Humane driving
This is being written by a doddering senior, so if you’re in a hurry you can move along now. It’s about motor vehicles: how we love them for their versatile mobility, and how we let them rule our city life and our peace of mind [“Low-speed vehicles,” September 25].
Does being in a big hurry in a car ever really help us have a better day, especially here in Powell River, where usually nobody has to go more than a few clicks? It certainly makes the street a noisy, dangerous place for anyone on foot or bicycle.
Regardless of how fast you go there is always a delay lurking in your near future. Good driving is about being considerate. We all suffer from mindless impatience in traffic; it takes a conscious effort to be a whole human being while operating one of these peculiar machines.
Going more quietly on residential streets, just a bit slower, makes a huge difference to the people who live there. Hopefully someday we will be riding in silent easily programmable cars, but in the meantime why not slow down and relax? Your day might actually turn out more productive and you could save yourself a lifetime of regret.
We’re very lucky here because we don’t have far to commute and if up ahead there’s some half-deaf guy in a slow vehicle with a sticky left turn signal flashing, well, thanks for your patience; I appreciate it.
Ted Crossley
Hammond Street
Catch and release does harm
Catching and releasing of wild fish by so called “sportsmen” is a torture for our wild fish, rather than a sound conservation measure, or part of a well-managed sport [“Catching cod on Canada Day,” June 19]. It causes the fish to endure pain and suffer long-term injury.
Under the “Catch and Release” approach, one could conceivably catch dozens of fish and release them all, only to have many fail to thrive, suffer and slowly die. Even the handling of a fish can damage the natural slime coating that fish need to swim, manoeuvre and fend off parasites.
Would it not be a more caring approach to keep a limited number of fish and leave the remaining stocks alone and healthy? Why throw them back to die?
Robert Mickle
Kiwanis Village
Where is the referendum?
In response to Jon van Oostveen’s viewpoint [“A new library—now for the good news,” October 23] I would suggest, in view of the library feasibility study report that indicates only a 33.1 per cent support for the Willingdon site option, that it be officially removed from further consideration.
As the latest fundraising breakdown is to raise $6 million locally and hopefully find $3.5 million from federal and provincial governments, it would make the task easier to achieve community support and financial success by removing a significant resistance. These numbers are for the existing plans.
In comparison, our new school was built for $295 per square foot. These proposed library costs are at $631 per square foot.
When are our citizens of Powell River going to have a say? A telephone survey is not going to work. We were promised a referendum. Where is it?
Gaye Culos
Marine Avenue
Old arena site and the OCP
Why, I wonder, is the old arena site being shown on the final draft of the Official Community Plan, as being zoned Mixed Use, Commercial/Residential [“Public input into community plan draws to a close,” October 30]? The last time I looked it was zoned Parks and Playing Fields.
This ongoing grab-fest of our last, wonderful expanse of oceanfront park, is getting to be too much.
How many times and in how many ways do the people of Powell River have to spell it out to the powers that be, that development of this piece of land is not wanted?
City of Powell River Council should have a referendum now, giving the people a say on this contentious issue, then be done with it and abide by the results.
Anyone interested in this issue is encouraged to attend the next council meeting on November 7.
Elaine Teichgraber
Willingdon Watch Group
Health officer calls for health review
An article in the October 9 Peak [“Health officer weighs in”] reported that Dr. Paul Martiquet sent a letter to the BC ministry of energy and mines recommending that the review of the proposal by Lafarge Canada Inc. to expand coal storage, handling and shipment on Texada Island, should include a health impact assessment (HIA). This position is also held by the chief medical health officers of the Fraser Health Authority, Dr. Paul Van Buynder, and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Dr. Patricia Daly.
The reasons are very strong: given the scale of the proposal and potential health risks of airborne and waterborne coal dust, a credible and transparent HIA is needed to assess public health risks.
As the medical health officer for an area that includes Powell River, Martiquet has a duty to protect the public according to the BC Public Health Act, and to report and advise on public health issues. As such, Martiquet’s position should be given serious consideration by government and citizens. I do.
The provincial government has a duty to ensure proper public review of large scale projects and to properly assess risks to the health of our communities and environment. Failure to require full and transparent health and environmental impact assessments would represent a failure of our government to act in the public interest. Potentially affected residents may have to remind them of their duty.
Andrew Fall
Lasqueti Island
