It鈥檚 that time of year when many of us make resolutions for the new year. Most of them are lofty goals toward self-improvement: quit smoking, lose weight and exercise more often are all among the popular ones.
So, in the spirit of the season, here are five ideas for B.C. politicians to consider as they set their resolutions for 2014:
1. Stop trying to defy gravity.
Voters aren鈥檛 dummies. They can add, subtract and remember what you said yesterday, the year before, and in the last election.
Families First? Check. Cleanest liquefied natural gas in the world? Check. B.C. Ferries is an independent corporation free of government interference? Check.
2. Avoid most words that end in 鈥渆st.鈥�
Politicians like to boast, but there are some words that should be banned from your lexicon in 2014. These include: best, biggest, cleanest, largest; and you can throw in world-class as well.
No politicians would ever say they鈥檙e going to come up with the second best solution or use inferior technology, but leave it up to others to determine if it鈥檚 the best, biggest, cleanest or world-class.
3. Don鈥檛 make job-creation promises you can鈥檛 cash.
No one likes it when a politician breaks a promise, but there鈥檚 a big difference when it comes to breaking one on creating jobs.
The unemployed aren鈥檛 just the numbers British Columbians see in monthly Statistics Canada reports, they鈥檙e also the faces of those relying upon their partner, father or mother to find a job.
And it hurts even more when the unemployed see many of the new jobs going to temporary foreign workers. With more than 5,300听B.C. businesses holding temporary foreign-worker permits, there鈥檚 the potential for a lot of hurt.
Decent jobs mean a great deal to those who need them. Don鈥檛 let them down.
4. Don鈥檛 hold public consultations that are only intended to seek validation for a course already decided upon or keep holding them until you get the answer you want.
From service cuts at B.C. Ferries to bike lanes in Kitsilano, there鈥檚 a perception that sometimes local councils and the provincial government may hold public consultations just to provide political cover for a decision already taken.
Bad idea. It feeds public cynicism.
Public consultations will have more street cred when you approach them with an open mind regarding the outcome, rather than simply extending a rubber stamp in the hope the public will take it and acquiesce to a course of action you鈥檝e already decided upon.
5. Stop auditioning for the Brick.
B.C. may have the lowest personal tax rate in Canada, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it has the lowest tax burden and taxpayers know it. Don鈥檛 insult their intelligence by suggesting they鈥檙e getting off easy when it comes to taxes and fees.
While it might be politically expedient to reduce a 28 per cent Hydro rate hike over five years into 鈥渙nly $5听a month more in the first year,鈥� don鈥檛.
A $5-per-month hike might not seem much, but it鈥檚 on top of similar 鈥渙nly a few dollars a month more鈥� increases for Insurance Corp. of B.C. premiums, B.C. Ferries fares and Medical Services Plan premiums. And that鈥檚 at the provincial level.
Locally, ratepayers face 鈥渙nly a few dollars a month more鈥� increases in property taxes, sewer and water utility fees, garbage fees, Capital Regional District and Metro 91原创 taxes, and transit subsidies (including fares, transit-dedicated property taxes and fuel taxes).
And all of these 鈥渁 few dollars here and a few dollars there鈥� increases come out of some of the lowest median family incomes in Canada and from family budgets that pay some of Canada鈥檚 highest housing costs.
A few other fiscal stats to keep in mind when you鈥檙e trying to reduce hydro rate hikes to the ridiculous: B.C. university students are graduating with the highest student debt load in Canada; consumers are carrying non-mortgage debt averaging in excess of $25,000; and more than 40 per cent of British Columbians live paycheque to paycheque.
There鈥檚 little left in the pockets of British Columbians to pick except lint, so stop explaining away rate hikes in terms better suited to furniture retailers.
Keeping these five resolutions will play well with British Columbians.
Happy New Year.
听
Dermod Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC.
