Why BCers need to VOTE LOCAL OCT.17th

 

With media focussed on Premier Eby's snap provincial election, local elections a week earlier are being forgotten.  Here's a Letter to the Editor I submitted to local papers:

Do the chronic non-voters of BC think local government is just a sideshow? Apparently they do.

Having complained about soaring bills, cratering infrastructure and tone-deaf City Council all year, the same stubbornly un-savvy public is poised to miss the Oct 17 municipal elections - again. 

In their usual short-sightedness, a staggering number of our neighbours routinely ignore the very councils that control our daily lives. With Eby's provincial snap-election just one week later, the media-distracted masses are treating our civic races like a joke. BIG MISTAKE.

Local councils hold the keys to community-level climate resilience, developer-beholden housing choices and millions in grassroots funding. Leaving these seats to be filled by default will let the data-center pushers and status-quo simps have their way - i.e. what happens when voter turnout drops below 35%!  

Wake up BC! Stop letting backsliders make our decisions. Grab your ID, head to your voting station Oct 17 and choose govt reps who will represent you, not pawns of corporate resource-rape and worse.

To do otherwise isn't just lazy - it's undemocratic.

In a recent email, My Sea To Sky said it much better:

Take action! Vote4Tomorrow on October 17

My Sea to Sky volunteers have developed an independent voter guide called Vote4Tomorrow Vote4Tomorrow  

to support community groups across BC to evaluate where local candidates stand on climate and environmental policies.

The election tool profiles 828 candidates in 34 communities and regional districts across BC.

Check out your candidates, and make a plan to vote in the upcoming local election!

Why we're making climate action an election issue

While the polls show voters are worried about affordability, what many people don't realize is how climate change is making life more expensive.

Rising food costs, higher insurance premiums, and bigger energy bills. Our taxes also go up to pay to repair public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings damaged by severe weather.

By investing in climate action we can:

🚲Reduce energy and transportation costs

👷Develop more sustainable economies and jobs

🌿Protect ecosystems and biodiversity

🔥Reduce pollution

🌞Improve human health and well-being

👏Create a more prosperous, just, and equitable society.

Local climate leadership is critical

Our provincial and federal leaders are expanding fossil fuels as B.C. communities burn. Climate scientists are warning that we must take action now.

We need to elect local leaders who will prepare our communities to protect against future climate disasters, keep everyone safe, ensure food and water security, improve energy security, and keep critical infrastructure working.

Local governments are uniquely positioned to take a leading role on climate action as decisions on land use, buildings, transport, and waste are largely controlled at the local level.

Voting tip!

When you vote, only vote for the candidates you want elected. If that is one mayor and four councillors, only put down those five names.

For council, the top six candidates with the most votes are elected, so if you vote for someone that you don't really want elected, that may bump your preferred candidates out of the top six.

GET INFORMED AND VOTE!

Did you know that average voter turnout was only 36% in the 2022 local election?

Please take the time to get informed and vote. Democracy is under attack around the world. Don't take your vote for granted.

Eoin Finn

Board Chair
My Sea to Sky

P.S. Our friends at Dogwood are working to Triple the Vote. Check it out.