Friday April 28, 2023 | COLWOOD, BC [Updated May 25, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today it was a coffee drop-in at The Habitat Cafe for Mitzi Dean, MLA (Esquimalt-Metchosin) on the Royal Roads University campus in Colwood, followed by mingling on campus with giveaway snacks in hand.
Last week it was a coffee shop meet-and-greet in Esquimalt.
And the next ones coming up will be in Metchosin (at the Broken Paddle) and in View Royal (at A Kinder Cup near Mitzi’s constituency office in View Royal).
Other than that, the experienced MLA is out door-knocking to meet constituents on their home turf.
In all cases she listens to their concerns, most of which are about their own lives as impacted by living and lifestyle in BC.
Door-knocking:
People who are at home during the day on weekdays don’t seem to mention the cost of living or inflation pressures, said Dean in chatting with Island Social Trends.
She said that demographic talks more so about health-care concerns including the availability of nurses, as people are still moving out of pandemic mode in many ways.
Connecting in the community:
All of this is about connecting with people in between elections, and after the pandemic period where community connection was by phone and Zoom.
People feel comfortable knowing they can speak directly with their MLA in the community, says Dean.
She feels people were in survival mode during the pandemic, but that things are easing up in that regard now.
Minister of Children and Family Development:
Mitzi Dean was first elected in 2017, and re-elected in 2020. She is presently the Minister for Children and Family Development in the David Eby BC NDP cabinet. When at the legislature, the work is all about that.
The current legislative session will wrap up May 11; the fall session starts in October.
Getting ready for 2024:
The next BC provincial election is presently set for next year, on October 19, 2024.
Electoral district boundaries are changing in BC; Vancouver Island will see several boundary changes, and an increase in the number of seats from 14 to 15.
Mitzi will be losing the Metchosin side of the riding but seeing Vic West added in the future Esquimalt-Colwood riding.
===== RELATED:
Three provincial electoral areas for west shore (April 18, 2023)
Jan 2023: Westshore MLA Mitzi Dean reflects on the year ahead (Jan 16, 2023)
Indigenous self-government in child and family services (Nov 3, 2022)
Mitzi Dean pleased about constituency accomplishments during the pandemic (Feb 20, 2022)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends has been covering politics, business, education and communities through a socioeconomic lens since 2008 on south Vancouver Island (previously as West Shore Voice News, and before that both Sooke Voice News and MapleLine Magazine).
Island Social Trends posts news daily at islandsocialtrends.ca.
Mary P Brooke is the editor and publisher of Island Social Trends. Ms Brooke followed and wrote extensively about the COVID pandemic during 2020-2022, and continues to follow that topic as new developments arise. She has covered Sooke School District 62 (SD62) in-depth since 2014 and BC education more broadly for over 10 years. She now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery.
Among other qualifications, Ms Brooke holds a health sciences B.Sc. (Foods & Nutrition), a university Certificate in Public Relations, and an industry certificate in digital marketing.