Does controversy overcome apathy?

Yes, I know. It's been an exceptionally long time since I have written a blog post. In spite of my best intentions to post regularly, or at all, life, once again, got in the way. Sorry about that. However, as the title of this post indicates, the business of electing a new President in the US has inspired my return to this blog, however brief it may be.

I'm not going to spout invective about who I think should win, I really don't care that much. We have enough of our own problems up here with Trudeau Jr as our Prime Minister, without me getting all shirty about the Americans' choice of leader.

What I find interesting about their electoral gong-show, is what it has done to voter turnout in the US. As many of my faithful local followers know, the turnout up here for elections in Fort St John is absolutely terrible. Not even 50% of eligible voters bother to go to the polls. But last night on CTV News, I see that in this election, the number of Latino Americans voting has increased 152% from the last election. And that's just Latinos in Florida. If the video is to be believed, it seems that Americans in general are heading to the polls in droves.

Yes, that's 152%. Holy. And at a polling station in Ohio, I think it was, they said 38,000 people turned out to vote in the early polls, yesterday. Where were all those people hiding four years ago?? I'll say one thing for this whole Clinton vs Trump deal, I'm impressed with the way it has galvanized Americans to action, and brought them out to vote. I haven't enjoyed all the sniping that has gone on between the presidential candidates - really, who cares about Hillary's email? If I was an American, I'd rather hear about what they are going to do for the economy, health care and job creation, not whether or not it was a crime to be hacked. Or whatever the true story is.

Yet, in spite of the absence of clarity regarding what each of the candidates stands for, I'm impressed with the way it has made Americans realize that they can make a difference by casting their vote. The outcome may not be the best for America, but at least they're casting off their apathy and getting out there, and voting.

Wonder what would happen in Canada if we actually did the same thing? Not be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, as our neighbours are doing, but actually care about what is going on politically. Enough to go out and vote. If we cared enough about the future of our nation to go out to the polls and exercise our right to say, "Hey, this is who I want to see lead my country. This is the guy (or gal) who can get the job done." Instead of staying home, not voting, and then spending the next four years bitching about the person who got elected.

If you don't vote, you can't complain. Clearly, there will be a lot of people south of the border tomorrow, who will be able to enjoy their right to complain, if the vote doesn't go their way. And it won't, because somebody has to lose.

Revamping and Reviewing . . .

I was just reading over some of my past blog posts as I was changing up the blog, making it a little more spring-like, and it seems time to update some of the thoughts I had.

Since the civic election almost a year and half ago, there have been some changes in FSJ. The East-Bypass Trail was decommissioned, and then brought back, and now, is apparently going to become part of the Trans-Canada trail network. Looks like the protests against the decommissioning were well-founded. Unlike the decision to get rid of the trail in the first place.

The former site of the Fort Hotel in the centre of the city is still empty, with a pretty, expensive fence around it, and homeless people hanging out inside. I saw two of them going in there on Wednesday, squeezing through a hole in the fence by the alley and the sidewalk. Not much shelter in there, which I assume they were looking for, since a snowstorm was upon us. It really is time for someone to step up and revive, or properly clean-up that location. We have the Cultural Centre on one corner, Whole Wheat & Honey cafe on the other corner - both of which support much of what is artistic and beautiful in our area - there's the Lido at the other end of the block, show-casing performing arts and assisting in local fundraising events . . . and smack dab in the middle is the former Fort location. Nasty. Although, as I said, the fence is pretty. Even turning it into a green space, would be better than what is there now. And I bet that increased green space in the downtown core would go a long way to improving our chances in the Communities in  Bloom competition. However, I mainly suggest it, because it would just be nice.

As long as those horrible people who cut down the trees at the Pool don't run rampant in that part of town too.

Wasn't that lovely? A fabulous way to end the High on Ice Festival . . . some bunch of jerks thinking it's funny to cut down trees. Probably related to the same civic-minded, beauty-loving people who wrecked all the trees along 100th and 100th a couple of decades ago. Nice, eh?

