Duncan - I just received an email with a press release from North Cowichan council candidates Laurie Thomson, Joyce Behnsen, Nick Caumanns, Jagtar Mann, and Jim Fane. In the covering letter Caumanns tells us that "The TEAM is a non-political affiliation of candidates running for North Cowichan Council."
Non-political? They are introducing, for the first time, Vancouver-style party politics in our local elections. That seems very political to me.For these candidates, taxes and tax increases are the important issue in the coming election. Wealthier landowners sometimes forget that property taxes support municipal services that mean a great deal to individuals and families with limited income. This includes youth, elderly people, young families, people with disabilities, homeless people, students and volunteers.It also includes the birds, fish, and other animals with whom we share our community - they need clean water, clean air, a stable climate, protected areas, and development planning that takes them into account.Fortunately, we don't need to support this new party. We have many community-minded candidates who value people and nature more than their private wealth and who look ahead to a future built on compassion rather back to Ronald Reagan's and Margaret Thatcher's agenda from the 1980s. All of us who care about everyone in our communities need to learn about the non-party candidates and then vote for them on Nov. 15.John ScullDuncan