Position what? Ballerinas pose for photo op ~ Photo by Denese Izzard-Ferris

Gabriola Dance has successful first performance

Ballerinas of Mara Brenner’s Gabriola Dance, ages two and a half years to 16, gave an enchanting afternoon performance at the Haven’s Phoenix Auditorium on Feb.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
Trustees reject draft survey; insist Planner follow resolution

Local Trustees rejected a proposed Island-wide survey about the Official Community Plan (OCP) review at their Feb.

CONTROVERSIAL USES?
Commons rezoning bid needs context, backers say

Proponents of the Gabriola Commons rezoning application recognise that a few of the uses for which they are applying are controversial, but they believe this would be less likely if those uses were understood in context.

Trust Finance Committee responds to input; drops proposed budget increase

Millstone and saw: Some of the artefacts to be found at the Gabriola museum. See story page 2. ~ Photo by Chris Bowers

Museum Society: eyes on the past; big plans for future

“If you come, then we can do it”, Gabriola Museum and Historical Society (GMHS) President Mary Wohlleben enthuses about the society’s plans for the Gabriola Museum.

Trust committee funds bicycle path report

Local trustees have agreed to pay $400 to a group calling itself the ad hoc Gabriola Transportation Committee (GTC) for a report on an “on-road” cycling path plan to improve cycling safety and encourage greater use of bicycles on the island.

Greenhouse gas emissions bylaw moves towards completion

NO – SERIOUSLY?
Is legalising illegal suites really an option?

Is a legalisation of secondary suites really a viable solution that will be seriously considered in the new Official Community Plan (OCP) given that it will increase density, and put “real strains on septic and water supply”?

Bylaws enforcement

Biodiesel conversion, natural building technologies added

Backers of the Gabriola Commons rezoning application to expand the uses permitted on the North Road property have added to their rezoning application wish list.

Gabriola property owner arrested for Port Alberni grow op

McRaes to receive recognition for protecting woods near Village

Farmers gathered to discuss growing food for local commercial kitchens. ~ Photo submitted by Louise Amuir

Gabriola growers discuss local food distribution

On March 1 some of Gabriola’s farmers and produce growers met in the Haven dining room to discuss with local restaurant operators how to get more local food into the commercial kitchens of Gabriola.

Regional District considers Green Wharf adoption

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is looking into taking responsibility for Green Wharf, a Gabriola Island facility used regularly by Mudge Islanders, during medical emergencies, and by BC Ferries when the Descanso Bay dock is unusable.

Position what? Ballerinas pose for photo op ~ Photo by Denese Izzard-Ferris

Gabriola Dance has successful first performance

Ballerinas of Mara Brenner’s Gabriola Dance, ages two and a half years to 16, gave an enchanting afternoon performance at the Haven’s Phoenix Auditorium on Feb.

Dona Bradley (left), and Tsiporah Grignon (right), stand in front of the Gabriola Food Charter. ~ Photo by Chris Bowers

Valuable information exchanged at food forum

A committed group of islanders learned a great deal from each other at a Feb.

Elementary students win green grant for lunch programme

Heading up South Road from Degnen Bay Road ~ Photo by Chris Bowers

Moving house

Despite a couple of close encounters with power lines at Gossip Corner off Bevmaril Cres.

Trust revenues to drop $330,000 next fiscal year

The Islands Trust federation will receive $330,00 less in revenues for the fiscal year 2010/11 due to reductions in rezoning applications, interest on savings, and grants, Local Trust Committee (LTC) Chair Louise Bell reported at the January LTC meeting.

DOING THE MATH

Debating the data on downzoning

Does downzoning - reducing the uses or number of dwellings allowed on a property - open the possibility of a legal challenge?

OCP review committee adds consideration of economic, environmental issues to agenda

A number of issues were noted for further discussion by the Official Community Plan (OCP) Volunteer Review Committee (VRC) as they ploughed through about one third of the plan at their Feb.

APC grapples with iffy bylaw enforcement

If a legal bylaw cannot be enforced, then there is a “credibility issue” on Gabriola according to Advisory Planning Commission (APC) Commissioner Stewart Denholm, and he thinks a new bylaw dispute adjudication process being offered to the Trust islands might address it.

