As we crossed the border, we were greeted by a sign:

“Welcome to BC. The Best Place on Earth”

Err? What?

Then, I immediately noticed some BC licence plates that more closely resembled many US plates. They have a photographic image in the background rather than just a simple graphic in the center. I like them. However, the slogan made me gag a little. They also said: “The Best Place on Earth”.

Image from The Tyee

Yes, BC has natural beauty, but it is far from the best place on earth. I’m wondering if there will be a new campaign for more realistic slogans.  Fill in the blank:

The _____________________ Place on Earth.

Most expensive

Most taxed

Money-Laundering-Friendly

I had to get online because I had never seen plates like these, nor had a seen that slogan on travel guides I’ve received from BC. Well, it turns out that this slogan is actually old and being phased out. (Really? I wonder why.)

Here are some quotes from Bob Mackin at The Tyee:

How could a province with a misery-filled neighbourhood like the Downtown Eastside and a nation-leading child poverty rate ever call itself best-on-Earth in the first place? How did the politicians and bureaucrats decide to deep-six the slogan? . . .

“Yes, I am proud of the province and I think it’s the best place on earth, but it was probably not the best way to attract people from other parts of the world who think their little section of the world was the best place on earth,” Chandra Herbert said to Bell. “I’m just wondering: is ‘best place on earth’ shelved for now, and we’re now not going to see that anymore, and we’ll see ‘Super, natural B.C.’ in its place?”
Bell answered that “Best Place on Earth” was a “broader brand” used only in B.C. “to help motivate British Columbians.”

Ah ha! So there you have it! It was to motivate British Columbians. Jobs are few, pay is low, and housing is high, but this is The Best Place on Earth!

I’ve made no secret that we would like to move to BC to extend our shoulder seasons, which is essential as full-time RVers, but BC, you make that hard with your delusions.