One thing I have noticed that is good, the businesses who are putting up new buildings, are making them look nice. Sure, a few of them are tilt-slab concrete, but they have nice clean lines, and I hope when the snow is gone, we'll see some landscaping in place. And the re-purposing of the former temporary home of Unforgettable Memories - that barn-like structure now located on 100th Ave, out by the pet store, is fabulous. Not only does it look nice, but it is a bakery!!! Yes, FSJ has a bakery!

Speaking of Unforgettable Memories, have you seen their new building? It's so nice, and make sure you check out the sidewalk as you go into the store - whoever did that is a genius - if we ever decide to put concrete pathways down out here, I want to get that guy to do ours!! It looks like a wooden boardwalk. But it's concrete. Fantastic.

Just goes to show what FSJers can create with a little imagination. Something functional, durable and pleasant to look at.

Well, it's been a while . . .

Almost a year, in fact. And what a busy year it's been! Between gardening, running the kids to their various activities, housework, doing my part as a member of the Northern Dance Theatre Society, not to mention the 3 weeks we spent in New Zealand in March, the year has just flown by.

Hopefully things will slow down a little bit as 2013 gets underway, as I have a project on the go, which will include revamping/redesigning this blog.

I'm seriously looking at going back to work. As a writer. And photographer. For myself, with time left over for the all-important chauffeur duties, as well as the garden.

So, please stay tuned. There should be exciting things coming soon to a blog near you! ;0)

This is a test :-)

Just a test post to see if I can blog from my new tablet -- thank-you Santa! I have to say though, that typing on this teeny-tiny keyboard is a bit weird! Cool, but weird. Definitely going to increase my carpal tunnel syndrome if I do this too often. Ouch!!

Mayoral Visionquest

Each of the three mayoral candidates has a vision of what they want Fort St. John to be, in the future, under their leadership. I've been reading through their web pages, looking for their visions.

Let's start with the newbie, the political virgin, mayoral candidate Mike Murray (www.mikemurray.ca) According to his rather lengthy, auto-biographical essay, he's been a resident of Fort St. John since 1969, and worked in a variety of capacities at different long-time local companies. If you're looking for a long-term resident to lead the city, my guess is, he would be it. His vision of Fort St. John, which I found at the bottom of the issues page, is a bit disjointed. He wants to restore trust in local government, encourage citizen involvement to create a city to be proud of, and create an environment in which people want to come to Fort St. John, and stay. Succinct, so far. But then he ends his vision with a comment about a young person who wants a go-cart track in town. Maybe it's the latent editor in me, but he should've incorporated that vision - increased youth involvement - a bit earlier in his vision statement. To me, it looks like an after-thought, and if I were a new, young voter, I might not be encouraged by the sense that the needs of young people in the community are tacked on the end as an after-thought.

However, neither of the other two mayoral candidates has mentioned the young people of our city at all, on their websites.

Councillor Don Irwin, who has served on council for 6 years now, outlined his mayoral platform on his website also (www.irwinformayor.ca ). Councillor Irwin appears to be a man of few words, by reading his website this weekend, I have learned more about him than I knew in the previous two elections, including the fact the concept of a complete sentence is foreign to whoever compiled his website. However, he, like Mike Murray, is committed to open government. Councillor Irwin is also dedicated to being a mayor of integrity and trust, one who will work with the RCMP to reduce crime and increase community safety, all while promoting the City in order to bring new businesses and industry here. He too, wishes to encourage citizens to become involved in the business of the city, through town hall meetings and social media.

The third candidate, and first woman in my memory to run for mayor of Fort St. John, is Councillor Lori Ackerman (www.loriackerman.ca). Like Councillor Irwin, she has served on council for the past 6 years. While her website details her thoughts and proposed actions on the many, and varied issues affecting the residents of Fort St. John, I've had some trouble finding her vision for the city. Essentially, it seems she wants to see Fort St. John recognized for its' contribution to the province, and to become sustainable economically, socially and environmentally.

