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Clashes brewing on three fronts — maybe

Each week I ask myself the same question: “What’s the story?” Sometimes, the answer isn’t clear — it has to be tempted and coaxed into the light of day.
27470mondaymagSimonNattrass

Each week I ask myself the same question: “What’s the story?” Sometimes, the answer isn’t clear — it has to be tempted and coaxed into the light of day. Other times, I barely ask before something bursts through the veneer of our quiet little city, waving its arms and demanding my full attention. And then there’s this week. This is the week of too-soon-to-tell.

It starts with the capital’s decision to join in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests. A date has been set for an Occupy Victoria demonstration coinciding with numerous other similar protests around the world on Oct. 15, and recent internet chatter suggests that attendance will be high.

Will this demonstration end with a polite stroll to the legislature, a lasting occupation of Centennial Square, or a bunch of people getting kettled onto the Johnson Street Bridge only to have its rusted frame collapse under the strain?

Too soon to tell.

Wednesday marked the beginning of six weeks of pro-life protest in front of the Vancouver Island Women’s Clinic, organized as part of a campaign called 40 Days For Life.

The same day marked the launch of the Victoria Reproductive Justice Coalition, formed to counter “the actions of anti-choice advocates, who are creating an intimidating environment for women...” according to spokesperson Tara Paterson.

Events will most certainly unfold over the remaining five weeks of the 40 Days campaign, but for now?

Yeah — too soon to tell.

To top it all off, Victoria mayoral candidate Paul Brown announced on Monday that he will be running a slate of four candidates for the Nov. 19 municipal election. The slate will consist of Brown  in the mayor’s race and three new candidates for city council — retailer Sukhki Lalli, environmental activist Linda McGrew and realtor Aaron Hall.

It remains to be seen whether the group can alter the course of our notoriously lackluster municipal elections or what the inevitable retaliation from the other half of the race will look like. At this point, it’s... well, you get the point.

Yes, in a city that delights in front-page stories about hanging flower baskets and pretty boats, a week like this is truly a breath of fresh air. M