Savary Island tragedy
With so much being written regarding the tragic incident on Savary Island [“Police arrest man with Savary animal shooting,” March 15], I feel there is still more to this event that needs to be addressed.
The viewpoint [“Savary Island dog will be missed,” March 22] was beautifully told and showed a great deal of love for the dog. I’m sure Maybe will be greatly missed by those who loved her.
That being said, there is another side to this story. Savary is home to a population of small deer that roam freely with little fear as they do not have any real predators, except one: man’s best friend.
It is not uncommon to see several deer in a day while walking the island. Many of families who live on Savary, and the children and adults who visit the island each year, are delighted to spot deer with their young, grazing in a meadow, crossing lanes or lazing under a tree.
Could this tragedy have been averted? Possibly, but only if dogs were not allowed to run free on the island without their owners nearby to control them should trouble arise.
Perhaps if this was the general rule, this incident could have been averted. Could it have been handled better? Perhaps, but who is to say? We were not there to hear and see what took place.
No person should be put in a position where he or she feels compelled to take action. As a pet owner, I know we tend to humanize our pets and forget they are still animals that live in the moment and can sometimes enter into situations that prove tragic.
Savary residents have become divided over events that led to the deaths of the dog and yearling. Some understand what happened and support their fellow islander, others support the owner who loved and grieves for his dog.
The dog was not the only victim that day. It is my belief that there were three victims. It was a tragic event for Savary, a tragedy played out by a dog, young deer and a man.
Maryann Hebert
McAndrew Avenue
Promises are cheap
I just read the article about the promised parks budget increase [“Province boosts parks finding,” April 5]. Last month, the premier announced $25 million more over the next three years to hire 28 additional park rangers and provide operational services, and $10 million for a BC Parks foundation to generate revenue.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but if we delete the $10 million revenue-generating scheme, won’t that mean BC Parks has $10 million less to generate before they start to generate revenue?
In the article, there was mention of the trail circling Inland Lake. It is in disgraceful shape. Unless it’s strictly for wheelchair athletes, it’s not wheelchair accessible. There is too much mud, lips at bridges that, even for an able-bodied person, are almost unnoticeable and rotting planks on said bridges. When I communicated with the party involved with maintenance of the trail late last summer, I was informed they were waiting for an announcement from BC Parks. Well, here it is.
The provincial government is going to saddle BC Parks with an additional $10 million of debt. A cynical part of me didn’t believe the government would make any sort of positive announcement. How silly of me. Promises are cheap; they cost nothing.
I offer this business model to the provincial government regarding BC Parks. Use it as a loss leader. Maintain the parks to a high standard, have the cost of using them free for people who live here and get the few people with money to spend travelling around the province using the parks.
If someone uses BC Ferries to get to a park, more money for the ferries and the less subsidy it will need. Fuel for the vehicle generates income from gasoline tax. Visitors to the parks need to eat, so while travelling they will stop at eating establishments along the way. Those establishments will need to have staff, which means income for them and federal and provincial income tax.
If word gets out to tourists, they might come to BC and bring their wallets with them.
Henry Hill
Bowness Avenue
Lazy dumpers
As a family we walk most days with our dogs in the area of Lot 450 and trails of Millennium Park [“City postpones Lot 450 announcement,” March 22]. More and more garbage is being dumped on almost every side road. Some is being dumped right in the middle of the road, telling me a hasty dumping from the back of a truck took place.
Why not consider putting gates up to stop this dumping? It would take about six gates. The harder you make it to dump for these lazy people the better.
Also, this area has many walkers daily. Start writing down licence plates if you see anything suspicious and give the numbers to RCMP.
David Hurrie
Nass Street
Too high and steep
It is too expensive to build a highway from Squamish to Powell River; the mountains between Squamish, Whistler and Powell River are too high and too steep [“Transportation and infrastructure minister addresses local ferries,” April 5].
It is also too expensive to build a highway from Squamish to Port Mellon; the mountains between Port Mellon and Squamish are too high and too steep.
Foot-passenger ramps at Langdale Terminal need to be installed to improve on-time ferry performances so people can make connections to the Earls Cove-Saltery Bay ferry.
I depend on the ferries to get to the Sunshine Coast.
Gordon Jillings
Maple Ridge, BC
