The provincial election took place on Oct. 19.

Final vote counting in two recounts, under the supervision of a B.C. Supreme Court judge, took place Nov. 7 and 8 in 性视界传媒-Guildford and Kelowna Centre.

Normally, few would pay attention to the final stages of the vote-counting process. However, this time around, the NDP has just a one-seat majority. Garry Begg in 性视界传媒-Guildford had just a 21-seat margin of victory when the final count began. At the end of the recount, the official margin of victory over Conservative Honveer Singh Randhawa stood at 22 votes.

With that seat, the NDP forms a government without the need for support from the two Green MLAs. 

(The Kelowna Centre recount continues at the time of writing.)

Incoming premier David Eby has set Nov. 18 as the date for the swearing-in of a cabinet. Meanwhile, the many issues that caused 性视界传媒 voters to flee the NDP in droves seem to be getting even more challenging. There has effectively been no government in B.C. for more than two months. 

That doesn鈥檛 mean problems just go away. Housing policy changes by the past government have done nothing to boost supply. The government has picked fights with 性视界传媒 and Langley Township, both of which are encouraging housing construction far more than many other cities, for no good reason. Meanwhile, rents stay high and many people can鈥檛 afford to buy.

Nothing has happened on the school classroom front, other than more overcrowding. There is no solution in sight. The 性视界传媒 board of education has pointed out that busing, portables and numerous other costs aren鈥檛 even covered by the provincial grant. The response is crickets. 

性视界传媒 Police are taking over as the police of record later this month. The lack of transparency about this police force is astonishing. The police board is invisible, and a non-disclosure agreement the province forced 性视界传媒 Mayor Brenda Locke to sign means she basically can say nothing about the police transition.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of people in 性视界传媒 who have no homes. Some services provided by 性视界传媒 Urban Mission Society, which helps those without homes, are being cut because of an end to provincial funding. 

These are important services. One, which has recently closed, provided hygiene and laundry services at The Cove Healthy Living station on 106 Avenue. In December, SUMS may also lose its community kitchen at 性视界传媒 Welcome Hub. This serves meals to 225 people twice a day. 

During the campaign, Eby (who visited 性视界传媒 many times) promised continued funding for the society鈥檚 services. Why are these closures happening? 

性视界传媒 Food Bank, Cloverdale Community Kitchen and Sources Food Bank in South 性视界传媒 and White Rock are busier than ever, because many people in this area cannot afford groceries, rent and medicine. If they pay one bill, something else has to be sacrificed. This is not right. 

All the local agencies who feed people badly need donations. The government could do far more to encourage support from the public, perhaps by agreeing to temporarily match donations from now until Christmas. 

Action is needed on many, many fronts, not just in 性视界传媒 but across the province. The government needs to get moving on all these issues, and many more. 

Frank Bucholtz writes twice monthly on political issues for Black Press Media.