With the legislature closed for the summer and nine months, give or take, till the next provincial election, it's easy to assume that there's not much afoot in provincial politics these days.
But make no mistake - the official election campaign that will gear up in late April of 2013 is just the end cap of months and months of planning and preparation for political parties, most of which is already underway as we write this.
Last week, the Liberals got their cart rolling with the official nomination of a candidate for the Vancouver-Langara riding. Closer to home, rumours of NDP nomination announcements began months ago with the rumour that punk band frontman Joe Keithley might run - though if he will, and where, are still unknown.
And, of course, the surest sign of an impending election: the money train has chugged out of the station. In the last two months, Premier Christy Clark has made numerous announcements about re-development projects moving forward at major regional hospitals around B.C.
Liberal supporters would say that's simply a sign of a good government doing what's needed to keep health care running smoothly; cynics would say it's too little, too late - and done simply to help pave the way to bring back disenchanted voters.
We suspect the next few months will bring us more heady announcements in health care, but also in those other typcially contentious areas: labour, business, taxes and, of course, education.
And with each one, their opponents will be at the door with plenty to say about those decisions.
The never-ending battle between the Liberals and the NDP - and now the B.C. Conservatives and the Greens in the mix - may prove for interesting headlines but it can also be confusing for the average voter trying to separate the rhetoric from reality.
Rather than wait till election signs pop up on local lawns, start thinking now about the election next May - heaven knows, the politicians certainly have.
