Go vote
The Canadian democratic process can work for you and your community [“Riding becomes battle between nine,” April 20].
People rationalize that neophyte members of parliament and backbenchers have no power in the federal government of Canada so it is not worth the effort of going to vote. This is a ridiculous excuse.
We have a neophyte MP who is a backbencher. In his short time as an MP, John Weston has helped our economically ravaged City of Powell River implement some of its long-awaited goals to improve our lives.
He has shown how an MP and his team can work with municipal officials, company presidents, leaders of first nations communities and many volunteer service organizations and help them achieve their goals.
His team stick-handled 33 separate programs, with $97 million of federal funds and a total funding of over $112 million, through federal, provincial and municipal government approval processes.
It proves even neophyte backbenchers can really help their communities improve their quality of life. Democracy works in Canada. Backbenchers can be effective and help us achieve our goals.
Ignore the spittle-flowing invective of politicians back east. It is possible for us to work together and improve our quality of life.
Go vote; it is important to you.
Tom Hobbs
Butedale Street
Make an informed choice
Before marking their ballot on May 2 [“Elections Canada office opens,” April 6], voters should spend time now researching what their candidate is really saying behind the “sound bite.”
Health care is now considered the “sleeper” issue of this upcoming federal election. I urge voters to look at what it means to them when a candidate says “My party is going to...”
For example, “We are proposing a tax credit of $2,000 to caregivers.” I urge voters to find out the actual rules behind the promise. Such as, in order to actually claim this tax credit the dependent must live in the same dwelling as the caregiver, be born in 1945 or earlier and have a net income of less than $18,645.
The poverty line is $21,666 before tax for a single person. Therefore, the dependent must be $3,021 or more below the poverty line in order for the caregiver to receive a tax credit.
Please read the entire policy, not just a sound bite which could come back to bite the voter.
Carol Stanley
Lytton Avenue
Peace-loving country that was
In the past, Canada was a peace-loving nation which made me very proud to be Canadian. What has happened to change this? We financially supported the rebuilding of Iraq after it was attacked by the USA and left polluted with 300 tons of radioactive bombs on the desert. USA received 5,000 barrels of oil per day from Iraq in 2010.
Then we sent our troops to Afghanistan where many died [“Duties help comrades cope with death,” April 6]. We lost a $50 million helicopter to small gun fire. Now we have Canadian fighter planes and pilots in a no-fly zone flying over Libya in the dark, bombing citizens.
A few years ago, USA suspected Colonel Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi of airborne sabotage so it flew over and bombed his house and killed his child. Gaddafi wasn’t home.
Canada is ordering $30 billion of fighter planes. Who are we going to bomb next after Libya and Afghanistan?
It seems that every country that has oil or gas needs nuclear weapons for protection against the greedy. The United Nations asked Gaddafi to destroy his nuclear program and he did.
In May 2002 an Afghanistan leader was pushing for an 850-kilometre oil and gas line, from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea with a road alongside for patrolling for bombers.
There was a meeting in Germany in regard to the safety of the project. They made an offer to the Taliban that if they accepted the project their carpet would be covered in gold. If rejected, they would be carpet bombed.
That is what is happening today.
Jack Dice
Butedale Street
Taken for a ride
If you haven’t had the opportunity to make a trip to Vancouver on BC Ferries since the prices were jacked up once again, you are in for a surprise [“Commissioner approves eight per cent hike,” April 6]. The first surprise my wife and I received was at the Saltery Bay terminal when our ticket, for two people and an undersize car, was $70.35.
Reeling somewhat from this, we continued on our way, discussing this exorbitant bite out of our wallets, then recalling that because we were on an insignificant route, the BC Ferries purse-snatchers had determined our increase should be double that of the far more worthy routes to and from Vancouver Island. So the original increase and the doubling of it rankled rather a lot, because in our minds it was out and out discrimination, bordering on highway, well, waterway robbery.
After spending the weekend in the city, we presented ourselves at the Horseshoe Bay tollbooth. As we approached with our $70.35 at the ready, I made a comment to my wife that we had the right amount this time, unless they had raised the fare again in the last two days. We both chuckled.
You know what’s coming, don’t you. I said to the toll lady that we had two people in the car, our car was still undersize, and handed her the exact change. She punched the till efficiently and said that I did not have the right amount and that I owed her $1.75.
Stunned, I said but it was $70.35 on the trip down, how could it be more for the trip back? Oh, she said, it depends on the size of the terminal you are leaving from and how much the maintenance costs are for the terminal.
I am truly unable to come up with a printable conclusion to this letter.
Glenn Nelles
Springbrook Road
Useless equipment
For some time now I have been watching with interest the arrangement that the City of Powell River councillors seem determined to make with Catalyst Paper Corporation [“Co-treatment option costs less,” November 10, 2010].
They appear to be determined to purchase the mill’s old clarifier and use it in the waste management system. I have attempted to discourage them.
Having been a maintenance supervisor in charge of the mechanics of that system for a few years, under the ownership of MacMillan Bloedel, I have a few major concerns. That clarifier was well beyond its life expectancy a number of years ago. It would have to be rebuilt and recommissioned at a very great expense. I am told that the electrical system has been cannibalized and stripped to the extent it would have to be redone completely at a horrendous cost.
The central rake would have to be rebuilt and having sat idle for so long in that environment, the bearings and worm-gear drives would be destroyed. This overhaul involves bringing in a huge crane (at approximately $500 per hour) plus a smaller setup crane. It requires tradesmen familiar with the requirements set out by the manufacturer. Again, very expensive. The parts are all specialty parts, and most likely not available from any firm in Canada.
This clarifier would only hold about four-and-a-half days worth of sewage, according to the engineering consultants, Dayton and Knight Ltd., numbers. If the rake sits idle in the sludge, the sludge would settle into one solid mass. The rake would then be unable to move. The present owner would dearly love to unload this useless equipment. There is nothing attractive about this deal and the city should run away as fast as possible.
Don Mostat
Marine Avenue
Try consulting not complaining
Complaints by three City of Powell River councillors over criticisms leveled by Murray Dobbin is typical of this council [“Councillors object,” April 20]. Despite many questionable decisions and bad judgments, none of them ever seem willing to take any responsibility for anything they do or say. Just drive by the clearcut at the Powell River Recreation Complex. Or look at the massive cost overruns at the north harbour. Or read the city’s application for funding for co-treatment that claimed co-treatment had already been chosen as the preferred sewage option and public consultations had already happened—neither of which is true. Councillors’ excuse for these errors was that they hadn’t read the application. The list of bad decisions and questionable behaviour is long and there is reason to fear it will get longer.
Residents can be loyal to Powell River and still be critical of city council’s decisions. Were the residents who voted out the last council disloyal to Powell River? When councillors are elected they have to expect some heat, especially if they are not doing their homework or keeping on top of critical issues.
With respect to the co-treatment scheme we should be embarrassed by the actions of council. The city is planning to pay Catalyst Paper Corporation for co-treatment the amount Catalyst wanted its taxes reduced by, unrelated to any real costs for the service which are minimal. It also plans to pay Catalyst so the mill can unload its abandoned clarifier and pump station on the city, to be fixed at great taxpayer expense.
Instead of standing up to Catalyst, council fell all over itself to accommodate a corporate bully, one that could shut down at any time despite repeated city concessions. Yet the city wants to lock us into a 20-year sewage contract with this company. We shouldn’t just be embarrassed, we should be very worried.
Tony Colton
Cranberry Street
