December 16 - 31, 2017
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Rey Fortaleza - Publisher
Carlito Pablo - Editorial Consultant
Rosette Correa - Senior Editor
Jun Cordero - Associate Editor
Writers - Crisanta Sampang ; Columnists - Geoff Meggs, Ben Berto, Editha Corrales, Mon
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Breaking
Point
By Rosette Correa
There is a saying that
when times get tough, the
tough welcome the new year
with renewed hope.
2017
marked
a
challenging year for BC when
Mother Nature unleashed
her worst yet. December of
the previous year started us
off with one of the heaviest
snowfall, which extended its
stay until March 2017. The
final 2.6 centimeters of the
season fell on March 7, in
what will go down as one
of the coldest and snowiest
seasons on record. It will
also be remembered as the
year that salt became a hot
commodity for the city selling
as much as $40 to $50 per
bag, and kitty litter all of a
sudden becoming a cheaper
alternative. The 2017 winter
was a reminder of how climate
change in Metro Vancouver,
when snowier, colder winters,
were the norm just a few
decades ago.
This was the year when
BC experienced the worst
wildfires in history, with 50,000
evacuating their homes and
fleeing for their safety. It led
to the longest and “most
disastrous” fire season in the
province’s history. The BC
Wildfire Service reported 1,265
fires, which led to a province-
wide state of emergency after
15 years. And with the fires,
New Year Brings New Hope and Promise
came smoke.
After more than a month of
aggressive wildfire activity in
B.C.’s Interior, smoke drifted
westward, prompting air
quality warnings as far away as
the Lower Mainland, causing
concern for those with heart
and lung conditions. Parts
of the province, like the
Kamloops area, had off-the-
charts Air Quality Health
Index measurements. A few
weeks in July and August,
when otherwise perfect beach
weather was expected, it was
replaced with fiery sunsets,
a burning orb for the sun,
and orange haze all day that
irritated eyes and burned
throats, worse than the air in
Beijing.
B.C. Interior saw the
rapid growth of grasses that
then became explosive tinder
during one of the driest
summers on record. Add to
the mix a couple of big wind
events and we had a recipe
for extreme fire weather
conditions from June through
to September. November was
a time of week-long heavy
rains, with Metro Vancouver
experiencing
twenty-two
consecutive days of rain, with
rain falling on twenty-seven of
the thirty days.
Aside
from
pouring
rain, Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau’s eyes also poured
buckets of tears this year for
OP- ED
many
unnecessary
moments, but was
steadfast
on
his
defense of Governor
General Julie Payette
who derided every
Canadian citizen with
her snide comments
in her speech in
Parliament.
Payette
never retracted nor
apologized for her
remarks, which proves
how arrogant she truly
is. It was also the year
that the NDPs beat the
Liberals, with the seats
won by the Green Party
in the BC Parliament,
making John Horgan
the new Premiere
of BC, prompting
Trudeau to make a
quick visit to BC in
June, and meet with several
communities, including the
Filipino community, to make
sure his votes still count,
and his selfies still work their
charm.
2017 was also the year
Filipino-Canadians
lost
its only Filipino senator,
Conservative Tobias Enverga.
The office he vacated is a
big gap in the involvement
of the Filipino community in
Canadian politics, and much
is lost with the passing of the
senator, especially that he was
moving towards legislation
for Overseas Filipino Workers
and caregiver issues.
While it feels as if
individuals are powerless
to enact the big changes,
especially when one is against
nature or politics, 2018 will be
a new year, and there is much
hope in what is to come. This
is in spite of impending doom
and gloom on the legalization
of marijuana, and the ever-
increasing cost of real estate,
to name a few. People turn
to what they can fix and
make new year’s resolutions.
They usually abandon those
resolutions because that’s
human nature, however, it
A government that works for you
By B.C. Premier John Horgan
VICTORIA. Government should
work for people. That is my belief and
it is at the heart of every decision our
government makes, and every action
we take.
We committed to make life more
affordable, improve the services
people count on, and create good-
paying, sustainable jobs in every
corner of the province.
Over the last few months we’ve
taken the first steps towards making
those commitments a reality. As we
look toward the New Year, we are
looking forward to making life better
for people across B.C.
It hasn’t been easy. The list of
challenges our government inherited
is long: an unrestrained housing
is interesting that the word
“resolution” is a synonym for
“resiliency”, and no matter
how bleak things may appear,
people will just get through
the day and deal with what
is in front of them. Resolving
to express gratitude for the
good things in life, to show
more compassion for others,
to volunteer to help the less
fortunate are all worthwhile
and achievable goals for the
new year. And although they
will abandon some goals,
British
Columbians
will
certainly uphold others that
are truly worthy of retaining.
crisis, eroded services, unacceptably
high poverty levels, stagnant wages,
a financially strapped ICBC, cost
overruns and mismanagement at Site
C, inaction on climate change, an
overdose emergency, and a fight to
stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline, to
name a few.
In the face of those challenges,
we’ve made some tough choices.
Site C is the most recent and difficult
example, but it’s not the only the
one. From getting the budget right,
to tackling the financial crisis the
BC Liberals left at ICBC, to crafting
a comprehensive housing plan, we
have tough work ahead of us. But
we are determined to get it done so
government works better for more
people.
This fall, we changed politics for
the better by banning big money in
politics, toughening lobbying rules,
and paving the way for a referendum
on proportional representation, to
give people a say in how we vote.
We’re improving services by
investing in education for our kids,
adding trades training spaces at B.C.
colleges and universities, and making
college and university tuition-free for
former children in care.
We’re making life more affordable
by removing unfair bridge tolls, raising
the minimum wage and increasing
income assistance and disability
payments.
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