Thursday, June 25, 2009
Hunger GROWS in Abbotsford
I allow myself one lotto 6/46 ticket whenever the pot gets over $10 million. An inexpensive chance to dream … and you never know – somebody has to win it. But even though the pot was $15 million I did not by a lottery ticket, instead spending my $2 on purchasing a $2 food bank donation coupon at Safeway.
It just seem a wiser way to spend my ‘mad money’ considering how demand for meals and food have soared over past weeks.
Disturbing is not a strong enough word to describe the flood of new faces, new people, looking for food and a place to sleep at night that has been occurring. When you stop to consider this trend, frightening is a more accurate word to describe the implications.
The new people have swollen the numbers of people in need to the point that those who provide meals have literally run out and had to scramble to find something to serve in order that everyone got fed at least something.
Those serving meals find themselves needing to provide more meals, but facing the reality of less donations and generosity from the public.
The Abbotsford Food Bank, facing the reality of more hungry people and the effect the economy has had on donations, has had to reduce the amount of food it gives to individual clients. Help is needed to fill the shelves as we head into summer when traditionally donations to the food bank go down. Going into this summer the shelves are looking bare at a time demand is quickly climbing. Abbotsford’s Food Bank could use a drive such as that being undertaken in Vancouver to restock the Food Bank’s shelves.
As a community we all should look at how we are spending our money to see if we cannot find a few dollars we could spend being generous to the growing numbers of people in our community in need of generosity simply to eat.
It just seem a wiser way to spend my ‘mad money’ considering how demand for meals and food have soared over past weeks.
Disturbing is not a strong enough word to describe the flood of new faces, new people, looking for food and a place to sleep at night that has been occurring. When you stop to consider this trend, frightening is a more accurate word to describe the implications.
The new people have swollen the numbers of people in need to the point that those who provide meals have literally run out and had to scramble to find something to serve in order that everyone got fed at least something.
Those serving meals find themselves needing to provide more meals, but facing the reality of less donations and generosity from the public.
The Abbotsford Food Bank, facing the reality of more hungry people and the effect the economy has had on donations, has had to reduce the amount of food it gives to individual clients. Help is needed to fill the shelves as we head into summer when traditionally donations to the food bank go down. Going into this summer the shelves are looking bare at a time demand is quickly climbing. Abbotsford’s Food Bank could use a drive such as that being undertaken in Vancouver to restock the Food Bank’s shelves.
As a community we all should look at how we are spending our money to see if we cannot find a few dollars we could spend being generous to the growing numbers of people in our community in need of generosity simply to eat.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Abbotsford Sports Centre destruction/reconsruction
As frustrating as it was, it was no surprise to read that the taxpayers of Abbotsford are on the hook for an additional and unknown amount of money (?$million$?) for further construction at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.
After all, the worth of council promises on costs were made clear as Plan A costs spiralled higher and higher, well beyond the promised “fixed” costs. Then there is the fact that the statement most appropriate for council’s behaviour on Plan A and financial matters is “They did not even have enough common sense to …”
As in: “They did not even have enough common sense to hustle up provincial and federal funds before funding the entire project themselves” or “They did not even have enough common sense to realize that 400 parking spots were totally inadequate for a 6,500 seat complex”.
So it is no surprise that, even though council is on record from their very first statements that the Arena would be home to a hockey team, they did not even have enough common sense to ensure that the dressing rooms were up to the standards required by any possible league an arena tenant could play in.
No, if you used common sense and ensured the dressing rooms were up to any potential league standards, you would not able to be jack hammering apart the Sports and Entertainment complex within a month of opening.
And why would anyone expect Mayor George Ferguson, council or city staff to have any idea of what this destruction/construction will cost? After all nobody ever accused them of having enough common sense to have an idea what things will cost before they start spending taxpayer’s money.
After all, the worth of council promises on costs were made clear as Plan A costs spiralled higher and higher, well beyond the promised “fixed” costs. Then there is the fact that the statement most appropriate for council’s behaviour on Plan A and financial matters is “They did not even have enough common sense to …”
As in: “They did not even have enough common sense to hustle up provincial and federal funds before funding the entire project themselves” or “They did not even have enough common sense to realize that 400 parking spots were totally inadequate for a 6,500 seat complex”.