Of the three candidates for mayor of Fort St. John, Councillor Ackerman seems to have thought about the most issues affecting voters in the community, and has written down her opinions regarding how these issues can be addressed in the future. Mike Murray, also discusses a number of issues on his website, including Site C, downtown development, municipal boundary, citizen involvement and the Regional District. Councillor Irwin, has not posted his thoughts on any of the issues affecting voters in Fort St. John. I assume he has opinions, which he really should put on his website. How can one vote for a guy, if we don't know where he stands on the issues affecting our community?

I've been waiting patiently for the reporters at Energeticcity.ca to produce the profiles that were apparently coming, on the various candidates, both for mayor and council. But as yet, there's not a whole bunch of info. All the information I have discussed here, I gleaned from the candidates' websites alone. I assume there's something in the local newspapers, but I stopped reading those, when the quality of the writing (in my opinion) plunged into the toilet and remained there. I mean really, what's the point of buying something, that you cannot read, without being compelled to attack it with a red pen? But that is a rant for another day.

In the meantime, I look forward to the profiles Energeticcity.ca is putting together, to learn more about the people who have put themselves out there, looking to represent our city, and lead us into the future.

May the best candidates win, on November 19th!

(Note: this blog is open to comments. Just please, keep it civil, keep it clean or I won't post it! Thanks for reading!)

Clean up the City to encourage growth

I've been reading over the web pages of the three candidates for Mayor of Fort St. John -- and one thing that they all have in common, is their stated intention to promote the City to the rest of British Columbia, and perhaps even further afield, in the hopes of attracting more workers, residents and tax-payers to the City. For the good of the City, of course. But to do that, I've heard people say, one must dispel the impression that Fort St. John is cold and dirty, and who would want to live here anyhow?

The thing is, it is cold and dirty. Okay, there are a few months of the year, after the sandy residue has been cleaned off our streets, that it's not dirty. But as soon as it snows, back comes the sand. It's a safety thing - we need to put sand on our streets to help keep vehicles on the roads. That makes it dirty. Trying to tell potential residents otherwise would be misleading. And why is the snow such a problem? Well, because it's cold. I first moved here in 1981, and apart from a couple of years recently, I can't remember a Halloween without snow. Halloween is in October. And the reason gardeners of the area don't plant their gardens until the beginning of June, or at least until after the May long weekend? Because there's no guarantee that there won't be snow or frost until after then. So, during 8 months of the year, there is likely to be snow on the ground. Why does it snow? Because it's cold.

Who would want to live here? Despite the extremes of weather we experience, the Peace region is beautiful to behold. And it's fun to live here.What would encourage people to come to Fort St. John? What would make people want to stay?

We need a greater variety of businesses in Fort St. John. The intentions of the mayoral candidates to promote the City to attract workers are good. But make sure its businesses, not just oilfield workers. For example, I am sick to death of shopping at Wal-Mart, and having no choice of clothing for my children other than the cheap crap that Wal-Mart provides. Okay, there's SmartiPantz too, and I love some of their clothes, but the prices are exorbitant, in my opinion.

Who wants to come here from other centres and suffer from a lack of choice? The most variety we have in our local businesses, it seems to me, are the number of drinking establishments in town. Off the top of my head, I counted 10 establishments with bars (they may be restaurants and bars, but they have a BAR) . . . yet there are only 2 places to buy children's clothing. There is only one place for men to buy a suit. And two places for men's work clothes. That's 5 places to outfit people who make up probably more than half the City's population. Yet, there are at least 10 places where one can get plastered.

There is something wrong with this picture. Perhaps it could be addressed, both in the city's promotion campaigns, and through the downtown revitalization project. I gotta tell you, looking at downtown Fort St. John, particularly the blocks of 100 Avenue, between 100th Street and 104th Street, I sure as heck wouldn't want to come here and look at that every single day.

Face it. It's nasty.

Yet I live here. I've lived here for a long time. There are many good qualities to Fort St. John. But if our future leaders are truly committed to making it a better place - a fine, welcoming, prosperous, aesthetically pleasing city, that people will want to move to - you've gotta do more than just tell people we have a lot of jobs up here, and that our summers are beautiful. You've got to back it up with concrete improvements. And I don't mean a few flower pots and the odd tree on the main drag which miraculously survived snow-plows and vandals.

