Cast your mind back to August 4, 2014. News came out of a dam breach at Mount Polley mine. millions of cubic metres of water and tailings pond slurry was released into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and Quesnel Lake. It’s considered one of Canada’s biggest environmental disasters.
BC Premier Christy Clark’s response?
She eventually flew to Likely (the nearest town affected by the spill) a week later.
Now, Vancouver just had its transit referendum get shot down, leaving the future of transit in doubt. Not a word from Christy Clark on how people are to get around Vancouver over the next ten years.
But that’s not that bad. What’s bad is BC’s wildfires: 178 burning across the province. Metro Vancouver is blanketed in smoke and particulates. Port Hardy and the Squamish Lilooet Regional District are under states of emergency. And worst of all, a tree faller fighting a wildfire on the Sunshine Coast was killed on Sunday.
And where is Christy Clark?
I’d like to use a quote from the Calgary Herald, where they were talking about how Alberta should be thankful that Christy Clark isn’t their premier:
I remember in Psychology 101 that the prof explained it was much meaner to appear indifferent to someone than it was to express criticism. The lack of engagement is more hurtful than it is to put forth a complaint, whether the supposed shortcoming is legitimate or not.
While they were talking about Clark’s missing leadership on the Northern Gateway pipeline, the sentiment holds here. Clark is indifferent and aloof towards British Columbia when it’s in crisis, and that’s what hurts most of all.
…we have to be grateful we have a straight-talking premier like Redford instead of some cloak-and-dagger flake like Clark.
Update: while writing this Christy Clark finally tweeted.