Conversation creates community resilience queries

Trustees attempt to make LTC meetings more accessible to the public

RCMP investigate two break-ins on Gabriola

Gabriola food depot receives $2,000 from Thrifty Foods customers

Many improvements made to community hall in 2009

Suzy the front counter. “It will be good to have some time just to live on this beautiful island and learn to hang out” ~ Photo by Chris Bowers

Suzy says so long, after nine years

Suzy’s restaurant, an Island centre for fine cuisine, coffee and conversation for the past nine years, is up for sale.

‘No new density’ policy still good, says Lund

The current Official Community Plan (OCP) focuses primarily on preventing an increase in density and the future plan should as well, past Islands Trust (IT) Trustee, Gail Lund declared at the Feb.

Gabriola’s ‘downtown’ growth worries review panel presenter

Harmac evacuation drill attracts Gabriola curiosity

Horns and sirens announcing what Nanaimo RCMP reported to be an evacuation drill at the Harmac pulp mill attracted interest from across Gabriola according to Paula Mallinson of the Gabriola Fire Department.

‘Permaculture’ backers call for community feedback

Young would like to practice permaculture on their Gabriola Island property as well as grow a sustainable forest on their land, and they want to hear what Gabriolans think about their ideas.

Over 15,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions were released on Gabriola in 2008, says the report by Island Futures ~ Graph submitted by Fay Weller

Trust committee queries targets/ramifications in draft climate change policy

Proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of 15 per cent by 2015, and 85 per cent by 2050 were queried by Trustee Sheila Malcolmson at the Jan.

Radio Society to host National Community Radio Conference

The Gabriola Radio Society (GRS) will host the 2010 National Community Radio Conference here on Gabriola Island, Ken Zakreski, president and developer of GRS told the Shingle in a Jan.

CRTC should regulate tariffs; fund community radio, says Gabriola Radio president

Community feedback to launch OCP review, trustees decide

Trustees clarify review committee’s terms of reference

Trustees took some time to clarify the role and terms of reference (TOR) of the Official Community Plan (OCP) Volunteer Review Committee (VRC) at their Jan.

Cornell adjusting to ‘life on the outside’

Cliff Cornell, ex-US Serviceman and exiled Gabriolan, is getting used to being free again, after serving an 11-month jail term in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Beach ramp could cost $30,000

Rob at ‘work’ in Swaziland ~ Photo submitted by Rob Plowright

GABRIOLA – HAITI – KAMLOOPS CONNECTION
BC construction charity expands into Haiti

Gabriolan Rob Plowright says Developing World Connections (DWC), “a Kamloops-based, volunteer-driven, registered Canadian charity” with which he volunteers has added Haiti to the list of countries it will visit to help build needed housing and community infrastructure.

HISTORY BUFFS
Looking for copies of video "The Last Pole"

Dear Editor, Twenty years ago this March, Shaw cable was hooked up to Gabriola Island, and the first program ('The Last Pole') produced here was recorded.

Editorial
Trustees’ OCP agenda must be followed

Local trustees were right to insist at their last meeting that Planner Patricia Maloney revise a community survey on the Official Community Plan (OCP) to reflect their instructions (see article this edition).

The View from Here

Green Wharf - Good idea for the Regional District of Nanaimo to look into taking over the Green Wharf.

Kids’ Corner
Stories and poems from Kate Reynolds’ grade three class.

Ten Little Frogs By Devon Burroughs and Jacklin Buckingham Ten little frogs all feeling fine One hopped away and now there are nine.

Dear Gord #48

Ah Mr. Premier, you must be basking in the afterglow of the Olympic experience.

Waging Words
Civil rights and national sovereignty – who needs ‘em?

There was a kind of balance to the news that Stephen Harper, who single-handedly has been responsible for more kidney chops to the infra-structure of Canadian democracy than any Prime Minister since the early 1900’s, decided to prorogue parliament until after the Olympics – which in itself is becoming one of the world’s most anti-democratic organisations.

Editorial
Treasonous governments and other turn-offs

Some treacheries are so large that it takes a while to take them in.

The View from Here

Funds - Good work on the island raising money to help the people in Haiti.

Kids’ Corner

Democracy Watch
Wake up Canada

Well, so we protested against prorogation.

