Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: Grit your teeth and be kind to the Albertan horde this May long weekend

May 15, 2020 | 3:41 PM

IT’S THE MAY LONG WEEKEND and that means British Columbians are once again preparing for an invasion.

It happens every year: our eastern flank is overwhelmed and our defences are no match for the marauding hordes.

This year, the Victoria Day Albertan invasion takes on a new meaning. They’re not supposed to be here.

If there is one thing our health leaders have been perfectly clear about — and it may be only one thing — it’s that travel this weekend should stick close to home.

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For anyone crossing into B.C., the Shuswap and the Okanagan are not close to home.

We have grumbled for years about being Alberta’s playground.

Years ago, I even suggested, tongue firmly in cheek, we toll the entrances at Tete Jaune Cache, Field and the Crowsnest Pass to help recover costs incurred by the extra traffic on our roads.

They come to B.C. with a reputation for poor driving and reckless treatment of our natural environment, yet it’s difficult to prove empirically that those behaviours are any worse among their population than among ours.

In the back of our minds, we know we accept Albertan tourist dollars at par — and very much need them to keep coming.

We sometimes use the term ‘red plates’ like a slur, but not only does that ignore the many family and employment connections we have with Alberta, hundreds of local businesses rely on Alberta spending for their income.

This weekend, they shouldn’t be here, but they will be.

No one will turn them away at the border, nor will the businesses struggling to survive amid pandemic restrictions refuse their patronage.

So the best advice when encountering Albertans who couldn’t stay away from B.C., is to stay away from them.

If we, ourselves, observe Dr. Bonnie Henry’s advice to stay home, we won’t encounter the red plate mob.

The hardest piece of Dr. Henry’s advice to follow, though, has proven to be that first part of her catchphrase: be kind.

We love to grouse, to criticize and to judge those who don’t follow public health guidelines to the exact degree we are, even when that grousing only serves to make us feel superior.

Kindness is the best policy for all of us — even if the targets should have stayed home where those red plates were issued.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.