The year ahead... doorway to a new decade

As published in MapleLine Magazine: Nov.4, 2009

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by John Horgan, MLA for Juan de Fuca

Each year as winter approaches I find myself astounded that yet another year is about to pass. It seems only yesterday that we were celebrating the new millennium and now, here we are, on the dawn of a brand new year, the last in this decade. In the fall I often reflect on what the future may hold for me, for my family and for the community around me.

A significant focus will of course be the Olympic Winter Games beginning in February 2010. The games in Vancouver and Whistler will be a major focus of attention and hopefully a source of major pride in the achievement of the human spirit. I am a big sports fan and welcome the opportunity to marvel at the inner strength of the men and women who train so hard to expand the limits of athletic endeavour.

But once the television cameras have gone and the delegations from around the world have returned to distant lands, we will be left to wade through the bills and measure the cost of inviting the world to our beautiful province. I try to keep my thoughts towards the positive, but the reality is that this coming year will bring considerable strife to many in our area. With the truth on the provincial budget
finally surfacing, we are bracing ourselves for significant and continued cutbacks.

Revenue shortfalls not predicted in the pre-election budget have lead the BC Liberals to announce a series of new tax measures and funding cuts to keep the operating budget deficit under $3 billion. In January, British Columbians will be forced to pay higher Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums and seniors living in residential care facilities will be forced to pay even more for their room and board.

In July 2010 the government intends to combine federal and provincial sales taxes and create a new and expanded Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The HST will shift billions of dollars of taxes onto consumers which will drive up the costs of everything from haircuts, school supplies and energy-efficient appliances to bus fares, bicycles and vitamins. With BC experiencing the worst economic downturn in a generation and the highest level of child poverty in the nation, this new tax may create an even greater cycle of poverty and economic distress.

Surprise cuts to Sooke School District facilities grants mean that area schools must delay or defer maintenance on aging buildings and find cash to pay for improvements to be completed before the money was yanked back. The government decision to slash school Parent Advisory Council (PAC) grants in half – money that is used to fill areas previously vacated by the province for things like library books, computers, sports and other school supplies and to send children on field trips – will diminish the education experience for our young people in the year ahead.

Grim news to be sure, but the Sooke sense of community is strong. We have faced tough times before and we have come through stronger as a result. Local volunteers will come forward to fill some of the gaps. Community members, mothers, fathers, teens, business owners – all of them leaders in their own right – will find new ways to meet the needs of those hit hard by the challenges of an unsettled economy. I take great comfort in the knowledge that our institutions are strong and our volunteers are resourceful.

The coming year ultimately will be what we make of it. Facing it together it will be better than taking it on alone. Challenges can bring new opportunities if we choose to find them. MM

John Horgan is the MLA for Juan de Fuca.

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