Responsible citizens
Recently, my husband, Paul Maurais, was riding his bike on the power line, just south of the substation on the trail to Artaban Street. He came across a great big pile of household garbage, including boots and a microwave, dumped in the bush. Because he was on his bike he wasn't able to take any of the garbage back with him at that time.
What he did do was post photographs of the garbage and the location on a local Facebook page with a large audience. Many people commented with disgust that anyone would use our trails as their personal dumping grounds. Others had ideas and potential solutions. But one person stood out.
I would like to praise a fine young woman, Melissa Ann Devaney. She saw the posting on Facebook and took action. She went to the site of the garbage and picked it up (and it was a considerable amount). She took before and after photographs to show how it looked and posted them online. Then she even took the time to drive the garbage to the landfill and paid the disposal fee out of her own pocket (over $12) [“Community cleanup beautifies area,” April 14, 2014].
To the people documenting these garbage dumps online with photos, well done. And to the fine citizens of Powell River who are continually going out to haul this type of garbage out of the bush and off our trails, I salute you and I thank you, and I wish it wasn't necessary.
Deb Calderon
Fairmont Street
Points to consider
There are some decisive facts not being considered in the public debate around assisted suicide [“Court ponders assisted suicide case,” November 26, 2014], and these are:
A human soul does not die when the body is killed, and one cannot even eliminate the human body on a permanent basis.
At death the human souls go immediately to either heaven or hell, or to the state of purgation. While the lifeless bodies will be for a while in decomposition, at Judgement Day they will again be joined to their souls and either live glorified in eternal bliss or decrepit in everlasting misery.
Those pondering assisted suicide or murder of any kind, should be warned that they put themselves into the danger of hell forever, unless the crime is repented of.
To kill oneself or others is no solution to the challenges life poses. Instead we should encourage and help each other to bear our crosses patiently in view of an everlasting happiness.
Gerlinde Elsbett
Boswell Street
Rumours
I heard a rumour recently.
Island Timberlands will be cutting all of its remaining trees on PRSC (Powell River, Sliammon, Catalyst) lands. This is land above Highway 101 between Brooks Secondary School and the haul road, also north of the haul road below the highway, and finally, south of the haul road above the highway between Millennium Park and north of Powell River Recreation Complex [“Fund for trees grows,” November 26, 2014]. Mayor Dave Formosa mentioned during his talk at the Bike and Skate Park opening that one of the motivators for his help in completing the park initiative was a phone call from a Brooks’ student. The purpose of the call was to inform the mayor that the existing skate park was insufficient for skate enthusiasts. It was a touching moment in Formosa’s talk as, I feel, youth voices are not heard enough, let alone taken seriously.
When I informed my Fitness 11/12 class about the proposed cut, they were surprised. My other PE class was angry as we pass through that forest weekly to access the beach trails and beach forests. My science classes were also angry since we use the forest extensively during biology and ecology classes, as I believe that being in the “real” world doing lab work is far superior to learning theory at a desk or from a screen. I suppose they will get a taste of the “real” world when we have to walk through a clear cut.
Or is this the “real” world? Does it have to be ours?
Another question was on my lips when a colleague first mentioned the spring harvesting to me while we were in the Willingdon Beach forest with conjoined classes. The students and other community members also voiced this question when they first heard of it.
Why? That doesn’t make any sense.
Why would we cut down a forest in the heart of our city that is marginal, to say the least, of generating a worthy return?
This is part one of a two-part letter to the editor. See the Peak on March 25 for part two.
Graham Cocksedge
School District 47 teacher
