The local news often keeps us up-to-date, and last week was no exception. We have housing by the millions of dollars but we still don’t have a real theatre, although it was once promised by an earlier council. Not a penny has gone toward a real, live theatre. We have pretended to want a proper theatre and pretended to get one more than once but failed without really trying. The arts are critical and deserve our support.
All the railways, once upon a time, gave service and made money at it, carried the mail, fed passengers, handled small express parcels and had staff in stations along the line. The two railways owned by we the people were given away to private operators, enabling the cancellation of passenger trains and other services and layoffs of employees by the thousands. Passenger trains have been reduced to museums, as our governments planned.
Roads continue to be favoured over public transport.
Marijuana as an item for sale gets special attention. It will not be decriminalized. It will be sold in selected shops. It will be taxed specially. It will be restricted to pot-only stores. The normal monetary and banking arrangements that apply to every other business will not be allowed for pot shops. Licence fees for dispensaries are excessive. Private production is not allowed.
Growth in this world continues to be the credo of everybody – as though it could go on forever. Stability seems to be ignored.
Small hydro projects exist expensively and are made private but paid for publicly.
Inflation continues at rising speed.
The variable speed limit signs are said to be worth $12.5 million. Is that the return from speeding tickets? What was the cost? Perhaps it will show up in the deficit.
Terry Smith
Garibaldi Highlands