Waging Words
Scientists can ill afford to be human

Albert Einstein once said that the perfect scientist would be one who had made every possible mistake; that being the case, his last findings must be the truth.

Guest Editorial
Get Back To Work And Stop Playing Political Games On Our Dime; A commentary on behalf of the National Farmers Union-Ontario

I am starting to think that farmers have chosen the wrong profession in terms of economic return.

The View from Here

Legalizing the illegal Surely it’s very poor thinking if our elected trustees plan to make the illegal suites on the island legal.

Dear Gord #47

Mr. Premier, you seem to have kept a fairly low profile for the last few weeks, although there has been a lot going on politically.

Was that our democracy?

Prorogation protest again, eh? I notice that the media is trying to keep legs under this paid holiday Harper is giving those hard working parliamentarians we send to Ottawa to sort out the people’s business.

Governing the Commons workshop

The View from Here

Green Wharf - Good idea for the Regional District of Nanaimo to look into taking over the Green Wharf.

Kids’ Corner
Stories and poems from Kate Reynolds’ grade three class.

Ten Little Frogs By Devon Burroughs and Jacklin Buckingham Ten little frogs all feeling fine One hopped away and now there are nine.

Northern flicker by suet feeder ~ Photo by Sharon McInnes

Just for the Birds
To Feed or Not To Feed

“By feeding the birds, you could change their evolutionary fate”.

Dear Gabby

I’m a writer and I’m sure I have a unique problem.

Behind the Garden Gate

Dear Gord #48

Ah Mr. Premier, you must be basking in the afterglow of the Olympic experience.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker handiwork ~ Photo by Liz Ciocea

GROWLS Prowls
Wildlife trees

Wildlife trees are some of the most valuable ecological components of forested areas.

Food for thought
Food Security, Sovereignty & Sustainability

As I am an advocate of local and organic farming, the meanings of food security, food sustainability and food sovereignty often come up in discussions about the future of agriculture.

Official Community Plan Review Strategic Plan
As submitted to the Local Trust committee by Trustee Deborah Ferens

OCP/LUB Review MISSION To produce the highest quality Official Community Plan (OCP) and Land Use Bylaws (LUB) for Gabriola Island and the two smaller islands Breakwater & Entrance as well as the Flattop Islands and to ensure the meaningful and relevant participation of the community, to support the focused energy of the Volunteer Review Committee (VRC) in a cost effective and timely manner.

Year of the Clinic

Waging Words
Civil rights and national sovereignty – who needs ‘em?

There was a kind of balance to the news that Stephen Harper, who single-handedly has been responsible for more kidney chops to the infra-structure of Canadian democracy than any Prime Minister since the early 1900’s, decided to prorogue parliament until after the Olympics – which in itself is becoming one of the world’s most anti-democratic organisations.

MyWord
The Russky. A Mostly True Story.

One Friday afternoon, just after school let out, I heard a knock at my front door.

A Modest Opinion
Global Warming: maybe still an issue

I’ve been feeling a little confused for some time now.

Dear Gabby

I’ve been seeing my girlfriend for ten years now.

HMCS Saskatchewan Artificial Reef off Snake Island. Approximate depth of 85 feet. ~ Photo by Michael Mehta

Focus on the Future
Building biodiversity: The case for artificial reefs in the Strait of Georgia

Although the waters around Gabriola Island look relatively pristine, a battle is raging below the surface.

The View from Here

Funds - Good work on the island raising money to help the people in Haiti.

Kids’ Corner

Bobby Paul in his carrot field ~ Photo by Chris Bowers

Partners in Produce
Elgie Road Farm: strays, collections, carrots, and co-ops

The two converted school buses and randomly “stored” cars and farm equipment on the property are just some of the things that point to the rich history of Gabriola’s Elgie Road Farm.

Good Citizen’s Award Feb. 2010
Gordon and Laurie McDonald

Consistently kind/helpful year in and year out A long time ago when the Island population was about 300 and most of us who live here now had never heard of Gabriola or didn’t even live in Canada, something extraordinary happened.

On the Line

Democracy Watch
Wake up Canada

Well, so we protested against prorogation.

Indigenous Peruvians organise culturally sensitive eco-cultural tours of their lands

Dear Gabby

I know this is a delicate subject for your column, but why is it that women’s public washrooms are always such a mess?