So it is no surprise that, even though council is on record from their very first statements that the Arena would be home to a hockey team, they did not even have enough common sense to ensure that the dressing rooms were up to the standards required by any possible league an arena tenant could play in.
No, if you used common sense and ensured the dressing rooms were up to any potential league standards, you would not able to be jack hammering apart the Sports and Entertainment complex within a month of opening.
And why would anyone expect Mayor George Ferguson, council or city staff to have any idea of what this destruction/construction will cost? After all nobody ever accused them of having enough common sense to have an idea what things will cost before they start spending taxpayer’s money.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Character - or lack thereof.
As a Canadian it pleased me to hear that the CBC had declined to run Stephen Harper’s desperate and contemptible anti-Michael Ignatieff drivel. It appears at least someone in Canadian broadcast television has at least minimal standards.
Although in the case of the media conglomerates, in light of the ‘save local television’ con they are running, they could hardly refuse even as crass and un-Canadian an advertisement as Harper’s odious personal attack on Michael Ignatieff.
Of course one cannot overlook the matter of self interest in the decision by the media conglomerates to accept and run Harper’s sordid attack ad. It is in the best interest of the media conglomerates to curry favour with Harper and the Conservatives as they want them to impose a tax on Canadian’s cable service then give the tax monies raised to the media conglomerates in order to save them from bankruptcy now and to guarantee future corporate profits without the need to bother to do anything about their bad management practices.
I do acknowledge that I did find the irony inherent in the tag line accusation “in it for himself” rather amusing. It left me wanting to suggest to Mr. Harper that he should not ascribe his personal motivations to anyone other than himself. Just because Mr. Harper continuously demonstrates, through his behaviour, that he is clearly “in it for himself” does not mean anyone else seeking office is “in it for himself” and not motivated by a desire to rescue Canada and Canadians from Mr. Harper and the Conservatives.
The most disturbing aspect of the ad, other than its demonstration that Stephen Harper has no understanding of what it means to be Canadian, is what it says about Harper and the Conservatives on issues of policy and governance.
The advertisement highlights Mr. Harper’s desperation and fears that the polls showing the Liberals under Ignatieff leading the Conservatives strongly enough to win the majority in parliament that Canadians denied Mr. Harper.
There was no vision, ideas, priorities or integrity revealed in Mr. Harpers attack on Mr. Ignatieff; just the desperation of Mr. Harper to hang onto power in any manner and at any cost.
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln
Although in the case of the media conglomerates, in light of the ‘save local television’ con they are running, they could hardly refuse even as crass and un-Canadian an advertisement as Harper’s odious personal attack on Michael Ignatieff.
Of course one cannot overlook the matter of self interest in the decision by the media conglomerates to accept and run Harper’s sordid attack ad. It is in the best interest of the media conglomerates to curry favour with Harper and the Conservatives as they want them to impose a tax on Canadian’s cable service then give the tax monies raised to the media conglomerates in order to save them from bankruptcy now and to guarantee future corporate profits without the need to bother to do anything about their bad management practices.
I do acknowledge that I did find the irony inherent in the tag line accusation “in it for himself” rather amusing. It left me wanting to suggest to Mr. Harper that he should not ascribe his personal motivations to anyone other than himself. Just because Mr. Harper continuously demonstrates, through his behaviour, that he is clearly “in it for himself” does not mean anyone else seeking office is “in it for himself” and not motivated by a desire to rescue Canada and Canadians from Mr. Harper and the Conservatives.
The most disturbing aspect of the ad, other than its demonstration that Stephen Harper has no understanding of what it means to be Canadian, is what it says about Harper and the Conservatives on issues of policy and governance.
The advertisement highlights Mr. Harper’s desperation and fears that the polls showing the Liberals under Ignatieff leading the Conservatives strongly enough to win the majority in parliament that Canadians denied Mr. Harper.
There was no vision, ideas, priorities or integrity revealed in Mr. Harpers attack on Mr. Ignatieff; just the desperation of Mr. Harper to hang onto power in any manner and at any cost.
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln
