Succession plan required
After following all the news stories on Catalyst Paper Corporation, one has to wonder what is the future of the town [“Tax war,” January 25]. I know from experience that large or small companies can shut down on very short notice.
In 1984-1985 Teck Corporation in the Highland Valley near Kamloops, all appeared to be going well. Copper prices were down but the company had said we can work it out. Well, they didn’t. Out of the blue they shut it down, the workers were totally unprepared, people lost their homes, cars and everything else. The town was not prepared. Many towns in BC have suffered the same consequence.
Can the same thing happen here if Catalyst shuts down? I would not be surprised. Contracts and promises are only as good as the paper they are written on. Look at our provincial government. They have torn up two legal contracts so what is to say Catalyst can't do the same?
I would hope our City of Powell River mayor and council are on top of this and are working to attract some other industry, business or whatever to maintain the tax base. If the city does not have a plan, we could become a ghost town. Would we rely totally on retired folk moving here; are we promoting our town to them? I know the health care field employs a lot of people but is that enough?
Bottom line is I would hope to see some action from the mayor and council regarding the future of this town and perhaps put a halt to all spending plans until the future is more secure. I do not think we should be planning on things that are not essential services till the future is secure and we have a solid tax base to run the town on.
Catalyst Paper is still up in the air, from what I have read, and I have heard nothing from the mayor or council regarding this. I'm sure a lot of other people have questions as well.
Larry Law
Huntingdon Street
Opinions welcome
I would like to reply to Ron MacDougall's letter of January 11 [“Democracy not a factor”].
In response to the mandate I assumed, after being elected once again as your member of Parliament in the 2011 Federal Election, that I would continue in my commitment to represent the interest of our riding in all matters. This is borne out by my support of the Omnibus Justice Bill C-10.
Our offices receive hundreds of communications daily. The voters of this riding have demonstrated their support of the Conservative position on Bill C-10 through both my election and the continual communications from constituents.
In a democratic country such as we have in Canada your right to voice your opinion is entrenched and valued. I welcome your opinions and input. This allows me to actively and regularly convey concerns of the constituents at weekly national caucus meetings, every time I meet with a cabinet minister and every time there's an opportunity to address the House.
I and my staff are available and responsive. Without a two-way conversation between voter and MP we would not have a true democracy.
Every MP is voicing the words of citizens across the country on a daily basis. Rising from all those voices is consensus, and that's the democratic process we cherish and respect. I would like to thank MacDougall for his input.
John Weston MP
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
Appeal of a building
Great buildings are like great teachers. We are challenged to expand ourselves intellectually and emotionally in order to meet them. A great teacher inspires a person to interpret life in new ways and a great building elevates our experience in a similar manner.
Much of our post-war-built environment in North America has been realized at the helm of developers, leaving architects to create within limited and restricted means. Although there are thankfully exceptions to this phenomenon, the capacity of architecture to elevate our experience has scarcely been accomplished. We find ourselves so removed from what might be possible in terms of “a great architectural work” that we have lost our ability to imagine it.
The Powell River Public Library project is now in the hands of the architecture firm Miller Hull Partnership [“Library board defends location,” December 14, 2011]. This is remarkable. This architecture firm is one of the most renowned and respected in North America. They consistently bring built form into the realm of art and they do so through respectful, inventive and collaborative means.
Do you know what it feels like to walk into a beautiful space and have your breathe taken away? Have you ever thought of a building in the way you might think of sculpture, a poem, or a piece of music?
Architecture is an artform that we share and inhabit. The library offers Powell River a chance to partake. Joining the unmatched natural setting of the site with the talents and expertise of this chosen firm is a rare and extraordinary opportunity.
Susan Webster
Highway 101
