I hate to say it, but….
This was a hard column to write. I have thought and thought about it. I have been trying to find a way of saying what I want to say without actually saying what many expect me to say. Try as I might, I couldn’t come up with anything that would even come close to what needed to be said, so, here it is. When it comes to the move of the bus turn around to the Community Centre now being considered to be a costly and a bad idea; I told you so (back in May, actually)!
The City will quickly run back to their original comments about the move to that location as being the decision of BC Transit, but the fact of the matter is that it was this move that was the catalyst for all the other issues we are now facing and will cost us even more money down the road. If they had stood up to BC Transit and said, “No, that is a bad idea” and risked not getting the $350,000 for the new shelter / turn around (I am still trying to figure out where that money was spent), then we wouldn’t be where we are today.
The move to the new location was supposed to result in reduction in criminal activity. It didn’t. The closure of the centennial building bathrooms was supposed to reduce criminal activity. It didn’t. The changes were supposed to reduce the cost of maintenance and cleaning services in the area. It hasn’t. What the move and the Spirit Square have done successfully is create an entirely new set of problems that the taxpayers will have the bear the burden of. The Council, however, is aware of this burden and before the Spirit Square has even made it to the halfway point of its first year of life, the Council has cut its maintenance budget down to almost nothing and looked at expensive increases in security and maintenance for the Community Centre. Excellent. Well done. Bravo. They have managed to create problems so that they could solve them.
Here is my solution, free of charge. Take the money you are about to spend on maintenance and build a new bus turn around opposite Banner’s restaurant on the open space that is begging for something to do. Build it with shelter from the elements, bright lights, public washrooms and CCTV security cameras that can monitor the activity and provide a sense of safety. Buses come in off Shoppers Row and head out off the highway. It’s still downtown, accessible and easily monitored. Built in an open space that doesn’t give you a whole lot of places to hide and do the things that criminals do. Will it be totally safe? Of course not, but it would be a sight better than what is in place now and costing us $50,000 to $200,000, depending on what options are chosen.
As for the security in the Spirit Square, set up a webcam. I am sure that there are people all over the world that would love to watch the Campbell River critters come out to play.
Ready! Set!….wait….
Well it certainly looks as if the Highway 19a project is off to a roaring start, as long as your idea of a roaring start is doing nothing. After a much vaunted sod turning and photo op, the Mayor proudly announced that the beginning of the new capital project, starting the week of March 8th, 2010. As I drove down the stretch of road between Rockland and Hilchey, on this sunny March 8th morning, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of detour signs or construction vehicles. Well, the Mayor did say “the week” of March 8th, so I guess that gives him another 4 days of wiggle room. Welcome to the first day of your cost over-run.
One of the things that happened during the final weeks running up to the Olympic kick-off in Vancouver, was that Translink and the City did “practice runs” to get people use to the idea of not having access to their regular routes of travel and to see what they could do to improve the re-routing of traffic. Now, the City of Campbell River may not have been ready to start the project today, but one would think that getting people use to the idea of a detour might help. Now it is a guessing game as to when, during this week, the detours and construction will start.
I read the notice in the paper. Very pretty, with a nice colour template that highlighted the detour routes. I went to the City website, which showed me a very pretty graphic that took me to a page that linked me to a few other pages that gave me information that I had already heard about. Nothing about the overall timeline or milestones, no detail on exactly what is being done or even who is doing it. Essentially, I got to see the same thing I would have seen if the City was managing its own communications, only now it has some snazzy graphics. However, if I do want to know what is going on, I can get email updates, if I request them. Great. More spam for my junk mail box. It will be interesting to see how well that $180,000 consultant is working out, over the next 8 months. Do we get access to all the information we need when we want it, or do we simply get a pretty version of the stuff we already get.
Of course I haven’t forgotten about the Airport project, which is under similar time constraints that the Highway 19a project is under. Nothing in the paper about that white elephant. Nothing on the Website, either. Not even a pretty graphic. No, apparently that project is still aimlessly wandering the administrative halls the Confusion Campus, waiting for the official groundbreaking photo op to happen. I am sure that the Mayor and council are just giddy, waiting for another opportunity to show how they are putting the governments and our money to good use.
