by Daniel Kane Rajala Since the time of the early Greeks, the golden rule has been in place: “Treat others as you wish others to treat you.” Christ came along and said, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All these are recipes for world peace; every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. It should not depend on a person’s colour or how much money they have. According to Martin Luther King Jr., all men are created equal. Times are changing and it is more common for people to not even acknowledge the existence of their neighbours.
It is my hope in the New Year that those in municipal government listen to the concerns of the rich and the poor. In 2009 there was a greenhouse gas emissions convention in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prime Minister Stephen Harper then asked mayors across Canada to do what they can to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their own cities. One major way of doing this is to encourage people to use local transit more and I just don’t see how this is happening in Powell River. There is so much traffic on Joyce Avenue most days I wonder how safe our air is to breathe in this city.
Here is just one example where my experience with local transit has not been a good one. I’m a senior now, over 60, and the other Friday night I thought I’d go to my first Powell River Kings hockey game of the year, January 9. I was wearing a bright red jacket standing at the bus stop by Duncan Street and Marine Avenue waiting for a # 2 Grief Point bus. When it came along, even though I was flagging it down, the driver continued along Marine and didn’t stop to pick me up. People I knew were sitting in a restaurant across the street and witnessed this.
Getting back to “Love your neighbour as yourself,” how would you feel if you were a senior, this happened and you had to walk all the way to Powell River Recreation Complex up that hill on Alberni Street on a cold, rainy night? This is what I ended up doing and I’m glad I still enjoyed the hockey game which the Kings won. I also have the Kings’ mascot Rocco to thank for that. I’ve lived in Powell River six years now and notice that local transit hasn’t changed its schedule in years and service has got worse. This is not just my opinion either, but the opinion of others in the community I’ve talked with.
Daniel Kane Rajala has lived in Powell River for six years.
