A day in the life of an MLA

A large part of why I love working in governance is the wide variety of “stuff” that happens day-to-day and week-to-week.

This job is an emotional roller-coaster. Decisions like the government made this week on Site C are highly charged. They deeply impact people, and they are not to be made lightly. In fact, nothing we do is inconsequential.

That was the case yesterday as I was managing the fall-out of the Site C decision. As I pointed out in my video response, my frustration lie not with what the government said was the reason they were proceeding. My issue is that they took on a lot of debt from cancelling bridge tolls that was unnecessary. They created this problem. Who knows if British Columbians will pick up on this very concerning nuance. In the end, what the government said was basically true, but it did not need to be.

School visits

So with that struggle framing my day, the daily schedule continued to roll along. First, a visit to North Saanich Middle School to meet a grade 6/7 class and talk about what I do. Then, a visit to the Mt. Newton Centre.

School visits are always rewarding. No matter their age, the students bring a fresh, outside the box, common sense approach. In essence, they look to find solutions without the politics, they say what they feel and not what they think I want to hear. It is refreshing.

For instance, yesterday I asked if any of the students knew what intergenerational equity meant. One boy raised his hand and said it is about “being polite to one another.” Just stretch this out long into the future, and that is such an beautiful and elegant way to understand it.

Senior services

Following my visit to North Saanich we were off to the Mt. Newton Centre. For people who live in Central Saanich, you have driven by the Centre sitting on the hilltop next to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital. From the outside it appears nondescript, but as I learned yesterday their programs add tremendously to the quality of life of seniors on the Saanich Peninsula.

Mt. Newton Centre is described as a “day health care centre for seniors.” Bathing, podiatry, hair services, chair exercises, a homemade lunch, companionship and friendly staff are so important for many seniors who experience isolation. The Centre provides a cure.

Like many critical services in our society, the Centre has funding challenges that both government and the community can solve together. I was happy to learn of these and will be working to ensure we don’t lose this important community asset.

So in summary, no matter what political storm is brewing, there are always blocks in my schedule where I get to celebrate the successes of our community. I cherish the opportunity to hear the stories, work to find solutions, and shine a bright light on the amazing things people are doing to make our communities better places.