http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx Opinions and Editorials brought to you by Tbnewswatch.com Mon, 20 May 2013 07:45:41 GMT 5 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/images/tbnewswatchlogo.JPG http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280040 There’s been a lot of talk this week about what to do with the Royal Edward Arms. The historic building was once the heart and soul of the city’s south side. Today many would say it’s a junkie’s paradise. Indeed, Mayor Keith Hobbs last week called it a cesspool. The Thunder?Bay District Social Services?Adminstration Board, which operates the once-proud facility, wants to wash its hands of the building, turning it back over to the city in 2015. On Monday, Coun. Aldo Ruberto, wearing his DSSAB vice-chairman hat, said the city should take it over, renovate it, and possibly sell it to the private sector. The building needs millions in upgrades. But what becomes of those who live there??Sure, they have two years to find accommodations. But already on assistance, what options remain? There’s already a waiting list of about 1,200 of Thunder?Bay’s most vulnerable people looking for social housing. The city and DSSAB owe it to the disenfranchised to explore all opp­or­tun­ities to keep the?Royal Edward Arms available as low-income housing. Certainly this is not a do-it-at-all-costs affair, but putting even more people on the streets isn’t the answer. The city needs more affordable housing, not less. This would be a step backward and likely lead to more problems, not fewer. Fri, 17 May 2013 11:58:20 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280040 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280042 To the editor: Asinine is described in the Oxford Paperback Dictionary as silly or stupid. There have been people and institutions expressing opinions on issues of whether the City of Thunder Bay should provide a service that is, or conceived to be, in competition with private enterprise; or whether the City of Thunder Bay has more of or better than other municipalities of any size in Canada. Geographically, the area size of this city is probably far in excess of municipalities in comparable population. In we are in the latter category, thinking should be like others in not just services provided, but also area size, then let us sell off several areas of the city. With Westfort and the East End on the other side of the tracks, sever them off. They could become their own corporations. Think of it: Westfort, Ont. and Eastend, Ont. Or would it be The Eastend (we’ll leave that discussion for another time). If these severances were to occur, I was to then wonder, would Coun. Joe Virdiramo automatically become Westfort’s first mayor and or chairman of the Police Services Board? Let us, in this thinking, then go to another area. All the city west of the Thunder Bay Expressway, sell it to Oliver Paipoonge. It’s rural, so would it not be better suited to be part of a rural municipality? Thunder Bay could then rid itself of all problems relating to Highway 102 (truck traffic, speed zones, etc.), rural outmigration, the Harbour extension. Lessening the size of Thunder Bay equals lessening the size of services to provide, like police, fire and transit, and in turn, would it not then result in lessening the size of administration and required council? If we shouldn’t have more than one city-owned golf course, why would some of the largest distributors like Wal-Mart, Tim Hortons, McDonald’s and the like have three or more outlets in this city. Doesn’t competition beget more business and improve pricing, selection and service? Competition to private enterprise: inevitably say goodbye to Muncipal Golf Course and with current rumours that have us close and sell Strathcona Golf Course too, maybe we should say good-bye to it, too. Should those two suggestions come to fruition and the corporation only have one golf course, would we then need a director of golf and his assistant? Let us go one step further. Does not private enterprise provide telephone, cable, hydro, cemetery services, etc.? Close them all I say and sell all city services that compete. Thunder Bay provides RV rental sites, does it not? So does KOA and other private businesses. If we as a city, as some would say, shouldn’t be in competition or provide more than comparable corporations, I then wondered if Coun. Iain Angus had to vote to close and sell off the RV sites and the animal exhibits, would he still be considered a friend of Chippewa Park? If we’re not to be in competition with private business, then we also need to close up and sell the Canada Games Complex and the Community Auditorium. If we subsidize these venues more than Municipal Golf Course, think of the revenue the city would save. I may have a solution for Municipal Golf Course. Let’s make stipulation for playing there. Municipal is about 80 years old, so let’s say you have to use old wooden clubs, a feather ball, wear knickers and walk and carry your club. Then Jules Tupker and his golf committee could declare it a historical site. If the city can invest $4 million or whatever into the Welan Building because it’s a historic site, couldn’t that thinking work for a new, old golf course? When the lords of council said let there be light and voted in favour of the construction of the twin beacons at the waterfront, to the tune of $900,000, would they possibly consider night time lighting at Municipal. More tee-time availability would mean more revenue. Let’s look at creating a new department in the corporation’s structure, calling it the Excess and Competition Division. It would have its own manager, secretary, support staff, budget, etc. It would also have its own spot in council chambers. If any member of the public asked questions, council could just pass the microphone over to the E&C to provide an answer. If no answer was forthcoming, council could ask administration for a report or hire a consultant. The City of Thunder Bay is unique in many facets. Unique is OK. Let us build upon that uniqueness. Keep and improve what we have. There is ammunition both for and against. Spin in any manner can be put forth to justify one’s position or to change someone else’s. But remember, don’t do anything that might come back to bite you in the butt. George Histed, Thunder Bay Fri, 17 May 2013 11:59:48 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280042 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280043 To the editor: When do the hydro-rate increases stop? Does this increase come from the past Liberal government because of their cancellation of some projects in Southern Ontario, wind farms in Thunder Bay, or maybe it is the incompetance of our elected officials to stand up and say no more increases. Our rates right now are probably higher than any other province in Canada. Come on everybody let’s tell our elected government. Enough is enough.?We can’t afford it anymore. Bryan Kostyniuk, Thunder Bay Fri, 17 May 2013 12:04:39 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280043 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280044 I am fortunate enough to be associated with a dedicated group of professionals who plan, organize and present Forum North, a local health and safety conference. At every opening ceremonies Larry Hebert, a long-time friend of the conference, leads hundreds of delegates in a moment of silence for those who died on the job the previous year.  