Looking ahead to 2018
Today is the second day of 2018 and politically, the next 12 months will be intriguing.
Globally, all eyes will remain on the United States and the endless stream of Donald Trump tweets and knee jerk reactions. (Prediction: Trump won’t be impeached in 2018.)
It will also be the year when Democrats begin regrouping and names for potential presidential nominees will begin surfacing. Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama must be encouraging for the Democrats.
Federally, the hype of Canada 150 is now in the rearview mirror. Even with several mini-scandals, Justin Trudeau remains popular with most Canadians.
Both the NDP and Conservatives have new leaders and their performance in Parliament will be scrutinzed by political pundits.
The real test will be the legalization of marijuana because, to date, it hasn’t gone particularly well. The majority of Canadians support legalizing pot ... but it ends there. Distribution, taxes, and who will have the authority to sell the product will be the contentious issues.
Provincially, after one of the weirdest years in B.C.’s history, things should be calmer. There’s no evidence to suggest the Green/NDP partnership will collapse. It will be interesting to see which of the many promises Premier John Horgan will be able to deliver.
On the other side of the aisle, the BC Liberals will pick its new leader early in the new year. In West Kelowna, a new MLA will be picked in a byelection at a yet-to-be-determined date.
Across the province, there will be municipal elections in every community in October. It’s the first time they’ve come on the heals of a four-year term. Candidates who are contemplating running for office need to start thinking about it now.
Colin Basran and Doug Findlater should have no problem being re-elected but Cindy Fortin, Akbal Mund, and James Baker will be in for a run.
In Kelowna and the Central Okanagan, the two biggest issues facing civic leaders will likely remain homelessness and housing affordability.
Council’s biggest decision will come early in the year as the massive Aqua development project is up for final approval.
In sports, it appears as though the Kelowna Rockets are in position to have a long post-season, one that could perhaps take them all the way to the Memorial Cup.
In the BCHL, Vernon and West Kelowna both have the potential to win the provincial championship.
Happy New Year everybody.