Year of the Clinic

The World Day of Prayer:

The age of no consequences

Waging Words
Scientists can ill afford to be human

Albert Einstein once said that the perfect scientist would be one who had made every possible mistake; that being the case, his last findings must be the truth.

MyWord
Tooth Fairy Gone Bad

During the early years of my life the tooth fairy came often.

A Modest Opinion
Because I’m a real journalist

Alright, time for me to own up.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Dear Gabby

With all the recent talk about shopping locally, and with the addition of the new Madrona Centre, the question came to my mind “Does Gabby shop on Gabriola and if so, where?”

Food for Thought
I want to buy local and organic food but why is it so expensive?

As we begin a new year/new decade we may be deciding to try eating more locally grown food.

The View from Here

Legalizing the illegal Surely it’s very poor thinking if our elected trustees plan to make the illegal suites on the island legal.

Young barred owl ~ Photo by Gary Prideaux

Just for the Birds
The Owl & the Robins

It was a peaceful spring afternoon Dennis and I were relaxing on the back deck, happily watching hummers careen around the yard when the forest across the road erupted in wild chirping.

GROWLS Prowls

Eagle Dates Everything about the Bald Eagle is impressive, from its majestic two meter plus wingspan to its enormous nests weighing a tonne or more.

Dear Gabby

My husband is so cheap that I find it very difficult to get money out of him.

Commons Community Kitchen coming soon!

At 86 ft long and 26 ft high this wall in North Vancouver on Forbes and Esplanade shows the view from the wall itself with the twin spires, the Spirit Trail which runs close by and the famous Lions of Twin Peaks. By any standards this was a huge undertaking for an 81 year old lady. At just over 5 ft tall Jane stands dwarfed by her own painting! Apparently Jane is undeterred by size and the grand scale of this work ~ Photo by Yanek Wasiatycz

Bryan Adams and mother – the Gabriola connection

Last February, West Vancouver friend, Linsey Keats, a Director of the Spirit of BC, North Shore, for the 2010 Cultural Olympics, phoned us with exciting news: she and Bryan Adams’ mother, Jane Adams-Clark, Feature Artist for this program, were coming to Nanaimo for Bryan’s concert at The Port Theatre.

Dear Gord #47

Mr. Premier, you seem to have kept a fairly low profile for the last few weeks, although there has been a lot going on politically.

Behind the Garden Gate

GABRIOLA FILM FESTIVAL 2010

REVIEW

Museum News

Was that our democracy?

Prorogation protest again, eh? I notice that the media is trying to keep legs under this paid holiday Harper is giving those hard working parliamentarians we send to Ottawa to sort out the people’s business.

MyWord
The Odd Couple

For the past three weeks I have had a sort of gate keeper on my property.

Middle School another choice

Dear Editor, Re: Grade 8/9 school I would like to respond to some comments which may confuse some of your readers that were made by June Harrison in the January 11 issue of the Shingle.

Nanaimo District Secondary a good school

Dear Editor, I will preface this letter by stating that I think the middle school option is a great idea for some students.

An initial comment

In praise of Wendy - and adjournment

Water must stay on ALR lands to be sustainable

Dear Editor, The Island Trust has voted two to one to refer an application for a permit to extract bulk groundwater from Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) land for non-farm use, to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).

Vessel Assist ready to tender water ambulance bid

Thanks Judy!

HST initiative

Volunteer volunteer coordinator at PHC

Help for Haiti ‘heartbreaking and inspiring’

Looking for old video

Waste recovery programme is ‘non-compost mentis’

Dear Editor, Beginning with the insulting accusation that most of us are unclear about the principles of solid waste management and ending with a call to conform to the unconscious tyranny of mediocrity that is the rest of the world, J.

Boarding homes make density reversible

Dear Editor, RE: ‘No booting allowed’ in your Feb. 8 issue

Real estate consumer choices

Needles at the Market

Dear Editor, Back in September 2009 Gabriola Island RCMP began to hear of syringes being found near the large rocks around the back of the Village Market, and in the public washroom.

Museum mysteries partially solved

Indy media tells it like it is re: Haiti

Dear Editor, Re: Aid STILL not getting to Haitians For those concerned about what is happening in Haiti current, pertinent, and correct information is available through ‘Democracy Now!’.

