One of the benefits of a municipal election is that it encourages us to question who we are as a community and what we want for the future of our island. It gives us a chance to reaffirm what it is we love about our home, what we want to protect, and what we believe needs to change.
In an attempt to be an informed voter, I had a look at the profiles of the various candidates on the municipal site. I was impressed with the skill, expertise and hard work of many of those seeking office. These are brave souls willing to take on the formidable task of serving their community by steering the good ship Bowen.
We should be thankful we’re not in Burnaby where one of the mayoral candidates has declared that she will “ban kissing in public” or any other activity that “hints sex/sexuality” such as the kiss-the-bride moment at a wedding. She explains that she is committed to establishing a “wholesome society.” I wonder if singing a song about kissing - in public - would also be banned, in which case I would not be able to sing one of my most popular songs. She will also freeze taxes and remove the school board and believes she has been “directed by god.” Our candidates, I suspect have less divine direction but one more in keeping with what is best for our community.
So how do we know what’s best? We might take a look at Hamilton. Since July of this year, hundreds of residents and dozens of volunteers have come together with the Council of Canadians and the Hamilton Civic League to explore what people care about and what they want to see improved in their city. The idea was to articulate a positive vision, one that reflects the aspirations of the community. They came up with a People’s Platform, 47 recommendations which they presented to all the candidates and asked them to choose the ones they would support. The platform was then put online for Hamilton residents to assess and vote. Residents can vote only once and - I find this very interesting - there is no age restriction. On October 25, they will announce which proposals have widespread support and which candidates support them. That way Hamiltonians get to say what they want before they decide who they want.
It seems to me we already have our own version of a People’s Platform. It comes out of the Vital Conversation sponsored by the Bowen Island Community Foundation last May. If we were attempting to create our own People’s Platform it would probably look like the results of that event. I was one of a diverse group of islanders invited to share our hopes and dreams for the island, and to reach a broad consensus on what was important and what could be improved upon.
Participants named the following priorities: a need for leadership to create a vehicle of respectful dialogue and consensus building; a community gathering place; improved health services; long term protection of and access to Bowen’s exceptional natural environment; transportation choices; care for seniors and marginalized people; and civic pride.
If these priorities resonate, you might want to ask the candidates where they stand on these issues. You might also want to find out what they love about this island. There’s an evocative Spanish word, querencia, which speaks of one’s sense of place. It comes from the verb, querer, to want, to desire, to love. It means both respect and love of place, a safe haven from which one draws strength. According to writer, Barry Lopez, in The Rediscovery of North America, querencia refers to “a place in which we know exactly who we are … a place from which one’s strength of character is drawn.”
Because I’m giving a workshop in Victoria on November 1st, I will miss the all-candidates debate. I’ll look for other opportunities to discover who supports what I think is best for the island, and remain open to having my mind changed and expanded. I’d like to ask them if they walk the land, if they know the trees in the forest, if they eat from our local soils, if they know the name of the Arctic outflow wind that howls through Howe Sound in winter, if they are on friendly terms with our birds, if they have heard the music of our waterfalls and walked in (not on) our waters, if they go to concerts featuring local musicians, eat at our exceptional restaurants, buy their groceries here, shop at the local stores. I would ask them how they draw their strength of character from the island.
