iN DISCUSSION: Should voters be able to recall municipal politicians?

This is where cold hard facts give way to the hottest of takes, mostly mine I suppose. I’m the editor, Marshall Jones.

Want to include yours? Listen, this isn’t the comment section, this isn’t social media. Discussion and debate requires context and a wee bit of bravery — we need your name and where you’re writing from. Include it in your account or email me anytime.

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Why voters need a way to punt mayors, councillors dragging us down

Penticton city councillor James Miller is finally due for both his trials this spring. 

We should get a verdict by summer, a few months before municipal elections and then, if we’re lucky, we won’t need to talk about him again. 

As I have said before, I don’t need a finding by a criminal court to know he should have resigned two years ago. 

He showed us who he is when he went on leave in August 2024 after he was first charged. He knew this would take awhile. He knew the city had business to do. Despite appeals to his better nature, he took his council paycheque and watched council meetings from home.

Voters couldn’t do anything about it because we don’t have recall legislation for municipal officials.

I think I can understand why. Cities and towns would be overrun with voters wanting a do-over. Councils need quorum to do business, pass budgets, pay employees, and that could be threatened by excessive voter and political interference. 

I don’t know if you have noticed, but the quality of people we’re electing to office these days is shaky at best. At least MLAs have recall legislation and I know of a couple who should fear that possibility.

Look how many of them slid into office without submitting to any voter scrutiny. We have no custom nor convention compelling them to, so we will continue to get second-tier representation and buyer’s remorse.

Council terms are four years now, not three, that’s too long without opportunity for voter recourse. 

We need recall or some other way to punt mayors and councillors dragging us down. If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it. Email me at mjones@infonews.ca.

Mj

Marshall Jones

Managing Editor

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Where does Peter Milobar really stand on SOGI

Peter, is that really you?

I thought Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar would smooth some wrinkles in the BC Conservative Party if he can win this leadership race.

Now I’m not so sure as he or his campaign made some weird, dare I say foolish, decisions last week. 

First, he attacked SOGI 123 in a campaign contribution drive. He’s going to get rid of it. He calls it “activism” and “ideology” when he knows it’s nothing more than an aid to understanding and supporting the specific needs of kids struggling with their sexuality. 

Then Milobar pretended like he was always anti-SOGI. We wasn’t. We looked. He’s always had proper perspective until he had to try on these new clothes. He’s being disingenuous.

Then he announced that as Premier, he would repeal no-fault auto insurance from ICBC.

Was this a measured concern for folks not getting the insurance coverage they paid for, as many have complained? I suppose it’s possible, but then he never mentioned them in his announcement — a letter he sent to all the BC lawyers about to get rich suing ICBC again.

Interesting choice.

He’s left more than a few folks wondering who the real Peter Milobar is. Is he the MLA that joined and supported the party that created SOGI and supported DRIPA and the provincial health officer in a pandemic? Or is he more comfortable in a party that was formerly home to Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong and John Rustad, the one that voted to shut down the human rights tribunal, and for a statutory holiday to commemorate the freedom convoy?

Which one is it, Peter?

But maybe I’m way off base here. Let me know what you think. Email me at mjones@infonews.ca.

Mj

Marshall Jones

Managing Editor

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iN RESPONSE

THOMPSON: The mind-boggling financial cost of Trump’s war on Iran

It’s criminal! And they should all be charged!

— Bonnie Derry via iNFOnews.ca

iN NUMBERS: British Columbians want to ban kids from social media

Social media should be governed by the same laws as news media regarding content.

— Bonnie Derry via iNFOnews.ca

Tourism Kamloops pitches $89M convention centre to city council

Oh my god. This is exactly what Vernon desperately needs. Can someone just start working on one!

— Bonnie Derry via iNFOnews.ca

iN RESPONSE to Monday’s newsletter opinion editorial on Peter Milobar

Wow, thank you for sending out this information about this potential Conservative leader! Definitely someone who we don’t need as leader of a political party. One with such different viewpoints on subjects he previously supported. This is what gives politicians a bad name. One who campaigns on main issues then when in power, the opposite is what comes out. Prime example is Justin Trudeau and “no more first past the post”.
These two examples, ie SOGI and ICBC, are major policies in BC.
Thank you for all your editorials, you cover the bases well. Keep up the great work.

— Eileen Hackett, Kamloops, via email

You are way off base. You are showing your true colours and are no longer unbiased, which is a must for honest and truthful news outlets, in my opinion.

— Ted Guthrie via email

Man charged with bestiality in Vernon previously jailed for sexual assault

FFS! Lock this loser up before he hurts anyone else.
No woman, child, or animal should have to suffer abuse by cruel, ignorant, horrible men. Though not a fan of violence, at times like these, I seriously wish we had a death penalty. Or at least sentences of 20 years minimum for 1st offence, life without pardon for 2nd.
These creatures deserve far harsher penalties than the status quo. Get ALL these predators off ALL our streets and out of ALL our neighbourhoods. The rest of us deserve protection, and we know that if it were only males being injured and devastated via this type of crime, that protection would have been put in place a very long time ago.

— Karen Klein via iNFOnews.ca

Pierre Poilievre backs J.K. Rowling’s support for new Olympic gender policy

So glad to see PP working hard to improve the lives of Canadians.

— Bonnie Derry via iNFOnews.ca

iN NUMBERS: British Columbians’ feelings on 4th anniversary of the Freedom Convoy

WOW a stat holiday to honour the convoy. I thought our politicians were smarter than this. What absolute stupidity! But there you go, BC Conservatives are just as crazy as the Republicans.

— Bonnie Derry via iNFOnews.ca

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Tara Armstrong Recall Countdown

Tara Armstrong is currently the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream. She rode the coattails of the BC Conservative Party, got elected, then rejected and left the party to serve as an Independent within weeks because the Conservatives were too left wing. Now she gets to claim that her riding supports her.

Elections BC says you can recall an MLA if 40% of eligible voters in the riding sign a recall petition — but not for the first 18 months after an election. Some people started an online petition calling for a byelection once she made a shift to independent, then got herself a raise by forming her own party, but it won’t mean anything until the countdown clock hits zero.

So let the countdown begin!

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