I'm talking about building standards. Standards of appearance. Sidewalks which were laid a little more recently than 1974. Perhaps put the homeless people to work, cleaning-up the streets that they live on, rather than leaving them to hang around our downtown core, no doubt wishing that they had something to do, other than standing around. Not only could they help, but it might give them back some pride, and a sense of accomplishment.

I know people will ask, where would the money for this come from? How about, instead of wasting taxpayer money on entering the City in the Communities in Bloom competition, we take that funding and use it to make our community a nicer place. Who, in Ontario, for example, really cares how many flower pots Fort St. John has? We have to live here - wouldn't that money be better spent on improving the appearance and services of the city for those who actually live here, not some anonymous pack of judges from Ontario? Really, I would've thought it was a no-brainer.

Yes, participating in the Communities in Bloom competition has been a point of pride for previous mayors and councils . . . but how proud can you be of something that's acting as a bandaid on a festering boil on the butt of our city? Make the City nice for everyone, 12 months of year, not just for a pack of judges in who come to town in June.

Whichever of the mayoral candidates who could come up with viable plan to do that, would have my vote on November 19th.

Charlie Lake residents don't get to vote

In spite of the glorious opportunities for change in the city of Fort St. John, residents of Charlie Lake, Area C of the Peace River Regional District, and Zones 1, 2 and 3 of School District 60  will not get to vote on November 19th. Why? Because nobody new stepped up to the plate.

I'm not taking issue with the representation provided by the incumbent directors and trustees (well, except the Area C director, but that's another story), experience is good. I'm just disappointed that no one else put their name forward in these areas to provide the voters with a choice.

Those who live in the rural areas can run for City Council, for the Board of Trustees, for the Regional District, but cannot vote for City Council unless one owns property in the City. Yet, what goes on in Fort St. John, affects all those living outside the city, in its surrounding areas - it's bedroom communities. I know a lot of people who live in the Charlie Lake area and in Montney, for example, who work in Fort St. John. Their children go to school in Fort St. John. Yet, because nobody else stepped up they don't get a say in how the school system is run. If they don't own property in town, they don't get to vote for the people they believe will best represent their interests.

Of course, I understand that if one lives outside the boundaries of the city, one should only be voting in elections of those bodies which directly represent the place where you live . . . but we're all inter-connected here.

I've lost count of the number of articles I wrote for the papers and magazines in which the leaders of Fort St. John have said that although Fort St. John only had X number of people living in it, the city serves a region with a population of something like 50,000 people.

Fifty thousand people. Many of whom won't get a voice this election, because only in the city, have people decided they need to have a voice. And only the people in the city get to choose the people who will represent them, and the fifty thousand people in the surrounding area.

Democracy at it's best. But only if you live in the City.

Okay, sure. I could have run and challenged Arthur Hadland for the Area C directorship. Or I could have challenged Heather Hannaford for the Zone 2 trustee position. But, I know that I would probably not make a good leader. I am too outspoken. Liberal-minded and open to change, yes. But I really don't believe I have the qualities required to make a good leader. That's okay - my destiny is not to be a leader, merely a voice on this blog. And perhaps a member of the kids' school's PAC.

However, at least my area of the PRRD has representation. Area E, which includes Chetwynd, does not. When the deadline for nominations came yesterday, no one, not even the incumbent Director, had put their name forward. Not one, single person in Chetwynd stepped forward to say, "Hey. We need representation. Please elect me to represent you. I care about our area." And so, the deadline has been extended until Monday. But I wonder if that's long enough. How many people in the Chetwynd area know that they are no longer represented on Regional District? And do they care?

To the editor of the Chetwynd Echo - there's a story here! This lack of representation is worse than voter apathy. There are always people who make a point of going out to vote. But they can only exercise that right if there is someone to vote for.

To the residents of Area E - someone step up to represent your region! Give your friends and neighbours the opportunity to vote . . . and then, on November 19 - VOTE!!