November 18, 2006 – Thanks to the efforts of Sunshine Coast/Powell River MLA Nicholas Simons, I had the opportunity to present the Sprockids Program to the Honourable Gordon Hogg. Gordon is the minister responsible for the “ActNow B.C.” portfolio which focuses on changing the attitude of today’s society, particularly towards the type of lifestyle young people choose.

The adventure started when Nicholas and I boarded a small single propped Cessna in Sechelt, then took off for our flight to Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The small plane reminded me of when I was young, riding in my brother’s 1952 Austin Healy. Grant, our pilot navigated us across the strait and over the Gulf Islands. It was very cool to fly over many the islands I have visited by boat. As we taxied into Victoria, it felt like Nicholas and I were the reincarnation of Jake and Elwood, from the Blues Brothers, on a mission to ‘enlighten’ the government on how to get today’s generation up, off the couch, and active. Since we had some time to kill before our scheduled meeting with the minister, Nicholas and I walked over to the Parliament Buildings. Nicholas gave me a quick tour of the building. If you have never been to the Parliament Buildings in Victoria, it is well worth the trip. The buildings themselves are a beautiful example of architectural design and craftsmanship from a very fascinating time in our Country’s history.

Finally the time for our meeting arrived. As we entered the office of Gordon Hogg, one’s first impression was one of warmth, openness, and humor. Off in one corner lay this year’s Halloween decorations, in another a gumball dispenser, and scattered around the room was a variety of stuffed animals. As we were ushered into the inner office there, taking center stage on the coffee table was a full size Jedi “Light Saber!” Gordon informed us he had three of them, and proceeded to demonstrate his skill with the saber. Next, he proceeded to give us a mini concert of his latest Hip Hop song that he performed at a recent function. It was obvious this man enjoys life. One could not help but feel comfortable in his presence. There definitely wasn’t any airs or attitude with this elected official. Nicholas gave a brief introduction about Sprockids and why he felt this meeting was important. Then it was my turn. I had about 20 minutes to tell Gordon about 16 years of my life and why the Provincial Government needs to get behind Sprockids. Talking about Sprockids is very easy for me because I believe so passionately about it. What was difficult was trying to describe all the various facets of Sprockids into such a small time frame, making sure I focused on the pertinent points that would connect with the minister. Over the years Gordon has held numerous posts with the government and his experience, incite, and passion for young people became obvious as we talked about the program and the current situation regarding the lack of activity in today’s society, not only among young people, but with adults also. Our 30-minute meeting quickly turned into 45 minutes, which still isn’t a lot of time, but to get that amount of time one-on-one with a minister is pretty rare. He truly seemed to comprehend the philosophy behind Sprockids and both Nicholas and I came away with a positive and optimistic feeling that this initial meeting would open the doors to further discussions. So what happens next? At this point I am anxiously waiting for the e-mail or phone call summoning me to Victoria for another meeting. I have the ‘implementation plan’ ready to go and, once the Provincial Government comes on board, together we can get B.C. pedaling its way to a sustainable healthy lifestyle.