COLLINS: 2024 — a year to remember. Or forget
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WHEN I LOOK BACK UPON 2024, I cannot think of a year that was quite as crazy as this, from one end to the other. City council was always in the news — sometimes getting kudos, sometimes dodging arrows. And the mayor is pretty much out of the picture as a leader. Despite this, we created new homes, a handful of which are affordable. Major projects, including a major infrastructure project on Lansdowne, were dealt with. On the other hand, we had a big tax increase, and also approved funding for a new performing arts centre and multiplex development.
South of the border, Donald Trump blustered his way back into the Oval Office, despite being a convicted felon and purveying a litany of lies during the campaign. Our federal government ended the year in tatters and our provincial government didn’t fare much better. A sudden decision by its leader ended the campaign for the B.C. United party, with the Conservative Party almost beating out the NDP.
Demonstrations over a variety of issues, brazen street crime, the presence of drug cartels setting up on our doorstep, a forest industry in a desperate state, a changing climate that threatens our future. How long can this list go? And we haven’t touched the healthcare disaster or the long-festering issues surrounding our Indigenous peoples. Another day, perhaps.
Despite all I’ve talked about, there is still hope. Without hope, we have no purpose. We hope that somewhere there are sane people who can inspire us to do better. Perhaps we’ll find the keys that unlock some of the doors that will lead to a resolution of some of our major problems.