Outdoor assembly needed at the Commons

Dear Editor, In the Jan.

Haiti concert: a Job well done

Child poverty ‘crazy economics’

Profitable garbage only?

BOND TO DOE:
Your lips are moving but I can’t (won’t?) hear you

Honourable Shirley Bond Minister of Transportation Dear Minister, You have on file, I know, several letters expressing the concerns of Gabriolans on the use of a material known as Texada Gravel by Emcon Services on the unpaved roads of Gabriola Island.

CANADA: Canada Successfully Destroys Parody Websites
Climate policy remains deplorable

The government of Canada has used strong-arm tactics to shut down two parody websites criticizing Canada's poor environmental policy, taking down 4500 other websites in the process.

BC: MEMPR- ENGO ENERGY FORUM VIDEO CONFERNCE MEETING
DECEMBER 9, 2009

1. My presentation is on behalf of the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 1
Déjà vu All Over Again

I began this series of articles at a time when the Snuneymuxw treaty negotiations were in full swing and it had become clear that lands on Gabriola would be among those involved in the treaty settlement.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 2
One Little Two Little Three Little White Men…

We return to our intrepid Empire builders on the shores of North America somewhere around the mid 1500's.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 3
Four Thousand, Five Thousand, Six Thousand White Men…

Stage One Continued If you tuned in to the ongoing saga of First Nations relationships with European infiltrators at or after the Oka standoff, you will be surprised to discover that the French colonials were originally seen as the invaders of choice, before “Wolf the Dauntless Hero came and planted firm Britannia's flag”, etc.,

As Long as the Rivers Run: 4
Seventy Thousand, Eighty Thousand, Ninety Thousand White Men…

Stage One Goes On… We left our First Nations heroes on the cusp of getting involved, without benefit of counsel, in legal discussions with some not very nice empire builders (or is “nice empire builder" an oxymoron?).

As Long as the Rivers Run: 5
Millions of Little White Men

The End of Stage One While our First Nations protagonists are coming to terms with the reality that the white man's government cannot be trusted, let me explain how the Europeans of the 18th century made peace with themselves over their rude behaviour as guests in other peoples' lands.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 6
A Few Missed Bits

As we have arrived at the end of stage one of the European invasion of Canada, there are three loose ends that I want to weave into the fabric of our narrative.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 7
Knocking Them Down

Stage Two Shingle readers may recall that the British invasion of Canada was effected through three stages (Sucking them in, knocking them down, and sitting on them).

As Long as the Rivers Run: 8
Of Agents, Bureaucracies, Missionaries and Other Deadly Weapons

Stage Two goes on Last article we looked at how the colonial government used the Indian Act, and the Indian Commissions to “knock down” (render irrelevant) First Nations' resistance to the theft of their lands.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 9
Education, the Great Equaliser

A Stage Two AND a Stage Three Affair Education of Canada’s Aboriginal children has been a handy little device used to accomplish two goals for the price of one.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 10
Education, the Great Equaliser, Part Dos

OK. Let’s review. What is the “big deal” about education for First Nations and other Aboriginals?

As Long as the Rivers Run: 11
And Then There’s BC … Perfecting the Performance of Passing the Buck, OR The Sins of the Great-Great-Grandfathers.

BC, being the hardest part of Canada to reach from Europe, was the last province of Canada to be invaded by the Europeans.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 12
What Goes Around, Comes Around

Stage Four: the Resistance FINALLY!

As long as the Rivers Run: 13
The Resistance: the Tip of the Iceberg

Stage Four Now that we’ve dealt with the 1885 rebellion, let’s look at the more typical ways in which Canada’s indigenous peoples resisted colonization.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 14
The Resistance Continues…

As we’ve seen, First nations and Metis became separate communities towards the end of the 18th century.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 15
And Then There’s BC… Part Two

The Resistance Continues As mentioned previously, there were positive aspects about the fact that BC was the last province of Canada to be invaded by Europe.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 16
The Ice Beneath The Waters: The Heart of the Resistance

Perhaps you have noticed that except for BC, there was little or no overt resistance by the Aboriginal communities to colonisation, between the 1895 rebellion, and the resurgence of activism in the early 1920’s.

