MLA$ — Paying an MLA ($103,000) is just a fraction of the total costs when it comes to care and maintenance of them.
While debating the recently delivered electoral boundaries report, which adds two more ridings to bring the house up to 87 MLAs, Community Minister Peter Fassbender noted that the total cost can range from $324,000 to $512,000 a year per MLA, depending on various factors.
“That is an investment in that representation. While that is a significant amount of money, it reflects the importance of investing in the representation for the people of the province.”
The money comes out of the $69-million annual budget for running the legislature, much of which goes to MLAs in the form of salaries, travel costs, office and support staff costs.
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MAN OH MANN — The Mann Cup was on display at the legislature last week as some Victoria Shamrocks brought it with them during a visit to be honoured for their lacrosse win.
Hometown fan and NDP Leader John Horgan said the last time a western team won the cup he was a rookie MLA. That win was also by the Shamrocks.
Also on the sports beat, octogenarian Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan paid tribute to the 55-Plus B.C. Games, formerly known as the Seniors Games, held in North Vancouver in August.
“While I did not feel quite up to pole-vaulting that day, I did consider competing in darts.”
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SEEING RED — After a final burst of venom over the Red Tape Reduction Act, a one-sentence bill proclaiming an official Red Tape Reduction Day, the bill was passed by the legislature.
And after all the arguments about what a farcical waste of time the bill was and how it demeaned the other official days — like Holocaust Memorial Day — the Opposition voted for it.
NDP MLA Adrian Dix said it was an attempt to create a wedge issue and the cabinet was unable to explain over the course of debate why it was needed.
“This kind of behaviour is really an insult. It’s not serious. It’s an effort by the government to take something real and important, something that we’ve used to memorialize the Holocaust and recognize our collective success as a province, and turn it into a cheap trick by the Liberal Party.”
Nonetheless, the NDP sided with Liberals in passing the bill, with only Independent MLA Vicki Huntington and Green MLA Andrew Weaver standing opposed.
Dix had earlier dismissed the vote itself, saying: “We’re not going to play this game. We’re not going to worry about this vote, which is just a trick. We’re against red tape. We’ll vote against red tape every day of the week.”
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SPECIAL DAYS — The other way for the government to make a day special is to just declare it by proclamation, which is just a cabinet member signing a fancy piece of paper.
But that apparently wasn’t special enough for Red Tape Reduction Day, and a glance at the proclamations shows why: There are hundreds of them every year.
This month, for example, the entire calendar is filled up with proclaimed days, weeks and months. October is seven different kinds of month, including ADHD Awareness, Veterinary Technologist, Foster Family, Registered Disability Savings Plan Awareness, and Breastfeeding. Eleven special weeks are recognized. And there are eight special days.
