John Horgan's 2018 summer barbecue - Island Social Trends

Hot Dogs, Hamburgers ‘n Horgan: August 2018 gathering in Sooke

by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News

Premier John Horgan with the ‘four Newmans’, in Sooke August 19 [West Shore Voice News photo]

Sunday, August 19 ~ SOOKE. Today in Sooke, Premier John Horgan (MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca) held his annual ‘Hot Dogs, Hamburgers & Horgan’ summer barbecue at the Sooke River campground.

About 250 people attended the event that was hosted by the Langford-Juan de Fuca Constituency Association. There was a buffet lunch, speeches and cake. The weather was comfortably warm under slightly hazy ‘smoky-air’ skies.

Among the crowd were many long-time NDP-ers who did some considerable groundwork to build the NDP force in the riding over the years. Also some new-to-Sooke folks. And of course many local and regional political VIPs including MLA Mitzi Dean (Esquimalt-Metchosin); Sooke Mayor Maja Tait; Juan de Fuca Director Mike Hicks; Sooke Councillors Brenda Parkinson and Rick Kasper; former Sooke Mayor Wendal Milne (now with the BC Transit board); SD62 School Board trustees Ravi Parmar, Bob Phillips, and Neil Poirier; and former MLA Moe Sihota.

Horgan was eager to pose with “the four Newmans of Sooke”: two Ediths, with Paul and Victor [see photo].

Premier John Horgan chatting with former Sooke Mayor Wendal Milne and Wendy Milne, August 19, 2018 [West Shore Voice News photo]

The recently deceased Kay Mitchell (wife of long-time NDP MLA Frank Mitchell) was honoured in speeches by Bob Phillips, Moe Sihota and Premier Horgan. Sihota called Kay Mitchell an icon of the community, constituency and political party saying she was philosophically impacted by the Great Depression (and how people suffered from the hard-nosed aspects of economic victimization) and World War II (with the need to build a better life). Kay held true to values and committed to the cause, he said.

Maureen Mitchell-Starkey (one of Kay and Frank’s two daughters) said afterward she was pleased with the kind words about her mother Kay, who recently passed away from cancer at age 91. Mitchell-Starkey has had a long career working for the provincial NDP.

Premier John Horgan went over some old history of how the NDP came to hold the riding, and touched briefly on some current political issues such as the upcoming referendum on proportional representation. He touched on a few of the local successes of his first year in office including improvements to Highway 14 upon which Sooke depends as a commuter-community.

Horgan reiterated the power of public education as “the great equalizer” and lauded “the power of great engaged teachers”, noting that the local SD62 board of education that guides education in the west shore is one of the fastest growing school districts in the province.

Horgan is back from about two weeks of vacation, and next week heads to Prince George to see some of the wildfire zone that BC is presently struggling with under a state of emergency.

There were lots of photo ops for Horgan fans, and selfies of course.