The normally idyllic B.C. media backwater of the Sunshine Coast became a maelstrom of planes, bears and recounts over the past week. Like a scene ripped from the plot of a David Lynch movie, a lone survivor, burned and injured, walks away from a horrific plane crash without a single broken bone. The shocking Pacific Coastal Airlines crash spurs an influx of major daily media. On their way back home, the newsies stumble upon a scene of local police taking down a black bear at Sunnycrest Mall, before a crowd of indignant onlookers. Both stories make the 11 o'clock news.
Then a locally-significant election switcheroo in Gibsons means Bob Curry's back, Kenan MacKenzie's out, and voters are wondering how more than 100 votes for Curry were overlooked in the initial count.
Yes, my penultimate week at Coast Reporter has been an exciting one. My departure date is set, and while I'll miss the Coast, it's time to move on. You know - career ambitions, that kind of thing. But before I go, let me reflect on the Coast's election winners and losers, in a way that only a soon-to-be-departing reporter can. Bridges be burned. (Joking - or am I?)
WINNERS - Gibsons residents. Despite the fear-mongering about the potential cost of water to families, the 802 Gibsons voters who said yes to the referendum question made a smart choice by looking beyond the assumed status quo. Times have changed, yet many citizens' lens to the past obscures the fact that populations and per-capita consumption have risen dramatically, while reliable streamflow is down. Water meters in the town mean the resource can be managed - and maybe that 30 to 60 per cent leakage in the system can be found and fixed.
LOSER - Target Marine. A majority of the new Sechelt council have indicated they want to revisit the bylaw amendments made to allow Target Marine to process sturgeon and harvest roe. This is bad news for general manager Justin Henry, who has bent over backwards to address community concerns about the operation and has shown incredible patience in dealing with a conflicted council.
The public seems to be asking for increased food security on the Coast, and I know mayor-elect Inkster has made it a priority (see www.bcgeu.ca/webform-viewer/5073/6000). I hope council and Tuwanek residents look at the big picture. You can't get much more local, or much healthier, than sustainably-harvested local fish. (Though I'm sure I'll never be able to afford the caviar.)
LOSERS - The senior members of Sechelt council. The word "annihilation" comes to mind. Mike Shanks' 1,013 votes received were the lowest of the 10 candidates, but only slightly lower than ousted perennial councillor Ed Steeves' 1,050 votes. Cam Reid was skunked by Darren Inkster's 1,847 votes. Only Barry Poole escaped mercifully through retirement. It's a major mandate for Inkster and the new council and will be interesting to see how they work in the virtually resistance-free environment. Will developers flee, or has the economic downturn already guaranteed that? As a journalist, my only political view is supposed to be a dim one - but good luck, folks. Sechelt just got a lot more interesting.
Well, I'm outta here. To all the politicians, public relations people, community members, strangers and senior staffers I've interviewed, covered, learned from and barely tolerated over the past 18 months: so long, and thanks for all the fish stories.
