Credit: Comtributed- file photo

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Horgan needs to see and be seen during wildfire crisis

Aug 18, 2021 | 4:24 AM

KAMLOOPS — FEELING IGNORED is nothing new for the B.C. Interior but it would be nice if the provincial government would make more of an effort to show up right now.

I’m not the first to notice the difference between the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the less than urgent feel to Victoria’s reaction to the unprecedented (that’s a popular word these days) wildfire situation.

While COVID prompted daily provincial-level televised briefings early on — and they’re still frequent — what we get with respect to the wildfires is an occasional lecture from Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.

Local officials do a good job keeping the public up to speed, and their briefings are essential and appreciated, but people need to know the party in power is engaged too.

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John Horgan, Farnworth et al were highly reluctant to even declare a provincial state of emergency to help tackle the wildfires. Only after sustained pressure did they do it.

Though Horgan paid a visit to the Southeast Fire Centre a month ago, we’ve seen little else of government leaders coming up to see for themselves what’s going on and to offer assurances that they’ve got our backs. Nobody expects them to be on the front lines with shovels and hoses but we do need to hear their voices and see them in front of the cameras.

Hence, Horgan’s vacation is particularly galling. The premier is on a break until Thursday while British Columbia burns. Farnworth assures us Horgan is being kept fully up to speed but that isn’t the point.

Everybody needs some time off but timing is important. Politicians have a terrible habit of leaving town in the middle of a crisis, and Horgan continues the tradition. At the least, you’d think he might have cut his vacay short by a few days as the Interior struggled through the terrifying weekend just past.

Twitter and Facebook are no substitute for being here.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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