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Letter: Big money shouldn’t be running the province

Dear Editor, Enough is enough with big money donations! The New York Times recently published an article shaming Premier Christy Clark and her party.
clark rennie
BC Liberal Party fundraising chair Bob Rennie and Premier Christy Clark. Rennie markets condos in Metro Vancouver. Photo: BC government Flickr.

Dear Editor,

Enough is enough with big money donations!

The New York Times recently published an article shaming Premier Christy Clark and her party. 

They wrote, “Unlike many other provinces in Canada, British Columbia has no limits on political donations. Wealthy individuals, corporations, unions and even foreigners are allowed to donate large amounts to political parties there.” 

This is why we see the BC Liberal Party with hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on the election in an attempt to sway voters. Personally, it does not sit well with me, knowing that corporations and foreign investors have a major hand in how B.C. is run, which ultimately trickles down to how Richmond is run. 

This government has done nothing to preserve our neighbourhoods, help working-class families get ahead or support  our most vulnerable citizens, such as seniors in care or at-risk youth. 

Instead, this government is trying to convince the public we need to spend billions of dollars on the Massey Tunnel replacement bridge, when rapid public transit would make the most sense for commuters; or that the Site C dam, which also costs upwards of $8 billions is a great investment.

They fail to mention that B.C. won’t see the financial benefits of that dam for more than 70 years. 

It’s time to put an end to the spin and to corporations running our province. Voter turnout in Richmond for the last provincial election was a mere 51 per cent. We can do better this time round. We owe it to our city and our province.

Ramon Mestres

Richmond