COLUMN: Battle of Burnaby has begun
Metrovalley Newspaper Group - Burnaby Newsleader
January 28, 2009
Opinion By: Grant Granger

The first big shots in the Battle for Burnaby were fired late last week.

…. As has been pointed out before, Bloy, Nuraney and Lee have little power in Victoria. They carry about as much influence in Premier Gordon Campbell's government as the night custodian who vacuums the legislative chamber rug. Despite being two-time MLAs, none hold a cabinet position. So they have to scratch and claw for every morsel of attention they can get….

The 2005 results show there is little wiggle room for either party in Burnaby. So last Friday morning the fight unofficially got going. The BC Liberals sent the first missive aimed at deflating the NDP's kick-off campaign for Burnaby and the Fraser Valley that day.

Their release pointed out a bunch of stuff-early learning centres, seismic school upgrades, a new Burnaby Central and an improved Burnaby Hospital emergency department-the Liberals claim are helping to provide economic activity for the city. It was recycling of news from the compost pile.

The NDP's retort came from a similar heap. They trotted out the tired refrain of saying the Campbell Liberals are "out of touch" with Burnaby, listing off homelessness, the seismic upgrades taking too long, child care and SkyTrain safety, all common themes the NDP continuously hammers away at. But their criticisms, however valid they might be, don't come with concrete solutions. At least not so far….