As I write this, the sun is shining.
The sky is that special Cariboo blue.
Six robins are hopping about on the lawn (the cats are in the house) and there is a sprig or two of green grass. The tulips are finally poking through.
It could be snowing in an hour, but at the moment, all is spring in my corner of the world.
Politics are on our minds (in our faces?) these days. Spring should be a time for renewal but we seem to be getting the same old.
I always wonder why the party in power (this time the Conservatives) doesn’t just run on and brag about its record instead of making promises it won’t necessarily keep.
Leave the promise making to the other guys.
Try, try again has worked for some politicians. Will it work for Elizabeth May?
Will we ever have a majority government as long as the Bloc Quebecois exists?
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Local naysayers, CAVE, concerned taxpayers (take your pick) were still shaking their heads over the fire hall’s cost overruns when they learned of healthy salary increases for some City staff.
I’m all in favour of decent incomes. I believe everyone should have at least a “livable” income that covers basic needs plus a few extras. Others can have more, but City’s timing for the salary increases is a tad off.
These are lean times. Few employers, even the governments, are handing out much in the way of wage increases.
A number of staff left city hall over the last two years. For all I know some went to greener pastures, and that could explain why council wants to make salaries competitive now. It doesn’t make it easier for taxpayers to swallow.
There are grants for almost everything these days. Maybe the City can scare one up to cover the payroll increases.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.