In the news business, we are used to getting government news releases about spending害羞草研究所攍ots of them. And every time an election rolls around害羞草研究所攆ederal or provincial害羞草研究所攖he number increases.
But the B.C. Liberal government may have outdone itself last Friday.
Between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. the government issued 20 news releases, the bulk of the 29 in total it emailed out to the media that one day alone. Following on the heels of what most consider an particularly heavy torrent of pre-election spending already in recent weeks by governing Liberals, Friday害羞草研究所檚 avalanche of announcements combined for a whopping $2.33 billion in spending.
While $2.2 billion of Friday害羞草研究所檚 spending was the province害羞草研究所檚 plan to match federal funding for transit improvements in the Lower Mainland, $64.5 million was for a litany of projects big and small across the province, including $35.1 million for a new middle school in the southeast Kelowna.
Of course there害羞草研究所檚 nothing illegal about a government that害羞草研究所檚 heading into an election opening the spending spigot, all government害羞草研究所檚 do it害羞草研究所攁lways have, always will. But, while welcomed by those getting the money, it also raises the skepticism level amongst many voters.
ocal Liberal MLA and cabinet minister Steve Thomson points out, what害羞草研究所檚 being announced now is the result of work started long before now and spending announcements can害羞草研究所檛 be made until there害羞草研究所檚 a budget in place to provide the money.
What he doesn害羞草研究所檛 say is decisions about when to bring down that budget in relation to the election, and the timing of the announcements, is totally arbitrary. Like any government before it of any political stripe, the Liberals are using the spending announcements to win votes. It害羞草研究所檚 not new. It害羞草研究所檚 politics.
On Monday, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran waded into the discussion saying publicly while one can argue about the timing of the announcements, communities should be thankful because in this area害羞草研究所攚hich has seen its fair share of funding for numerous projects in recent weeks害羞草研究所攖he money is going to projects communities feel are important.
Locally, the Central Okanagan has seen money for a myriad of projects, including a combined federal-provincial funding of $96 million for water projects in Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country, money for K-12 and post-secondary education, the Rail Trail, the fight against invasive mussels and a the list goes on.
As expected, Kelowna West NDP candidate Shelley Cook has questioned the motivation behind the spending, while Kelowna-Lake Country Liberal incumbent Norm Letnick has defended it, and even and vowed to keep lobbying for more, right up to the day the election writ is dropped on April 11.
And it害羞草研究所檚 not just the folks in Victoria who are being kept busy making spending announcements. Letnick and Thomson have also been kept running, doing continuous in-person funding announcements here too. Last week, three appearances害羞草研究所攖wo of them for funding害羞草研究所攊n one day.
Premier Christy Clark said prior to the recent B.C. budget her government wanted to give back to the people of B.C. because there was $2 billion surplus last year. So the Liberals cut B.C. Medical Service Plan premiums in half (contingent on them being re-elected to government.)
But, like the Energizer Bunny of giving, the B.C. government just keeps on going.
So any community looking for money batter act fast. After April 11,it won害羞草研究所檛be a cheque in the mail, it害羞草研究所榣l be an election promise.
Alistair Waters is the assistant editor of the Capital News.
