William Lyon McKenzie King, Canada's longest-serving prime minister, had a great old adage when it came to politics: buy them with their own money.
The BC Liberal government certainly seems to have taken that maxim to heart -and they've put a green twist on it. You see, they're recycling their funding announcements.
Two weeks ago, MLA Joan McIntyre and MP John Weston came to town, a giant cheque in tow, to announce major funding for everything from a new pavilion to local playgrounds.
All good and worthy causes, of course, but the fact remains that more than half of that money - $500,000 - was regular provincial transfers to municipalities given every year, as pointed out by Coun. Patricia Heintzman in a story on page A5 of this week's Chief. In the case of traffic fine revenue, this supposedly "new" funding was actually promised years ago by the Liberals.
Sorry to say, we bought their line, and ended up giving them a front-page banner headline for their troubles - proof that recycling does have its benefits.
Needless to say, we won't be fooled again - and we weren't this week. When the provincial government came to town again with another million-dollar cheque, this time for mould remediation at Howe Sound Secondary School, we took a more cynical look at it, based on our recent experience. We found that while the provincial government funds the remediation project - one that is long overdue - the Sea to Sky School District is desperately short of operational funds and may be forced to have principals spend more time in the classrooms - adding to their already-heavy administrative loads - to make up the shortfall.
We're not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth. Provincial funding for local schools, playgrounds and community facilities is welcome (and, given the amount of taxes that local residents and businesses pay, somewhat expected). The problem we have is when the same announcements are made more than once and dolled up to look like new funding, all fortuitously announced right before the next provincial election campaign starts.
At least the courts have struck down B.C.'s draconian law (widely referred to as the "gag law") putting limits on third-party spending during and leading up to the election. While those third parties can't hope to spend as much money as the government - especially if they keep recycling their spending announcements - they can at least add some balance to what is currently a one-way street.