Don’t worry about info overload, folks. You’ll get what you need to know when they think you need it.
Email rantingincr@gmail.com
The Tale that WAGs the Dog
How would you feel if you went to your doctor to get some critical test results and he tell you that you have 6 months to live, but that’s just a “wild-ass-guess”. What if you went to you’re the bank and they told you that your entire retirement savings may be gone in a couple of years, but that was just a “wild-ass-guess”. So how are we suppose to feel when city management refers to their initial budget calculations as a “wild-ass-guess”?
We enter into one of the most critical budget periods in the history of this City and we have City staff guessing at things? What’s worse, we have City Council members using the acronym “WAG” as if it is some commonly used terminology in the budget process. Am I the only one who is deathly afraid of leaving the financial future of our community in the hands of these fiscal frauds?
The mayor talks about the tough decisions that have to be made in the coming days, weeks and months, as some taxes are increase and some operating expenses cut. What he and the council fail to remember is that they are responsible for a good chunk of our City’s coffers being depleted over the past year. Irrational spending on consultants, administrative costs and cost over-runs for capital projects that no one really wanted and has proven to be more of a burden than a benefit. The insane thought that they could heft “wild-ass” tax increases on our local forestry industry, thinking that they would actually accept it, with the resulting tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars going into the pockets of lawyers and law firms.
I read the results of the survey that the City sent out and it is proof that this, too, was yet another waste of time and money. A decision made in October gets acted on in February, for deliberations that happen later that month. A max of 500 people answered the survey (out of almost 13,000 registered voters) and all they ended up getting was what anyone on the street could have told them. Stop spending on silly things, maintain the things we need, but don’t raise taxes. It took four months and thousands of dollars in full-page newspaper inserts and administration, all for something that they could have found out having coffee downtown.
It is my absolute hope that everything works out and that we come out of 2010 in a better place than we are today. However, with 2 major capital projects on the horizon, both of which will come with their inevitable cost overruns and issues, it is hard to be that optimistic. If nothing else, we can at least hope that this council read the survey report and gets the hint that the public purse is not there for them to build personal legacy projects. It is there to run and support a city, so think before you spend.
Email rantingincr@gmail.com
In Search of New Gold
It has been nearly a week since I returned from the resort town of Whistler and the 17 days long celebration that was the XXI Winter Olympics. I witnessed the highs and lows that always accompany and Olympic Games, although this one seemed to have extremes of both. I witnessed a country erupt with a patriotism that has been bubbling under the surface for decades, a sea of red and white flooding its villages, towns and cities. I am hoarse from singing our national anthem a hundred or more times and my face hurts from the perpetual smile of pride that spread across it. It was 2 weeks that will stand out in my memory forever and I will forever be proud to have been a part of it.
As with all good things, however, it had to come to an end. It was somewhat anti-climactic, the truth be told. One day I am surrounded by dozens of my new found friends and over 8000 spectators watching the four-man bobsleighs race down the track, the next I am home with my wife and children and feeling drained from the 124 hours of work put in over those two event filled weeks, exhilarated and exhausted, all at the same time.
The homecoming, however, is one thing that I always enjoyed. When I returned from this adventure, I was greeted by the excitement of my eldest son charging outside in his pajamas to see me. There was the warm embrace of my wife and the sleepy kiss from my youngest son, who struggled to stay awake and see me arrive home. Of course there is also the blissful sleep that comes from sleeping in your own bed, after a couple of weeks sleeping in something that was somewhat less than comfortable.
On my first day home, I was able to catch up on all the sleep I missed. On the next day, however, I sat at my computer thinking “now what”. No more harried work, screening thousands of people as they made their way to the sport venue. No more loud celebrations of another Canadian achieving gold. No more walking down the plaza, surrounded by the languages and faces of a dozen different countries, all smiling and reveling in the atmosphere created by the Olympic Games. As I skimmed the papers, I knew that I would soon be on the tail of the City Council, but after weeks of the positive, it’s hard to jump right back into the negative. Then a familiar “bing” chimed from my Mac, announcing the arrival of a new mail, with the subject line “CBC’s Dragon’s Den auditions in Campbell River”
A short email from the associate producer, asking if I would help get the word out to our entrepreneurs, letting them know that the popular television series is returning to our community to harvest more of it’s entrepreneurial talent. Suddenly, it hits me. The Games aren’t over; I just change venues. Time to see if I can be a part of another gold medal performance, courtesy of Campbell River.
