It’s a new year, and that means new news stories in 2019.
But there will also be a number of existing news stories continuing to develop this year.
Here’s my best prognostication of what we have in store.
It’s an election year, and nothing to this point would indicate that the Justin Trudeau Liberals will not win re-election.
There is widespread unrest at the actions of the Trudeau government — and Trudeau himself — in the west, but that simply doesn’t exist east of Manitoba.
Not only that, Andrew Scheer is seen in moderate and progressive circles as the kind of social conservative who would try to return Canada to the Middle Ages.
And the western unrest will be mitigated somewhat when the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion gets the final green light.
That’s almost certain to happen in 2019.
Provincially, we will get a new speaker of the legislative assembly this year.
Darryl Plecas has zero friends in that building, and has raised a lot of red flags by his launching of an investigation into senior officials in the legislature.
If the NDP win the Nanaimo by-election — which they will — there is not the same urgency to keep Plecas on as an independent speaker to maintain balance of power.
The provincial government will avail itself to Kamloops by going whole hog on building the Patient Care Tower at Royal Inland Hospital.
However, there will be foot-dragging on the most-needed provincial investment in Kamloops: new schools.
This school district has been crying out for capital funding for more than a decade, and successive governments have done little to nothing.
Locally, the performing arts centre concept will come back, this time with a more palatable price tag for the public.
Far fewer locals opposed the proposal in principle the first time around than opposed the sticker price.
That issue will be fully addressed.
In Kamloops, a half-dozen to a dozen cannabis shops will open – and community impact will be slim to none.
Of far greater consequence will be the opioid overdose crisis, which will continue unabated.
Not nearly enough co-ordinated efforts have taken place to remove fentanyl from the streets, and as people self-medicate and seek a higher high, dozens more will die in Kamloops.
But, to end on a positive note, the B.C. Interior will finally see the return of a clean air summer.
It was improbable enough that we had record-setting wildfires two years in a row.
A third year of devastating fires would be very difficult to handle.
Let’s hope that it’s clear air and calm forests for all of us this year.
