Bell Bows Out
Tue, 2011-01-11 20:05
#1
Bell Bows Out
Tue, 2011-01-11 20:12
#2
It is a sad day for NDP'ers but a good day for Catherine and Roger. I ate at their new restaurant last week and the food at the Zocalo is great.
Former NDP MP Catherine Bell has decided not to run as a candidate in the next federal election, opening the door for the New Democrats to nominate a new candidate for Vancouver Island North.
“I am convinced the New Democrats can and will win back Vancouver Island North in the next election, but it’s going to be a close race,” said Bell. “As the new owner of a thriving small business, I find that I am unable to commit the time and resources required for a successful campaign. Therefore I’ve decided to step out of politics and open the door for a new candidate and new energy.
http://catherinebellndp.wordpress.com/
Located in a beautiful heritage building on the corner of 5th and Cliffe Avenue in downtown Courtenay, Zocalo Café & Gallery is your Comox Valley meeting place!
The Zo was founded around the same principles as the mexican town squares that share our name. Our mission is to provide Courtenay with a comfortable environment for people to come together, share, create and be social.
Drop by to taste our Fair Trade coffee, hearty meals and mouth watering desserts. Listen to our live music and discuss the original art and photographs gracing our walls. We are a licenced premises serving beer, wine and liquors. We also offer high-speed wireless internet - free!
Tue, 2011-01-11 21:38
#3
I believe I've already read that Alexandra Morton is thinking about running for the NDP nomination there.
Tue, 2011-01-11 22:14
#4
I have been told she has declined the invite.
Wed, 2011-01-12 00:03
#5
OK, you're more recent than I am. Thanks.
Wed, 2011-01-12 00:12
#6
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BAgC99CFbE]Video tribute to the former MP for Vancouver Island North[/url]
Wed, 2011-01-12 01:57
#7
OK, you're more recent than I am. Thanks.
http://www.straight.com/article-367820/vancouver/biologist-alexandra-mor...
Fri, 2011-01-21 00:32
#8
This is disappointing. Bell was the best chance to defeat the Cons in Vancouver Island North.
Fri, 2011-01-21 12:19
#9
Given how high profile this riding is on the NDPs potential list, I think it may attract a great canddiate we don't know of yet-- too soon to panic.
Fri, 2011-01-21 12:48
#10
Given how high profile this riding is on the NDPs potential list, I think it may attract a great canddiate we don't know of yet-- too soon to panic.
I think Glen Sanford would be a good choice but he is already organizing for the party. He's articulate and his mother was one of the most respected NDP MLA's from the Comox Valley so he would even have positive name recognition. You can get people in Ottawa to pressure him.
Fri, 2011-01-21 13:17
#11
Well I remember his mother, and when I saw the name 'Glen Sanford' wondered if...
But how old do you have to be to remember her? I left in 1975, and dont remember if she was re-elected when the Barett government was turfed, but presumably she served for a while longer.
Why do you think the fact he is working for the party means he is less likely?
Fri, 2011-01-21 13:44
#12
The problem is that most people are not willing to give up their family to serve the people. The commuting on top of the event and other commitments on weekends are too daunting for most.
Here is a well written eulogy about Karen, from last fall.
Sanford was first elected as an NDP MLA for the North Island riding, which stretched from Fanny Bay to Cape Scott, in 1972 when Dave Barrett was elected premier of B.C. She served the area until 1986, when she lost to Stan Hagen in the Bill Vander Zalm sweep. Over the course of her political career, during which time the boundaries of her riding changed, she served constituents from Nanoose Bay to Cape Scott.
"It was a very exciting time," Glen said. "She was part of the government that brought the Agricultural Land Reserve to B.C., set up ICBC, and provided much more in the way of services for seniors and Pharmacare — all things that she was very proud to be involved in. I think the Agricultural Land Reserve, in particular, was one of the things that she considered to be one of the biggest accomplishments of that Dave Barrett government she was part of.
"In some ways it's like when Tommy Douglas brought in health care. It was unpopular at the time, and it went on to be seen as one of the really important developments in the life of the province."
Glen recalls when his mother was first elected, his parents' idea of a holiday was a camping trip to the North Island.
"Every now and then she'd go off door knocking and to meetings," he said. "There was no highway to Port Hardy in those days. When that highway was built, people at the time called it the Karen Sanford Highway, and maybe some people still do. It was a project that she drove very strongly from the time of her election."
After losing the 1986 election, Sanford remained active in political and community life. She raised funds to construct a building in downtown Courtenay that houses the Comox Valley NDP. It was formally named the Karen Sanford Building last year.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/news...
Fri, 2011-01-21 16:30
#13
Oh, thank you so much for posting that, kropotkin. I didn't know Karen Sanford had passed away. I totally love Glen ... remember him from when he worked for Margaret Mitchell in Ottawa. Last I heard he was working at the BC Leg.
Anyways, will look forward to hearing more news from the north Island, if anyone's got it!
Fri, 2011-01-21 18:43
#14
I actually think that the NDP has dodged a big bullet by not having Alexandra Morton run. She's a bit of a sanctimonious Elizabeth May-type and on top of that she would have been very much a single issue candidate singularly obsessed with ending all salmon farming - given that the salmon farms employ thousands of people in Campbell River - her candidacy would only have repelled a vast number of potential NDP voters in Campbell RFiver.
Fri, 2011-01-21 20:48
#15
I first met Karen Sanford in that first campaign. As far as I knew, she more or less strolled into the logging camp where I worked. I told her that I was fresh off the boat and did not even know what the NDP was. Obviously not a voter, but she took a fair bit of time to fill me in on the basics.
I ran into her in Port Hardy once- presumably one of those family camping trips. But she was chatting people up at the ferry.
I take it Glen hasn't indicated he is thinking about it?
Sat, 2011-01-22 01:09
#16
Seems like a number of candidates for various parties have quit over the past year. The Liberals have lost several candidates, and I read that the NDP lost Ryan Cleary a few months ago in Saint John's South.
I think the constant uncertainty of waiting for an election year after year is hard on a lot of candidates.
Sat, 2011-01-22 02:30
#17
Seems like a number of candidates for various parties have quit over the past year. The Liberals have lost several candidates, and I read that the NDP lost Ryan Cleary a few months ago in Saint John's South.
I thought Cleary was still in?
Sat, 2011-01-22 03:39
#18
No, he's out.
Mon, 2011-01-24 16:20
#19
Election Prediction has now changed Vancouver Island North from too close to call to Conservative.
This is what worries me.
Mon, 2011-01-24 22:25
#20
Strange. It shouldn't *need* a Catherine Bell to be viable...
Mon, 2011-01-24 22:48
#21
Election Prediction has now changed Vancouver Island North from too close to call to Conservative.
This is what worries me.
If there is one thing NOT to "worry about" its any so-called prediction on electionprediction.org. That site is just one guy (who is a Liberal staffer) who just makes his personal picks based on his own personal opinion of he thinks will win and his record in past election was quite unimpressive. He doesn't know any more about what's going on in that riding than any of us. In fact he probably knows less. Anyone of us could create a website, make it look slick and make it look like our own half-baked predictions had some veneer of scientific precision about them.
So before anyone goes wringing their hands because the Liberal hack who is the voice behind the box in electionprediction.org makes a prediction you don't - keep all this in mind.
Guess what - some people who post on babble think the NDP will win North Vancouver Island - I give the opinion of anyone on babble just as much weight as I do to Milton Chan of election prediction.
Sun, 2013-05-19 12:36
#22
Lou Arab
Glen is one of the NDP's best campaign managers in the country. And I'm sure he'd be a fine MP.