Slowly but steadily, the communities on Vancouver Island are resolving themselves into two solitudes. Greater Victoria and the southern Gulf Islands are becoming an affluent, job-rich zone with high standards of living.
In sharp contrast, the central and northern areas of the Island are falling behind, and the downward slide is apparent in just about every measure of personal well-being.
The most dramatic evidence can be seen in longevity. The average life expectancy at the northwest tip of the Island is 75.5 years. On the southern Gulf Islands it is 84. That鈥檚 the kind of variance you expect to see between developed countries and the third world; between Libya, say (life expectancy 75), and Sweden (life expectancy 84).
Looked at from another angle, residents in Port Hardy or Port McNeill have added just six months of lifespan over the past two decades. Saltspring Islanders have added six years.
There are also significant, and growing, disparities in income. In 2000, median families in the Alberni/Nanaimo region earned $3,000 less than their counterparts in Victoria. By 2010, the gap had grown to $12,000.
The unemployment rate in Lake Cowichan is double the rate in Victoria. So is reliance on employment insurance.
And economic distress breeds social distress. Nearly twice as many north Island kids have trouble reading as kids in the south. Almost three times as many of them need court-ordered protection.
The teen birth rate up-Island is triple the sa国际传媒 average. There are four times as many deaths from illicit drugs. And here, too, despite a general improvement in sa国际传媒鈥檚 economy, many of these disparities continue to widen.
While several factors no doubt play a part, the dominating influence is the shortage of reliable, well-paying employment in the northern half of the Island. Job cuts in the forest sector have not been offset by the introduction of alternative forms of work.
And with the exception of plans for a new port facility at Bamfield, there is nothing on the economic radar that offers hope of improvement. If a solution is to be found, both the federal and provincial governments must step up.
But what can they do? At a minimum, they can stop making things worse.
Well-paying jobs continue to be lost as mid-Island schools are closed. Yes, there are fewer kids, and yes, entrenchment makes sense when funding is based on enrolment.
But in regions where the wage economy is already in trouble, the loss of these jobs far outweighs any benefit to the treasury.
Along the same lines, reductions in federal defence spending have done far-reaching damage to coastal communities.
But harm avoidance isn鈥檛 enough: Pro-active measures are also required. The largest employer on Vancouver Island is the provincial government.
Most of its head offices are located in the capital region. That made sense in the pre-digital era.
But with instant telecommunications, email and video-conferencing, there is no longer any reason for this centralized structure.
Private companies don鈥檛 headquarter themselves where rents are highest and job markets are tight. Why should government?
There are a number of agencies that could find cheaper accommodations in Nanaimo or Port Alberni or Campbell River. The Ministry of Forests comes to mind.
There are no easy solutions here. But the economic malaise that besets half our Island, and the social injustice that accompanies it, cannot be tolerated.
The first step toward action is an admission of the problem. There was not one word in the provincial throne speech about the difficulties facing Vancouver Island.
The official opposition party is well represented here. If the premier and her ministers have nothing to suggest, perhaps the NDP can do better.
