The city’s plans for a new place brand (Republic of Life) certainly has both city folk and our immediate neighbours buzzing. The item is on tonight’s council meeting for approval (or not). Those unhappy with the new brand intend to rally tonight at city hall at 5:30 pm, and they have a spokesman on council’s agenda.
Proponents, including some council members, say those opposing are only old people (OOPs), local people (OLPs) or Citizens Against Virtually Everything CAVE). As an OOP, I plan to be at the rally.
I was astonished recently to find myself agreeing with David Emerson. The once senior federal cabinet minister (both Liberal and Conservative) says the B.C. government’s latest economic plan is “morally flawed” because it plans to use the profits from non-renewable resource exports to pay for current social programs and tax breaks. In recently reported interviews, Mr. Emerson argues these resources belong to both current and future generations, and if we squander them, future generations will be stuck with the expensive programs and little revenue to pay for them. He is looking at economic sustainability. My focus is environmental, but the bottom line is the same. Let’s not pig it all, let’s leave enough resources for future generations .
GD#5 and I went to Columneetza Saturday to buy some mementos (Cougar hoodie and a T-shirt). I’m not much into nostalgia, what’s done is done, but I couldn’t help hoping the school authorities have really planned well for the changes, and that all will turn out for the best.
Oops. While Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver was in Vancouver recently explaining his government’s plans for protecting the B.C. coast from oil tanker spills, the star of his show, our largest oil-spill response vessel, was taking almost 11 hours to get to Vancouver from Esquimalt because it ran aground.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.