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EDITORIAL: Premier's waiting game on byelections is a disgrace

The guessing game continues as to when Premier Christy Clark will call a byelection in Port Moody-Coquitlam to replace former Liberal MLA Iain Black, who left the post Oct. 1 for a CEO position with the Vancouver Board of Trade.

The guessing game continues as to when Premier Christy Clark will call a byelection in Port Moody-Coquitlam to replace former Liberal MLA Iain Black, who left the post Oct. 1 for a CEO position with the Vancouver Board of Trade.

For those keeping track, that's five months and counting that residents of the riding have been without elected representation.

There was a flurry of anticipation a while ago when the premier herself made a few visits to this area - as sure a sign of an election, it was thought, as a red-breasted robin is a sign of spring - but with the BC Conservatives snapping at Liberal heels, the public school teachers' contract negotiations ending in unpopular legislation and the BC Place naming deal coming to a messy end, it appears the voting date will be called later rather than sooner.

April 7 is the drop-dead date for the premier to call a byelection and, yes, that's just a few weeks away. But for Premier Clark to wait so long for political, not practical, reasons is a disgrace.

What do you think?Should byelections be called within two months of a seat being vacated instead of six? Vote in our online poll.