B.C. Vancouver itself is also still beautiful. Turns out my northern namesake, Glen Clark, was being forced to resign as B.C.'s Premier. It came after RCMP investigators found documents showing he'd been arranging for sweetheart deals to well-connected pals who wanted a casino license. One such prior scandal had led to the demise of the Social Credit Party, which had run the B.C. government with an iron hand for most of the '70s and '80s. Without going too far into the wacky realm of Canadian politics, let's just note that it's a Parlaimentary system.
Political parties can be national or regional, and can come and go in a single election cycle.
Of course, premiers like Mr. Clark might have a little stronger hold on power if the local economy were doing well. The Asian recession and the Canadian dollar's pitiful exchange rate have depressed the import-export trade, one of B.C.'s economic stalwarts. Vancouver's most venerable bookstore chain, Duthie's, just closed nine of its ten branches. What's still great about Vancouver. Talk discussion boards.