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COLUMN: No shortage of things to do following the election

I’m writing this column before E-Day. I wish it was after.

I’m writing this column before E-Day. I wish it was after. Whatever, we do our duty and vote, and then assume the people we voted for will look after us. Fact is, while our democratic rights begin with our vote, they can end there too.

A minority government could be different, but a majority government can do whatever it wants to and lot of our “rights” can go bye-bye. Free speech will likely survive, but be careful what you put on Facebook.

The newly-elected bunch have lots to do.

For starters, old people in Canada now outnumber the children, with the over-100s the fastest growing sector. Unfortunately many older people need long-term care, and providing that is a challenge.

Then, in spite of our healthy economy, the rich keep getting richer, the poor poorer, and the so-called middle class is paying for it all. Will the new government try to even things out?

I won’t even mention climate change, but new technology is changing our lives, maybe for the better, maybe not. The question is, are governments making sure the scientific and technical knowledge is used to the best advantage?

For instance, the Mount Polley dam burst in spite of technical know-how and government approvals. Now, according to reports, dozens of unauthorized dams have been built in the Peace River country to provide water for fracking for the LNG industry.

The dams weren’t approved by the Environmental Assessment Office, BC’s dam safety officials only recently found out about them. How did that happen?

The Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) is assessing 13 unlicensed dams. Fracking has been blamed for local earthquakes, so along with examining the engineering integrity of the unauthorized dams, the OGC must determine how seismically sound they are.

Who knows what suprises the next four years will being?

Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.