Cartoons by Sharon Jackson

From the Cowichan News Leader 1994-1996..

In the years 1994-1996, I was the political cartoonist for the Cowichan News Leader. It was interesting and I had to stay up to date on all the local developments so that I could poke fun at people. They made me stop when I got elected myself in 1996. Here are a few of my very favourites from that time:

	Council had just approved the clearcutting of a major city park after a storm had blown down many trees. At the same time, the mayor was being accused of patronage, I completely forget why. This cartoon shows the mayor typing his letter to the newspaper.
	The City of Duncan attempted an amalgamation with the neighbouring community of Cowichan Bay. The offer was firmly rejected.
	Farm classification was expanded to include farms raising insects.
	Muriel and Finbar (named after my first in-laws) were featured prominently. Here Finbar struggles with the 1996 Census Long Form.
	Local "recycling and garbage afficionado," Alex Stewart tries to resuscitate his offer to take over the garbage disposal in the Cowichan Valley. His previous kick at the cat had failed.
	After the Exhibition was over, I tried to imagine what it would be like to be an award winning chicken back home on the farm, lording it over all the other chickens.
	The CT Scanner for Cowichan District Hospital was high up on the local agenda during the provincial election in 1996. All parties were for it and tried to convice the voters that they were more for it than anyone else.
	Rex Hollett was Mayor of North Cowichan at this time. Originally from Newfoundland, Rex was upfront, honest and tough. He was also happy to announce that he had never read a book in his life, and saw nothing wrong with calling the corner store, "The Chinaman's"
	1996 and people were beginning to feel that Duncan Council was coming up with torturous policies for no other reason than to make them suffer.
	The Cowichan Community Centre Commission had been told that the lights in the theatre were about to fail and would probably fail in the middle of a performance and more than that, that they would come crashing down and probably kill someone. There was a successful referendum to borrow $5 million to fix the lights and other features in the theatre, but 5 years later the work had not been done.
	My personal favourite of all time. Poking fun at long serving North Cowichan Councillor, Glen Ridgway, over the hotly debated topic of a proposed bridge over part of Somenos Marsh.
	At this time, BC Transit was sending us buses for the Cowichan Valley which were totally unsuitable and that were breaking down all the time. Richard Hughes was at the Union of BC Municipalities Meeting in conference with the Minister for Transportation the week this cartoon ran. He was able to hand it to the Minister to further make his point. We got better buses.