Ian Gartshore

May 24th Fuel Truck closes Malahat for most of a day I have followed provincial politics for longer than the E&N railway became an issue, and I have consistently heard from NDP candidates on Vancouver Island that investing in this railway is a high priority, including Mr. Horgan when campaigning last year. With the support of the Greens how could this solution to our transportation woes seem to have derailed?  Recently, once again, the Malahat highway was closed for a lengthy period of time –making a complete mess of travel plans for thousands, increasing the risk of accidents, missed appointments and more. I have been delayed multiple times on that stretch of highway, including to my mother’s funeral (I made it in time). Some people complain that getting the E&N railway back into full operation is expensive. Hardly. The entire length would cost only double of the single overpass now under construction at McKenzie Road in Victoria. Contrast this to the cost of b...

Nanaimo’s heart and soul of recycling may be facing its demise. While the NRE has inspired citizens, businesses, the city and the regional district to adopt strong   waste-recovery practises, leading by example and helping to extend the life of the local landfill -costing us virtually nothing-, the NRE may be discarded early next year. Why? Because the majority of the Nanaimo city councillors have been convinced that the NRE is the responsibility of the Regional District of Nanaimo (the RDN) while the Directors of the RDN are being steered by their staff to believe that the NRE is, in essence, not required. The NRE primarily benefits residents and businesses in Nanaimo, yet technically its mandate falls under the RDN solid waste management. Yet the city utterly relies on the NRE to bolster its own recycling & composting initiatives. In fact the NRE is the principal waste recovery place to which the city’s website directs residents –because it is truly the one-stop cen...

All 13 candidates have desirable qualities for the one councillor position up for grabs on July 8th.  In order to attempt to prioritise them I used a 10 point scale as follows: Ability to: 1.       connect with and really hear where people are coming from, including genuine consultation with the local Snuneymuxw First Nation 2.       be astute managers –which includes putting sufficient effort to listen to people; do their own research; attend meetings and public events; and be able to make their own decisions (vs. blindly vote along with others) 3.       think through problems creatively, preferably by finding “win-win” solutions for all involved 4.       balance fiscal restraints with community needs 5.       sniff out when staff are trying to manipulate councillors to vote a certain way 6.       have a vision...

Wow. I've never been to such an exciting political event in Nanaimo. The energy was positively electric! The federal Green Party AGM and nomination meeting for Nanaimo-Ladysmith was held on January 12th. It was opened very powerfully by Geraldine Manson, elder in residence of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. Then Paul Manly accepted the nomination in a speech that got better as he went along! The always amazing Elizabeth May then made promises to him (and us!) See both here .   Then Elizabeth gave a beautiful but short speech about how Paul's election, along with many other Greens (especially here on Vancouver Island) will provide the balance of power when the Conservatives are reduced to a minority government. Paul is a very strong candidate. He has been passionately involved in local, national and international events. He is the one who exposed the Quebec police acting as ill-behaved protesters at an international trade event. His films cover a wide...

As I reflect on the Nanaimo municipal election November 15th I am aware that the candidates have real skills and talent, so the choice is very difficult. I think I could work with virtually all of them (a good sign!). So how to choose? I made up a list of my values and then tried to rate the candidates based on that list. Not an easy task. There are a lot of candidates, many of whom I do not know. I sourced my information from in-person, on-line, newspaper and the opinion of others. Oh, and because incumbents usually get enough votes I have not included them on this list; although Fred Pattje earns my respect because he goes to the most community events, takes personal interest in connecting with people, is willing to take on city staff, is a team player, is an independent thinker, is willing to change his mind (e.g. Leadercast), understands how to make the city more sustainable and shows his care for people and the city. I chose based on my perception of their ability to: 1. c...