You can see a lot of words scribed into the West Coast beaches — we-were-here names, declarations of love, silly brags, indecipherable scrawls … and some, like the one below, proof that Tofino is the endpoint (or starting point) of a lot of big dreams from a lot of people in this world. It’s a privilege to live here, and a joy to be occasionally reminded of our hometown’s iconic status.
Last Tuesday was particularly interesting for a new councillor like me. It began at 9 a.m. with two well-attended public hearings about a proposed 22-unit multi-family rezoning for a property at the corner of Hellesen* and PRH, with several speakers both for and against.
It was my first experience behind the council table on a controversial issue that people feel passionate about, and I can tell you council (even the experienced members) feels that responsibility. Speakers made several good points for and against. My instinct is to say yes to everybody, but a firm decision has to be made at some point, and council is the duly elected body to make it, for good or ill. These decisions can have a big effect on people’s lives: In this case, we will be deciding yes or no on a process that the proponents have been pursuing since 2005. Continue reading “Council meeting thoughts, 28-Apr”
I went for a jog at dusk last Thursday , which brought me down to Tonquin Beach. In the low light, i didn’t see a small rock; it caught my left foot and i came down hard on my right side, directly onto a rock outcrop. Bad words were uttered, curses invoked. But the net result was just a scraped knee and elbow, so i continued my run. I cleaned the scrapes in the shower, slapped on a couple of bandaids, and that would normally have been that.
Friday morning, the injured joints were stiff and a bit swollen, but usable. On Saturday, Mr. Knee was improving; Sir Elbow, though, was noticeably swollen and tender. Hm, i thought, must be some fluid build-up. I’ll keep it in mind. Continue reading “My fight against the Resistance”
Bill C-51 has been getting a lot of press lately for the (many say, including me) draconian policing and surveillance measures the ruling Conservative party seeks to introduce, in the name of saving us all from terrorism. This is one of those many “boiled-frog” moments we’ve had in recent years … the changing of the rules in small ways that are incremental steps to a huge, irreversible change in Canadian culture.
I’m not saying C-51 is a small change, but its direct effect on our daily lives would probably be small. Until it wasn’t, until the police and the watching were everywhere, and then it’d be too late. Continue reading “Chilled!”
The following just sent off to my Conservative Member of Parliament, James Lunney <ottawa@jameslunneymp.ca>. Today is LeadNow.ca‘s National Day of Action to Stand Against the Secret Police Bill C-51. (That’s a mouthful, but C-51 by comparison will really stick in your craw if you learn about it.)
Dear Dr. Lunney,
As your constituent, it’s important that you know i (and nearly everybody i know) am opposed to Bill C-51, as currently worded. It is vaguely worded, it definitely needs a robust oversight component, it is arguably unconstitutional, and it looks suspiciously like it is intended to sweep up legitimate protesters in the same net as terrorists. Continue reading “Bill C-51 not up to snuff!”
Greg Blee 