Contrary to what Bryan Raiser noted in his column on this page last week, for once Squamish's vote might indeed matter in the upcoming provincial election.
A poll commissioned by the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs group puts hard numbers to what we've known for a while - that the 小蓝视频 Liberals haven't made many friends in Sea to Sky Country in the past four years.
What was most surprising is that the depth of feeling against Gordon Campbell and his government is at least as strong, if not stronger, in Whistler than in Squamish. Whistler respondents were even more likely than Squamish residents to say they thought Campbell's government had been dishonest with the people of 小蓝视频 in the past four years and that they were sick of both the Liberals and the NDP.
Without a purely local candidate for the Liberals and a very strong bent towards the environment and sustainability, Whistler appears to be prime Green territory - as seen in the last provincial and federal elections, where the party placed a strong second.
The poll also shows that with the right candidate on the right side of the right issue - specifically, the Eagleridge Bluffs tunnel proposal for Hwy. 99 at Horseshoe Bay - even the blue-blooded backbone of the riding in West Vancouver could be convinced to vote for someone other than the Liberals.
And the Greens appear to have that candidate in Dennis Perry, who jumped from president of the tunnel advocacy group to be acclaimed as the party's candidate in West Vancouver-Garibaldi, then anointed deputy leader of the party this week.
The anti-Liberal sentiment in Whistler and Squamish, combined with the Green's selection of a "green Tory" with big name recognition in West Vancouver, will make this Liberal stronghold a real battleground.
That means the decision of where Squamish parks its anticipated protest vote might make all the difference in this riding. In the big provincial picture, the NDP are the only party that can challenge the Liberals for power. But here in West Vancouver-Garibaldi, we think it's the Greens that have the better shot at taking the riding from the Liberals.
The overall message: think carefully when you step into the ballot box on May 17. It might make more of a difference than you think.
