News poll, Mr. McKay now leads with 39% support, as opposed to 22% for Ms. May and 19% for NDP candidate Louise Lorefice. Is it possible this poll has missed a shift in support that will only become evident next week?

To share your thoughts about the the federal campaign, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Stephen Dion, Brian Murphy, Daniel Allain, the race in Moncton, the race in Kamloops, Michael Crawford, Cathy McLeod, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).

When the 'Loops Was Won

The federal election is what... ten days away? I used to attend all the debates, knock on doors, work the phones, whatever, I was really into it. I still love politics, but quite frankly I've become little lazy. If the issues and candidates can't connect with me via the newspaper on my doorstep, the TV or computer in my den, or the radio in my truck, they no longer get my attention. And if they can't get their message to me, I'm not sure they really deserve my attention.

But pity those poor politicians, I guess they still deserve me.

This afternoon Mike Youds of the Kamloops Daily News called, looking for some local opinion on what have become the driving issues of this federal election The economy? Nope. The environment? Nope. The main issue from my perspective is leadership.

Many people who I never would have expected have warmed up to Stephen Harper over the past couple of years, to the point now that it appears he might very well carry the Conservatives into majority territory.The Liberals have thankfully allowed Dion's Green Shift to die on the vine in favour of something more concrete: attacking Mr. Harper's credibility. Unfortunately they don't have a leader to which the undecided are likely to consider switching their vote, so the best they can hope for is to entice home some of the Harper Liberals who have lost their fear of the Conservative brand. Meanwhile, the the NDP are playing a similar tune; their prominently placed election ads online and on the tube position Mr. Harper as a corporate lackey while promoting Jack Layton's "strong" physical/political profile (as above). The first time I saw it, the surprise was that Mr. Layton didn't actually lift his shirt and flex his chiseled abs.

The big three federal parties have each now couched the election in terms of leadership. However things play out at that level, the campaign may actually shape the outcome. That's not the case at the local level, at least not here in Kamloops.

In this riding, Conservative candidate Cathy McLeod is a complete unknown, the only way she could become a factor is if she makes a mistake. But if she doesn't make a mistake, Ken Sommerfeld and Michael Crawford are really up against Betty Hinton. Without the fangs.

Of the two gentlemen, Mr. Crawford is the one who in my opinion has most obviously never stopped campaigning since the last election. It's a good strategy, which seems to have paid off handsomely for the Conservatives federally. But Betty Hinton also campaigned hard over the past two and a half years, during which she delivered an enormous amount of funding as our member of government. No matter how hard or well Messrs. Sommerfeld and Crawford have campaigned, I'd be a little surprised if Kamloopsians, having had a taste of government, return to sending underdogs back to Ottawa.

In politics as in most things, the people who work hard first have an opportunity to reap the benefits later. Here in Kamloops the hard work has already been done, and the election has likely already been decided as a result. The twist is that the lady who won this race isn't even on the ballot.

To share your thoughts about the the federal campaign, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Stephen Dion, the local campaign, Ken Sommerfeld, Michael Crawford, Betty Hinton, Cathy McLeod, or anything else about this post with Right Up Your Alley: Kamloops readers, just click on "Comments" (below).