Second vote
There is a misapprehension that a second vote on Catalyst Paper Corporation’s plan of arrangement is not possible [“Catalyst ready for sales process, says president,” May 30].
That is not correct. In the case of the recent Fraser Papers Inc. restructure, the judge did in fact order a second vote. The second vote succeeded. The company survived. That action is available to the judge in this case too.
Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act is administrative law, and under it the judge has the power to bring the parties in front of him, tell them he is not satisfied, and instruct them to work out a deal that will fly.
Of course the pensioners, who are unsecured creditors with $115 million owing to them, have no vote.
People of Powell River should all contact MLA Nicholas Simons who represents Powell River-Sunshine Coast, MP John Weston, representing West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, and Premier Christy Clark to express our extreme dissatisfaction at this lame duck process.
The executives of Catalyst are mysteriously mum on this. They well know that there is lots of precedent for second votes. Perhaps they have a misplaced sense of personal security.
Our customers, who have been somewhat reassured with the restructure process, will not be comfortable with the wild cards introduced by a sale process. Nervous customers will look elsewhere for secure supply.
If the sale process proceeds, an unknown bidder may well surface, making the current labour agreement null and void.
City of Powell River Mayor Dave Formosa understands all this and we need to all contact him to show our support. He has a voice in all this and will most certainly speak for us.
Time is of the essence. We must all speak forcefully to avert this disaster to our town. Remember, we are citizens and have the responsibility to be heard.
Jim Donnelly
Vananda Avenue
Worth fighting for?
A while ago I was walking through Town Centre Mall and a man asked me to sign a petition to save a beach and to not build another Powell River Public Library [“Sparse turnout for rally,” May 30]. I had never heard of a new library being built and did not know of any of the details. I just thought the City of Powell River was going to randomly throw one up somewhere else in town, so I thought why not, and I signed it.
I didn’t know the pros and cons of the issue at that time and now I regret signing it.
What this group claims is a beach is not a beach at all, but an ugly gravel lot. They are trying to save a parking lot.
There are so many benefits to putting the library there, and it’s not on the beach at all. Now knowing what the potential of this new one is, I feel quite differently and would love to see it built. I think it would be a wonderful project for this town, something we could really use, especially to build community and sustainability and get people out to the beach and to appreciate nature more.
Furthermore, this library obstructs nothing on or of the beach, unless of course you are talking about the five seconds or less that it would take to drive past the library. The view would be temporarily blocked. But for those who actually go to the beach, the library will not be in the way of that. It will bring more people...I want to sit in the green library and view our beautiful ocean in peace and quiet; not whizzing by in a car.
Are any of these people interested in saving Stillwater Bluffs, Eagle River estuary, et cetera, or any of the really beautiful places in Powell River? That is something worth fighting for.
Kelli Gallagher
Random Road
Sustainable community
This is such an interesting microcosmic battle going on over the new Powell River Public Library location [“Sparse turnout for rally,” May 30]. Rallying cries against the chosen site include not allowing newcomers a voice in the proceedings. Be warned and stop reading now—I haven’t been here a decade yet. (How long should one pay local taxes before permission to contribute kicks in?)
In Montreal now students are fighting for similar state-supported post-secondary education that’s common in most of Europe. In fact, over there government support of education, museums and yes, even libraries is the norm. Of western democracies only in the US (and increasingly Canada) do we see post-secondary education saddle people with years of debt.
Culture and education breed affluence. The American economy is tanking, Europe is for the most part stable, and of course, we know about China and India. Connect the dots.
We are justifiably worried here over threats to the local economy. Let’s take a look around the world at what works. Support culture and education, and you develop a sustainable economy.
Some folks now forfeit the value of their child’s education without a worry to buy season tickets for hockey. If we spend as much on culture as on spectator sport, we’ll all be much richer.
A beautiful low profile library on the chosen site will be the cultural heart of a forward-thinking community with a sound economic vision.
Lyla Smith
Roberts Road
