KROG.1 — It’s taken a while, but the Liberals seem to be adapting to being in Opposition at the B.C. legislature. They held the new NDP government to account on all manner of issues last week, from fish farms to forest fires to the origins of the song Me and Bobby McGee.
Liberal MLA John Martin of Chilliwack — the riding, not the band — caught a glaring mistake that prompted Nanaimo MLA Leonard Krog to offer a contrite clarification.
“I wish to apologize to the House,” he began in a sombre tone. “I apparently misled members this morning. It was pointed out to me by the member for Chilliwack. I attributed to Janis Joplin the line, the lyrics: ‘Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose,’ when, in fact, the member tells me — and I believe him, because he’s a notorious fan of music and barbecuing — it’s Kris Kristofferson. “I do apologize.”
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KROG.2 — The Nanaimo MLA was on safer footing paying tribute to Vancouver Island businessman and community leader Tom Harris, who died in June at the age of 67.
“Everyone knew Tom Harris, and everyone respected Tom Harris,” Krog said. “No one on Vancouver Island can help but smile and repeat the jingle: ‘If you’re looking for a car, go see Tom.’
“Tom’s amazing success was crowned by his outstanding generosity, especially in tough times when the community needed it most, and by the love his employees had for him. There was hardly a charity in Nanaimo that didn’t receive donations from Tom or his companies. … He loved people, and in turn, people loved him. His work and his life brought honour to his family and to his name in a life that was truly well lived.”
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PERFECT FIT — The NDP’s Mable Elmore welcomed a few high-flying friends to mark the 40th anniversary of the B.C. Wildfire Service’s rapattack program.
It turns out the Vancouver-Kensington MLA knows more than a little bit about the program and the men and women who rappel out of helicopters to put out small fires and lightning strikes.
“I was in the class of 1990, the third woman in the program,” she told the legislature. “I learned how to rappel down the 60-foot training tower before rappelling out of helicopters hovering 200 feet off the ground to put out remote wildfires right across the province.”
Elmore, who can deliver a lightning strike of her own when necessary, noted that the rap-attack team now operates out of Salmon Arm, on the home turf of Liberal MLA Greg Kyllo.
“I have to mention that when I spoke to the member for Shuswap, where the base is housed, I told him about my involvement in the program. He said to me: ‘Wow. You must have been in really good shape.’ I noted the past tense.” Burn!
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BEEP BEEP — Education Minister and Victoria-Swan Lake MLA Rob Fleming got a bit of high-powered help as he welcomed 35 students from the flex program at Reynolds Secondary to the public gallery.
Once Fleming finished introducing the students and their teachers, Brad Cunningham and Greg Downing, Premier John Horgan added an important bit of context.
“I just want to add my voice to the member for Victoria-Swan Lake,” Horgan said. “I am a Reynolds alumnus. I’m a former Roadrunner. I just want those Roadrunners in attendance today to stay in school, work hard and do your homework. You can be premier one day.”
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UNSUNG HEROES — Parksville-Qualicum Liberal MLA Michelle Stilwell, a six-time Paralympic gold medallist, issued a heartfelt thank you to the interventional radiologists who treated her at Vancouver General Hospital this summer.
As Stilwell explained, IR uses the power of advanced imaging such as ultrasound, X-rays, CAT scans and MRIs to diagnose and treat diseases.
“Through a tiny incision in the skin, they deliver precise, targeted treatments,” she said. “IR procedures are less invasive, provide reduced risk, less pain, shorter recovery times and, often, better outcomes.”
Stilwell noted that the same team treated blood clots in the leg of Jordan Bateman, communications director for the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of British Columbia. “They saved his leg, but more importantly, his life,” she said.
Stilwell said the specialists often work around the clock and rarely get the recognition they deserve for improving the lives of others.
“So today I extend my gratitude and praise to all the staff, but especially Dr. Raju Heran, who sets the bar high for standard of care, with his knowledge, his experience and, especially, his compassion,” she said.
“I’m not sure how he did it, but he always made me feel like I was his only patient. Thanks to him, I avoided major surgery, and I feel normal again — whatever normal is.”
— By Lindsay Kines
