We welcome your letters here where you can express your thoughts and opinions about things you feel are important and that others should hear about.
Be sure to proof read your submissions, as they will simply be 'cut and pasted', typo's and all! Try to keep your letters brief and to the point but your letter won't be edited so that what you have to say will be what is printed here.
Of course watch the language, occasional S**t words are acceptable if they add to the point you are making. Also any letters containing what could be slander or just plain malicious will not be published.
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Your Letters And Opinions
An open letter to the Electorate;
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely
congratulate the Candidates elected and re-elected to Nanaimo City Council and
the Mayoralty; and I thank you all for the occasion to be in your company. I would especially like to congratulate
George Anderson on his first time election; a very well spoken, intelligent
young man that will be a huge asset on Council; and, Bill McKay whose in-depth
knowledge of Nanaimo issues and perspectives will be welcome on Council. Now the real work begins.
Nonetheless; we all lose when democracy fails us; a 26
percent voter turnout is a failure of democracy; an embarrassment for both: Nanaimo
and Canada. The complacent and the disengaged of the
Seventy-four percent who failed to vote should hang their heads in shame; you
are all hereby relegated to sit in the corner with a dunce-cap on and be mute for
the next three years. Canada
is not immune to the dangers of losing democracy to dictatorships.
Notably; it takes commitment and courage to stand-up as a
Candidate for election – I admire and congratulate all those who put their
names forward – they are all deserving of our respect. Yet somehow, certain elements of the
electorate think it is okay to verbally assault the character or personally
attack the candidates and otherwise demonstrate visceral disrespect in online,
news and other election forums against the individuals, and organizations
involved in the democratic process; it is not okay. Indeed, facilitators of such media and forums
are responsible to moderate and not allow the medium to be prostituted for the
entertainment of the ignorant and ill mannered.
“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Rod Lomas – Nanaimo City Council Candidate 2011 2011-11-20
Letter From David Brown
For the last two decades a small group of insiders have had an iron grip on Nanaimo’s economic strategy. This clique has been focused almost exclusively on tourism. Millions of dollars have been spent on various efforts including the Conference Centre and the cruise ship dock to kick-drive the industry.
It would be kind to say that the tourism first strategy not been spectacularly successful. Despite pamphlets which promote three different downtown neighborhoods (none of which exist), most people staying at downtown hotels are here on business, not as causal visitors. Despite twenty million plus on a new dock, there are declining numbers of cruise ships making a local stop. The seventy million dollar Conference Centre primarily competes with privately owned local facilities to hold local events.
Then along comes Ruttan’s bizarre notion that the tourism industry is being held back because of the lack of first class rooms, notwithstanding that hotels like the Coast Bastion or the Grande struggle with low occupancy rates even during the summer months. The current form of the property tax exemption bylaw is staggering. If renovations to existing hotels and motels that “add services, add rooms or improves the quality of the stay for the visiting public” qualify for a property tax exemption, then essentially every existing motel and hotel in the City will find a way to qualify. This is a tax measure that for its sheer dumbness could rival the infamous federal Scientific Research Tax Credit program of the 1980′s.
Once again we can observe a consistent pattern of behavior on the part of our local leaders – they are always behind the curve. Tourism worldwide is no longer a growth industry. Canadian tourism is in particularly difficult times as fewer and fewer Americans cross the border. This is not a recession phenomena – American tourism to Canada peaked in 1999 and has been dropping like a stone ever since. Americans are taking less than half the trips to Canada that they took thirteen years ago. This is not likely to turn around either as the border has thickened with passport requirements, soaring fuel prices and in a commodity scarce World, a Canadian dollar now trading at or above parity.
It is questionable whether an economic development strategy is feasible at the municipal level since the course of the local economy is largely out of the control of local politicians. If there are likely drivers for economic growth in this area, however, it is not tourism but rather forestry, the university and retirees. Forestry is no longer a sunset industry with most economists now predicting big run-ups in prices over the next ten years. The university will continue to be an economic positive IF it is successfully able to compete for students. Demographics tell us that there are lots and lots of retirees up and coming in Canada – a portion of whom will relocate to the West Coast. The Central and North Island can compete successfully for those retirees of ordinary means who can not afford Vancouver or Victoria.
A reasonable industrial tax rate is a prerequisite for new wood processing facilities. Affordability is also an obvious key to attracting both retirees and students. Ironically property tax exemptions for one favoured industry, a failed Conference Centre and grandoise municipal building projects are all working against affordability … existing spending initiatives could push property taxes up dramatically over the next decade.
The second attraction for both students and retirees are recreational opportunities – hiking trails, parks, sports facilities, a lively downtown. Underline the last one – a city like Montreal is attractive to students because of the lively street life of St. Laurent and St Denis and other urban neighborhoods. Unfortunately entertainment policy for downtown Nanaimo is basically run by the RCMP. A fraction of the money spent on Conference Centres and Annexes could have made Mt Benson into a hiker’s paradise.
In short making life better for locals; i.e. reasonable property taxes and good recreational facilities, will also make the City more attractive to industry and newcomers.
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Rod Lomas, unfortunately, had no accessible contact information. Not everybody is on facebook!
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