It is a very solemn occasion. This moment was brought to mind recently as disturbing details from the latest Bangladesh tragedy hit the news.  The fatalities are rising.  More than 2,000 people were working in the building when it collapsed.  Maybe when the final death toll is announced there will be a moment of silence for those unfortunate souls but it will be mostly business as usual in Bangladesh. The event is now under criminal investigation and somebody will be held responsible. ­Rec­om­men­da­tions will be made, and promises, too. Western retailers who rely on the endless flow of garments, running shoes and other goods from the third world have vowed to compensate the bereaved families. Funds have been set aside for worker training and improvements in working conditions. International groups are calling for higher safety standards and workers’ rights. This response seems totally appropriate considering the circumstances but there are reasons to doubt the sincerity of the world’s biggest retailers. Occupational Health and Safety is all about managing risk and that is exactly how this disaster will be handled.  It’s a classic risk-reward scenario. The attraction of low overseas labour costs and cheap goods outweighs any potential risk. In other words, bargain prices trump human life. Besides, even when buildings collapse and thousands of workers are buried, many retailers feel they can easily manage the public outcry.  If they are handled properly, death and destruction don’t really affect retail sales at all. Eighteen months ago a fire in a Bangladeshi textile factory killed 112.  Just last week, in the same city as the fallen building, fire in another garment factory killed eight people. To date there has been no mass exodus by major retailers, their shareholders or the fashionably dressed consumers who buy their clothes. Westerners continue to purchase the tainted brands even after retailers openly admit their responsibility for the tragedy. Some consumers are annoyed by the negative publicity. How can they be expected to look their best when the Bangladeshi who made their clothes may lie dead under a crumbled factory? It’s just bad karma. As for the exploited workers themselves, they don’t complain much.  The garment industry represents a huge economic opportunity, especially for women trying to escape dire poverty and provide for their families. They are happy for the chance to get ahead. So much so they are willing to endure harsh working conditions, tolerate hazardous environments and even risk their lives in condemned buildings. Western consumers, the end users of the garments, are also willing to accept that risk.  It’s just an unintended consequence of the global economy. Still, it’s making them nervous.  Consumers are checking the labels of the clothes they wear to see if they might be implicated in this crime. But for the victims who are being dug out of the rubble in Bangladesh there will be no moment of silence and a year from now the entire sad event will be mostly forgotten. It’s a harsh dilemma created by a cruel world economy. If we continue to demand high fashion and fancy sneakers at bargain prices, workers from the third world will continue to carry the burden. This will go on until we realize the true price of a pair of running shoes. Fri, 17 May 2013 12:05:45 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=280044 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=278690 To the editor: I believe that the Atikokan canoe would be best viewed and honoured by all Canadians by making it part of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ont. One of the paddlers resides nearby and the boat will be preserved for eternity. Where else would anyone go to see it? Craig Creighton, Lindsay, Ont. Fri, 10 May 2013 11:56:39 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=278690 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=278686 To the editor: Just what the city of Thunder Bay needs: more traffic lights. So now when I leave my home in the Northwood area and travel to Thunder Bay Regional, which is normally a 10-minute drive, I will have to go through five sets of traffic lights. Five, count them five, in a 10 minute drive. Instead of traffic lights, how about no left turns from Central Avenue onto Golf Links Road and while construction is happening anyway, place a turning lane in for residents to turn left from Golf Links Road to Central Avenue. Just a thought.   Victoria Riddell, Thunder Bay Fri, 10 May 2013 11:53:19 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=278686 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=278683 Kudos to the city for reaching out to our neighbours to the north. Last week it became increasingly apparent that rising waters on the Albany River would soon overflow the banks and flood Kashechewan First Nation. On Saturday Mayor Keith Hobbs signed a document allowing the city to open its arms to 150 of the devastated community’s most vulnerable people. The next day 150 Kashechewan residents began arriving by air in Thunder?Bay, finding a Northern Ontario oasis in a city that must seem like a second home to many. Yes, these floods are happening on a more frequent basis. Yes, it’s costly to fly mass numbers of people to the city. And yes, the community probably shouldn’t have been built on a flood plain. But it’s how we deal with tragedies like this that truly shows the character of our city. With few exceptions, we’ve welcomed our visitors with joy, helping them adapt to an unfamiliar culture, working to keep families together to make their stay that much less stressful. It is, however, time for the federal government to start looking at long-term solutions to the problem. Kashechewan residents can’t have their homes threated each year. It’s just no way to live. Fri, 10 May 2013 11:47:02 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=278683