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In Your Corner: 2014 bound to keep Kootenay residents on their toes

Education underfunding, Agricultural Land Reserve and Jumbo Glacier Resort will be issues throughout year...
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Michelle Mungall is the member of the legislative assembly for the Nelson-Creston provincial riding

Happy new year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, enjoying all that our region has to offer at this time of year. For my husband and I, shovelling sidewalks is more welcomed when we think of the fun ski day ahead and the positive impact good snow has on our local tourism sector. We also relish each morsel of the region’s delicious holiday food —local chocolates, wines, beers, meats, veggies, cheeses, crackers and so much more. I could go on, but you already know it: The Kootenays are a wonderful place during the holidays and throughout the year.

With the new year started, there’s no doubt that life in the Kootenays will continue to interest us. Notably, local government elections are set for Nov. 15 this year. These always bring out exciting debate and campaigns on issues addressed by local governments.

School district elections occur at the same time in 2014. With School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) recently speaking out against the many years of Liberal government underfunding of education, there is sure to be discussion about the need to prioritize education in provincial government budgets. What trustee candidates offer as ways to accomplish this should get voters’ attention.

Along with local elections, the New Democrat Opposition will be electing a new leader. This process will culminate in a final vote in September. Whoever is selected by party members will step forward to speak for British Columbians in the legislature and communities throughout our province. He or she will propose ways for economic growth to include and benefit everyone, not just the one percent. Until that election, my New Democrat Opposition colleagues and I will carry that torch this spring in Victoria.

Another issue to keep your eye on is the Agricultural Land Reserve. The ALR and Agricultural Land Commission jumped back into headlines during the fall when leaked government documents revealed that the Liberal minister of agriculture wants to break up the ALC and ALR and give the BC Oil and Gas Commission decision-making power over Kootenay farmland. Outrage would best describe the response I’ve heard from our region. The ALR and ALC exist to protect our need to grow food, and any plan to undermines this is unacceptable. So watch for ways to protect the ALR and ALC in 2014.

This is also the year I hope we can finally say goodbye to the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort. The law currently states that if they do not have anything substantive built by the end of their environmental certificate, they must re-submit the entire project. That date comes up this October. After two decades of fighting a development we know is bad for our economy and environment, it’s time the Liberal government recognized that the continued lack of financial backing for this resort means that even big developers know it’s a bad idea. This year, I hope that the Liberals’ Jumbo Glacier Resort champion, MLA Bill Bennett, realizes his time is better spent preparing for the Columbia River Treaty review than forcing through a hated project via questionable means like the fake municipality. May 2014 keep Qat’muk, Jumbo, wild.

To be sure, 2014 is bound to keep Kootenay residents on their toes with all kinds of goings-on. I hope this year brings you much joy, prosperity and celebration.

Michelle Mungall is the member of the legislative assembly for the Nelson-Creston provincial riding, and is the Opposition critic for social development.