Frankly Speaking

  John Horgan is likely to lead the NDP to its biggest win ever in B.C. The party could win more than 50 seats in Saturday's election. The NDP are likely to win a substantial majority government in Saturday’s election. It looks like the party could end up with more than 50 seats. This would be the most seats the party has ever held in the B.C. Legislature, and it is likely to win seats in areas where it has never or hardly ever won before. The final results won’t be in until two weeks after the election, due to more than 700,000 mail-in ballots which are a direct result of holding an election during a pandemic, but it is still quite likely that B.C. residents will find out on Saturday that there will be an NDP majority. Residents will still be waiting for results in close ridings, which will probably number about 15. In the Lower Mainland, the NDP’s second-best stronghold after Vancouver Island, the NDP is likely to win a number of seats the BC Liberals have held since at least 199...

Mission Mayor Randy Hawes - photo courtesy of the Mission Record An editorial I wrote for this week's Mission Record, suggesting the importance of taking the long view on water supply: Mission Mayor Randy Hawes makes an excellent point about water, as residents of Mission and most parts of B.C. live through some of the driest conditions in memory. Hawes asks this question. If communities such as Mission are bumping up against Stage 4 water restrictions this year,  how will any of them ever be able to supply enough water to their residents when the population is much larger in the future? Virtually every planner, public agency and citizen is predicting such a population gain. Hawes says it’s time for some serious long-term planning for a sufficient water supply, not just for Mission and Abbotsford, who currently share water resources, but for the entire Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley region. He told Mission council Tuesday that Harrison Lake is one of the be...