Communities and BC Ferries – Tom Hobbs, Butedale Street
Colin Palmer, chair of Powell River Regional District, is to be commended for his initiatives in organizing meetings between Blair Lekstrom, minister of transportation and infrastructure, and several other regional board representatives regarding problems with BC Ferries [“Regional delegation meets with minister,” August 3].
He is correct when he says, “We can’t just go around whining all the time. We’ve got to actually work on a common agreement as to what we are going to recommend.” I think they can achieve maximum benefit by using a strategy based on the identification of their common long- and short-term recommendations.
Thomas Wheeler, in his letter to the editor in last week’s Peak, titled “Alternative highway needed,” fortuitously identified a very good long-term issue. Community leaders are justified in making a recommendation to the province for it to undertake a low cost chart/map study into the technical feasibility, costs and sustainability benefits of connecting many of our southern coastal communities with land links. Route identification for land links to maximize community sustainability gives different results compared to when minimum costs are used as the main criteria.
Ferry routes throttle back economic development of the coastal communities they serve. Improvements in the economy of Prince Edward Island (PEI) after the bridge was built show this is true. Surely, the justification for land links in BC is greater than for the PEI bridge.
Spending money on ferry tickets is like paying rent. It never stops, always increases and you have no equity. Let us think about paying tolls, which is like paying off a mortgage. At some time one hopes it stops or at least reduces. It is a move to improve our community’s long-term sustainability.
Home sweet home – John Lelliott, Sussex, UK
I’m delighted to see that Joyce Percey and Powell River Gymnastics Society have been granted financial help for long-needed improvements and a permanent base for their club [“Building for the future,” August 17].
My grandson, who is a gymnast here in the United Kingdom junior squad, was allowed to do some training during our visit to Powell River back in 2008. I expect it is the same there as it is here where the most popular sports like hockey or football have all the sponsorship and funds available but gymnastics organizations have to beg, steal or borrow to keep their clubs solvent.
Well done Powell River Community Forest for supporting such a good cause and well done Joyce for your persistence to keep a good base for your club.
Good luck in the future. I hope the gymnasts bring home the medals.
Meals on wheels – Martin Rossander, Glacier Street
Must we be at war with wildlife? The sort of war without end, escalating to the point where complete victory requires total elimination of bear and cougar population from our own woodland neighbors? I believe we already have the key to a better and friendly way of dealing with this contest for territory. We must transfer out to them the scraps of food they come looking for from our garbage containers and restaurant sources. We are paying to have these wastes transferred and buried on someone’s back yard, are we not [“Drive-thru receives unlikely customer,” August 17]?
At first I fixed on the notion of a huge dumpling luncheon, or a powerful sling-shot which energetic youth might enjoy working with, say it were mounted on a portable vehicle, firing as it moved through the forest. We would use the roadways now prepared for power lines, extending all the way back to the waterfalls and streams being harnessed for generating electricity.
In fact, taking on this assignment may seem a small price to pay for those having led wildlife to town. It should not rest on our conservation officer to advise that every householder keep tight lids on garbage barrels and make sure the bears don’t get it. That is mean and won’t gain support from a compassionate contingency. It solves nothing and it will escalate—more bears and more cougars. Keep your children indoors at all times? No, sir. We have what the critters want. Let us get it to them. Problem solved.
