Can you hear it? That large whoosh you hear blowing over the Sunshine Coast is the sound of 41 people collectively letting out their breath.
For the past month we’ve been inundated with the political process. With the exception of the Pender Harbour/Egmont and Halfmoon Bay areas where either the serving politicians are perfect or no one else is interested, the Coast has been an example of the democratic process in action.
It’s been exciting to see so many people engaged this election. We doubt there’s ever been a better race. When was the last time you saw people turned away in droves from an all-candidates forum? Most other years you could have shot a cannon off in the meeting venue and only damaged the building.
Some years it has been a horse race in only one area of the Coast, but this year even long-time candidates are feeling the winds of change. This time around the debates have captured the public’s interest. Young people are taking part. And older people who are comfortable in their own skin and not looking for a reason to feel put-upon have welcomed the youth presence. After all, what’s the point of having all that wisdom if there’s no one to share it with?
At times the heat has been a little too much for some of those in the kitchen. There have been accusations of dirty politicking, of truth stretching, of battles being fought in social media where no matter how wrong the information there’s never a way to correct it for all to see.
There are people who say, quite rightly we feel, that they have been denied the right to exercise their franchise. Why, we wonder, didn’t the provincial government change the election date to earlier in the fall? Surely we can’t be the only jurisdiction in B.C. that’s home to many Snowbirds. If they could add a year to the mandate, why couldn’t they move the date up at the same time. And just why is the SCRD the only local government that can’t figure out a mail-in ballot?
Now it’s all down to the wire. The politicking is in its last throes and then, for better or worse, all those democratic men and women will be getting on with the rest of their lives.
To all the people who had the guts to put themselves out there this fall, we say thanks for making the Coast such an interesting place to live. We’re so happy we were along for the ride.
And remember folks, it can’t be said too many times — vote as you please, but please vote.