As long as the Rivers Run: 17
The Bottom Line

I have no qualms in embracing the label of “bleeding heart socialist”, and it will surprise no-one that I reject the neo-classical religio-economic belief system.

As Long as the Rivers Run: 18
Last Thoughts and Loose Ends

Once more I’ve come to the end of this discussion.

Frequently Asked Questions About First-Past-the-Post and BC-STV

Following is the first of two sets of FAQs about the Single Transferable Vote, and our current voting system.

No common ground on voting systems

The debate on BC’s proposed shift to a Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral system charged into high gear March 17 at a public forum at the Community Hall.

How the STV proposal came to be

Thanks to a strange accident of circumstances in which Gordon Campbell won popular support but lost the election in 1996, then nearly wiped out the New Democrats in 2001 with only fifty seven per cent of the popular vote, he kept a promise made in opposition (one of the few he has ever kept), and proposed to make a change to our electoral system.

Denise Savoie and Jean Crowder open the forum ~ Photo by Chris Bowers

VOTING FORUM
Power to the people? It’s not happening

The real problem with democracy is that power is increasingly coalescing in the offices of party leaders, according to Vancouver Island University (VIU) prof.

Proportional Representation:
Why the Citizens’ Assembly chose the Single Transferable Vote

Why is the single transferable vote (STV) the other choice of voting system for BC on the referendum this coming May 12, 2009?

Dear Gord #48

Ah Mr. Premier, you must be basking in the afterglow of the Olympic experience.

Dear Gord #47

Mr. Premier, you seem to have kept a fairly low profile for the last few weeks, although there has been a lot going on politically.

Dear Gord 46

Well Mr. Premier, you must be getting excited what with presenting yourself as a poster boy at the Copenhagen Climate Change conference, and then Christmas, and then the Olympics just a few short weeks away.

Fried: Sunny Side up
(A slightly sardonic series of satirical ruminations on the federal political scene.)

God knows I try to make sense of the political antics in this fair country.

Dear Gord 45

Well Mr. Premier, it’s been an interesting few days with all this Olympic excitement.

Dear Gord 44

Now Mr. Premier, hang on to your hat.

Dear Gord 43

If what you and Minister Hansen say is true (and even previous Liberal Minister Christy Clark is having trouble swallowing this line) and you didn’t think about the idea of the HST until the election was over, I’d like to suggest that you and your Minister not think about a few other things.

Dear Gord 42

So Mr. Premier, this harmonized sales tax thing appears to have not been well received by the citizens of BC.

Dear Gord 41

Well Mr. Premier, you’ve been unnaturally quiet since your successful bid to reclaim your political throne.

Dear Gord 40

Well Mr. Premier, you did it.

Dear Gord 39

Mr. Premier, hopefully this is the second last missive I shall be penning to your right honourable self.

Dear Gord 38

With a provincial election just around the corner and remembering that it’s always good to look at where we’ve been to better see where we might be going, I thought it advisable to compile a list of your government’s actions, decisions and their consequences over the past few years just to remind voters and to provide some sense of where we would be heading should your government get re-elected on May 12.

Dear Gord 37

Mr. Premier, I wonder, has anyone mentioned to you that there’s an election coming up in May?

Dear Gord 36

As the May election approaches, I’ve become increasingly aware of the fact that politics, at least the way we appear to be currently practising this art in BC and in Canada, seems to be increasingly negative, partisan, divisive and unhealthy.

Dear Gord 35

Well, welcome to 2009 Mr.

Dear Gord 34

You know Mr. Premier, I’ve been a political junkie for as long as I can remember.

Dear Gord 33

Well Mr. Premier, it was interesting to see you on television a couple of weeks ago when you presented your ten point solution to address the economic tsunami and the impacts it might have on our fair province.

Dear Gord 32

Mr. Premier, in spite of establishing dates for both the spring and fall sittings of the legislature, you have once again cancelled the fall sitting.

Dear Gord 31

Gord, Gord, Gord. I continue to be amazed at the new lows to which both your government and your political associate Prime Minister Harper will sink!

Dear Gord 30

Mr. Premier, I realize you’re in Beijing at the moment, enjoying the Olympics.

Dear Gord 29

Well Mr. Premier, you’ve managed to be spoken of by almost every citizen of British Columbia on Canada Day and beyond.

