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Letters to the Editor: June 1, 2011

Message strong and clear I write to congratulate our City of Powell River mayor and council for the open house and dialogue event seeking public input regarding our city’s liquid waste management plan ( LWMP) [“Open house presents detailed informatio

Message strong and clear

I write to congratulate our City of Powell River mayor and council for the open house and dialogue event seeking public input regarding our city’s liquid waste management plan ( LWMP) [“Open house presents detailed information,” May 18].

The dialogue event was well attended and I personally spoke with 40 or more people who felt very much part of the decision-making process on this extremely important issue. The questions we were asked were many faceted, but in my opinion the debate boiled down to the benefits of public versus private utilities, whether people trust Catalyst  Paper Corporation enough to go along with the co-treatment scheme, and whether this would move us toward our goals of sustainability.

The applause meter overwhelmingly supported a consolidated, publicly-owned system and rejected the co-treatment with Catalyst option. Now we shall see if council truly listens to the residents.

Hugh Cooper

Atlin Avenue


Parks for people not dogs

My wife and I have two small children aged two and seven. We like to take them to our local parks. I’m getting a little peeved about all the dogs off leash peeing and pooing on the very fields that my family likes to play on [“Dog park fun for all,” December 22, 2010]. For the most part the poo is being picked up, but not all.

I can’t be the only one who feels this way. The thought of my kids playing in pee and poo-covered grass makes me ill, and to think of all the kids playing soccer and baseball on the weekends and evenings on the same grass, this just shouldn’t be allowed. Dogs have no place on the very parks our kids play on.

I think that if you have a dog (pet) and you don’t have a place in your own yard for it to do its deed then you shouldn’t have a pet. Pet owners should have more consideration for others.

Parks are made for people not for pets. All parks with playing fields and play toys should be dog free. The dogs should never be off leash.

I don’t see this getting any better as time goes on. I feel that something needs to be done about this in the near future or people are just going to stop using the many parks we have inside the city.

Darren Hart

Huntingdon Street


Free ferries

This might not be common knowledge to most residents on the coast but while we are fighting and begging for reduced rates on our coastal ferry services [“Fighting fares,” May 25], the interior of BC enjoys 14 free ferry routes. Guess who foots the bill for that: we do through our taxes. Not only are their services free but there are roads around most of those routes. They do not have to take the ferry.

At Kootenay Bay they have a spanking new 80-car ferry and in the busy summer they put on two ferries. I realize it is a political thing and it is our provincial ministry of transportation and infrastructure, but bottom line is that it is all taxpayers’ monies. If the government would subsidize our coastal system with the same amount that it costs them (us) to run the interior system, that would be a good start.

Please Google search “free ferries in BC,” then click on the first link for the interior maps and routes and tell me this is not criminal.

An observance: is anyone out there not disgusted with the exterior condition of our rust bucket that takes us and tourists to Comox and back? It is most embarrassing to say the least.

Blair Lekstrom, minister of transportation and infrastructure, wants to hear from us. We can email him at blair.lekstrom.mla@leg.bc.ca. Let’s not disappoint him. Show him we are serious.

Jack Hildebrand

Hazelton Street


Cry for help

Texada Island is continuing to allow the decimation of our beloved paradise [“Texada develops economic strategy,” May 25]. Up next on the list is virgin forest near Mount Sheppard. All in the name of exporting raw logs to China, specialized equipment will be brought in (the trees are too big) and a scant few will temporarily obtain very short-term employment. It will take decades for the area to become even a semblance of a forest. It will never return to its majestic self.

When and where will it all end?

Steve Perkins

Blair Road, Texada Island