Saving the planet, one fork and spoon at a time
23/02/10
B.C. Ferries has introduced wooden cutlery on some ships. Somehow that doesn’t make sense. My first experienced with wooden forks was they break, even on scrambled eggs. Metal cutlery can be reused over and over but disposable cutlery just adds to the massive amount of biodegradeable garbage we put out.
A little more thought needed on snow clearance
23/01/10
A heads up to our local malls. Plowing snow into handicapped parking spots is rather thoughtless. It’s even more challenging to use a wheel chair in the snow. This wasn’t new in our pre-Christmas snowfall, it’s happened in the past too. It would not be that difficult to pile the snow further from the front door of the mall, away from the handicapped spots.
It will take a lot to repair tarnished image
22/12/24 Image is everything, earned or not. WestJet’s image was tarnished over its poor or even non-existent customer service during the storm.
News reports have been many where passengers tried to contact the airline but the phones disconnected. And customers were left in airports and told they would have to make their own arrangements. People stuck in vacation spots with no help in trying to get home.
That damage will take a long time for WestJet to repair. Hopefully they will be more efficient and consumer friendly when it come to reimbursing those who had to book other airlines, accommodation and other expenses.
Our foolish-sounding prime minister
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got on his high horse again, saying everyone in China should be allowed to protest. He said Canada will continue to ensure that China knows we stand for human rights and with people who are expressing themselves. Oh the hypocrisy, supporting protests against COVID crackdowns in China while trampling on human rights in Canada by invoking the emergency measures act and tossing people in jail for protesting the mandates.
Global News wants taxpayers to subsidize staff
The parent company that runs Global News is lobbying Parliament for direct cash grants to subsidize employees’ pay. The Commons finance committee has released a petition by Corus Entertainment Inc. seeking 25-per-cent payroll rebates. It says unlike other Canadian news and broadcast content, Canadian broadcast news is not entitled to ongoing, direct financial support from the federal government and that they want the federal government to redress this inequity. The result can be nothing better than state-controlled news.
Surplus already has government on spending spree
22/12/02
Government officials are proud as peacocks after the province had an operating surplus of $5.7 billion in the last quarter. Finance Minister Selina Robinson says much of the added surplus comes from higher personal and corporate income taxes. Just a minute, over-taxation is hardly something to pat yourself on the back for. That money is already burning a hole in their pocket as $2 billion has been earmarked for cost-of-living measures. Spending that on health-care might garner public support.
Time to look into pricing of diesel fuel
The drop in gasoline prices has been welcome relief for motorists, but that’s not the case when it comes to diesel fuel which is still sitting with sky-high prices, up to $2.40 a litre in some areas. Diesel is the main fuel for transportation and for farming, driving inflation. When will government step in an regulate fuel prices? They're never shy to regulatre everything else.
The right hand giveth and the left hand taketh
I suppose we should all be ecstatic that our new Premier says he’s tackling the housing crisis. On the surface there’s a lot of bureaucratic bafflegab, but he’s doing nothing about one of the major obstacles to home ownership. It’s the government’s own Property Transfer Tax. Buying an $800,000 home requires a 20-per-cent down payment – that's $160,000. Then you have another $9,000 up front for the transfer tax, putting many people out of range of ever getting a home of their own.
Friends who refused to take the Covid vaccines have not contracted the virus, but those who took the vaccine by the gallon are getting Covid. Just coincidence? That's specially concerning since the pharmaceutical companies are not standing by many of the claims by bureaucrats about vaccines. Regardless, somebody got awfully rich and continues to rake in the dough. So, you decide.
There's no room for party politics at municipal level
It pays well to have connection in politics
Promises made, promises not kept
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged $42.5 million in support for James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. A deadly stabbing rampage nearly three months ago left 11 people dead and 18 injured. Trudeau met with leaders and family members of some of the victims in James Smith Cree Nation Monday before the funding announcement. That’s all well and good. Remember that Trudeau also pledged funding for clean drinking water to other first nations years ago, and they’re still thirsty.
Call me pro choice when it comes to vaccine mandates
22/09/?
Party politics is the norm in bigger cities in British Columbia where like-minded candidates form slates to seek election. Nanaimo had one such venture a couple of decades ago but that proved a total flop. I bring this up because there are hints of a special interest group going in that direction, specifically the Freedom Convey group opposed to government mandates (to keep Canada free), reportedly having a slate of 10 candidates for council and one for mayor. That’s more than forming a slate for the election, it’s a special interest seeking a platform to disseminate their message. Such a group running as a slate may actually be a good thing so voters can identify who they are and what they stand for before casting their votes.
It has been reported that when Liz Cheney was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2017, her net worth was estimated at $7 million. Now, after six years in government, she’s worth more than $44 million dollars, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which looked at her financial disclosure forms.