Mainlanders react to another increase in highway tolls

Tongue-in-Cheek Press People living on the mainland of British Columbia and in the interior are once again complaining about the newest increase to highway tolls recently announced by the BC Highways Corporation.

Dear Gord 28

Well Mr. Premier, you and your band of merry Ministers must be pleased with yourselves having finished off this session of the Legislative Assembly with your signature blend of arrogance, partisan pomposity, and your obvious distain for accepted parliamentary procedure.

Dear Gord 27

Well Mr. Premier, it’s been an interesting month!

Dear Gord 26

Mr. Premier, I appreciate that you’re busy but, I’m surprised, nay astonished, that you haven’t had one personal comment or reaction about the increase in BC Ferries fares over the past five years.

Dear Gord 25

Mr. Premier! It would appear that certain of your Ministers and minions have a remarkable tendency to develop recurring cases of hoof and mouth disease!

Dear Gord 24

Mr. Premier, there are a number of things that have caught my attention in the last little while.

Dear Gord 24

Mr. Premier, there are a number of things that have caught my attention in the last little while.

Dear Gord 23

Well Happy New Year Mr.

Dear Gord 22

Well Mr. Premier, it’s getting close to the end of the year, and I figured this would be a great time to take a look at the overall performance of you and your government over the past twelve months.

Dear gord 21

Ah Mr. Premier, although you’ve provided me with enough material to write a daily column lately, what with the extra few bucks that the new Vancouver Convention Centre will cost us (over 400 additional million, wasn’t it?)

Dear Gord 20

Well Mr. Premier, you do keep me on my toes – metaphorically speaking.

Dear Gord 19

Well Mr. Premier, it feels like summer’s over and I’m looking forward to the excitement that comes with the fall session of the Provincial Legislature.

Dear Gord 17

Hope you’re enjoying your summer Mr.

Dear Gord 16

Mr. Premier, I just wanted to take this opportunity to review the events of the past few weeks for your government, tie up a few loose ends and get ready for summer.

Dear Gord 15

Mr. Premier, every time I even remotely consider terminating this one-sided dialogue with your honourable self, you serve me up a platter of new and deeply disconcerting decisions that pull me back into the process and leave me aghast with your apparent capacity to be out of touch with the world the rest of us appear to inhabit!

Dear Gord 14

Well congratulations on finally getting to meet the Governator!

Dear Gord 13

Gord! I thought I was going to be able to leave you for a while, hoping that the antics of your superegos, Stephen and George, would attract my attention.

Dear gord 12

Well Mr. Premier, as much as I’ve enjoyed our admittedly one way conversations over the past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that I must admit that it doesn’t seem to be having the impact I had hoped for when we began this monologue.

Dear Gord 11

So welcome to 2007 Mr.

Dear Gord 10

As it’s getting close to Christmas and Chanukah, I thought I’d send out my wish list for BC for this time of year.First

Dear Gord 9

So when I got back from vacation, I heard that you cancelled the regular fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly because it was reported you stated that debating issues in the Legislature was nothing but 'busy work'.

Dear Gord 8

As much as I value our in-depth conversations, my focus this time is on your philosophical colleague, Stephen (Steve) Harper.

Dear Gord 7

Well it’s summer and in the fine tradition of your government, you’ve managed to slide some hefty pay increases to the senior political staff and top bureaucrats, arguing that “we have to make sure that we have compensation that's fair and reasonable.”

Dear Gord 6

Let’s talk about BC Ferries this time and let’s cut through the bureaucratic mumble-jumble and the pretension that BC Ferries is a private corporation.

Dear Gord 4

You know Gord, as much as I enjoy our ongoing (admittedly one-sided ) conversation, at the moment my attention has been ripped from your exploits and riveted on those of the newly minted, minority Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his hordes of Republican wannabes.

Dear Gord 3

Well it’s been while since I’ve taken pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard.)

Dear Gord 2

When I first contemplated penning a regular missive to your right honourable self, I thought perhaps it might be both cathartic (for me) and an incentive to at least consider looking at the decisions you and your government are making in a different light.

Dear Gord 1

It would appear that your plan to completely privatize BC Ferries and to ensure that only the wealthy will be able to afford to live on the Gulf Islands is close to success.