Email rantingincr@gmail.com
Just got a little note from the associate producer on CBC’s “The Dragons Den”. Campbell River is on their radar and they are returning to hear more from our amazing community of entrepreneurs!
ARE YOU READY TO FACE THE DRAGONS?
Auditions for Season Six heat up in Campbell River on Wednesday, March 10th
Do you have a hot new invention or the next million-dollar idea? Think you have the money- making chops to take on the savviest business tycoons in the country? Then DRAGONS’ DEN wants to hear from you!
The DRAGONS’ DEN production team will be in Campbell River scouting for Season Six of the hit series on CBC Television. The show gives aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a panel of wealthy Canadian moguls for the chance to earn real cash and real investment – from the Dragons’ own pockets!
Open auditions are taking place on Wednesday, March 10th from noon – 7 pm at Quinsam Centre, #102-2005 Eagle Drive.
No experience is necessary – just be ready to pitch your business in under five minutes. If you can convince producers you’re ready for the limelight, you could be invited to face Dragons when the upcoming season is filmed in Toronto.
And as extra incentive this year — entrepreneurs with an eco-friendly business, invention or idea could qualify for a $100,000 Greenvention prize from Sun Chips.
Please apply online starting March 1st and bring your completed application form to the auditions. More details can be found on the show’s website at cbc.ca/dragonsden.
DRAGONS’ DEN airs on CBC Television at 8 pm Wednesday nights. Full episodes and web extras can be viewed on the DRAGONS’ DEN website.
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Don’t miss out, Campbell River entrepreneurs! This is your chance to shine and show everyone that great ideas and the small business spirit are alive and well in Campbell River, BC!!
Oh, what a relief it is!
Every job should have variety, to keep it from becoming mundane or monotonous. Today was that type of variety, with a stint as supervisor for a security portal relief team. The job is pretty straight forward. Take your team and go to various portals relieving other teams, so that they can take a break. Unlike working in just one portal for anywhere from 4 to 9 hours, you get to try a variety of different ones and see the different types of people that are directed to each.
In an accredited portal, you get the people who have the accreditation passes issued by VANOC. You are at the mercy of a bar code scanner as to whether or not you gain entry without being searched. Some get the green light to move on. Others get the blue light that quietly says “please empty out the tons of stuff that you have in your pockets, into the x-ray tray”. To the staff in the portal, the random screenings are like playing the slots; spin, green light, spin, green light, spin, BLUE LIGHT! Whee! Time to go to work!
The standard x-ray portal is where the people that have decided to bring their entire home with them to the Games. Some bring back-packs large enough to carry a week’s worth of supplies, as if they are planning to stay at the venue for an extended period of time. People learn quickly that it is easier to take off the jacket and be cold for moments, while it goes through the x-ray machine, rather than attempt to empty out a dozen pockets. The fun is when a person goes to great effort to rid themselves of all metal and still set off the magnetometer with its’ loud and accusing beep. Some turn to give the machine an equally accusing glare, as if to say “are you kidding me?”
The express portal is the one that you go to if you have a small bag or none at all. It is in this one that you discover just how much can be stuffed into a winter coat or a woman’s purse. While a majority of the items discovered are common and allowed into the Olympic venue, one has to question the logic of others; “do you really need these brass knuckles, sir?”
For the team, it becomes a challenge. How fast can we do the change over? How many prohibited items will we find? What is the strangest thing we will see? Constantly moving from portal to portal keeps the blood flowing and breaks up the potential boredom that can come from being in a portal that is slow and inactive. It is easy to motivate and work with a group that is having fun.
What is truly great about the relief team is the energy they bring is reflected on the spectators. A happy and smiling team is infectious, causing the visitor to smile as well. Perhaps there is a lesson in that for all of us.
