Kings need support
As a fan and volunteer for our Powell River Kings I’m amazed that despite being an entertaining team every year, we can’t put fans in the seats [“Two more wins secure top spot,” December 22]. Even when the Kings have been the top team in the country for two consecutive weeks, we, the community, still don’t find a way to come out and support them.
Is it too far to drive? Do we simply not care? When posing these questions to members of the team’s executive they seem equally befuddled. One of them even suggested to me that perhaps Powell River is no longer a hockey town. Perish the thought.
Fact is we need 1,000 fans per game, not the 761 average we’re currently getting, to keep the team viable. Our attendance is second worst in the coastal conference only to Coquitlam Express. Even Cowichan Valley Capitals, second from the bottom, averages 258 fans more per game than us.
Management, coaches and support staff do a great job icing a hard-working, competitive team every year, yet we fail to show our support. It has been suggested that it’s too expensive to attend games. Are we for real? Where else can you get an evening’s entertainment for a mere $14 per person?
Come on Powell River. Let’s rally around our Kings and show our support by attending games, buying merchandise and cheering loudly. If we don’t it’s a very real possibility that one day we might find ourselves saying things like “Yup, back in the day we used to have a team here in town. They were called the Kings and, if I recall, they were a pretty good club too!”
Bill Chinn
Ontario Avenue
CFL lights
Now the provincial government has taken steps to wipe out incandescent lights (75 and 100 watt bulbs), I wonder if anyone has thought of the consequences [“Energy busting starts at home,” November 4, 2009]. These bulbs have a long list of uses, from providing heat for baby chicks to stopping water pipes from freezing under the house.
The newer compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) does not give off heat or, if any, very little. A lot of people will be using some other method to replace the service the old bulbs provided and I would hate to think some of the methods would start a fire.
The biggest issue with the new CFL rules is what to do with them when they burn out. And they do burn out. Health Canada has a web page on what to do if you break one.
If they have such a detailed list of things to do regarding the danger of these bulbs, why do they also say they are safe?
CFLs contain a hazardous material, mercury, so does the local garbage disposal have a specific plan for these? Is the city going to do anything to ensure there is a safe and easy-to-access place to dispose of these, or am I correct in thinking a lot will go to the garbage can?
Did anybody notice that no one—radio, TV, newspapers, city officials—has said anything about the new provincial rules preventing stores from buying any more of the incandescent lights? Even though these CFLs have been on the market for a few years now, how many people know about the proper disposal method?
Canadian Tire is the only place in Powell River where you can return CFL bulbs, unless you want to drive to Sechelt or Gibsons or go to Vancouver Island. We can only hope that Canadian Tire handles all the bulbs carefully.
Larry Law
Huntingdon Street
