To the editor:
I really want to vote on my money possibly being spent on a multiplex.
All this talk about a multiplex is economically unreasonable. It comes with a price tag of $106 million, plus 10 per cent (you have to consider over runs with the construction, like the regional hospital).
We the people of Thunder Bay cannot afford it.
The federal minister of finance stated on Tuesday, Jan. 28 there will be no unnecessary spending, no flamboyant expenditures. With the minister of finance stating to all Canadians to tighten their belt and not to take on any unnecessary extra debt, the city councillors seem hell-bent to put Thunder Bay deep into the red again.
Is there not anyone on city council who understands finance? With many of our roads, bridges, sidewalks, and other infrastructure crumbling, not to mention the thousands of water leaks throughout the city, are city councillors saying sorry, but they want a multiplex so they can have their names on a bronze plaque?
Yes it would be nice to have a new building like the big boys, but this is not the time to put the city into dept for something that the politicians want, but don’t really need.
I would like a 50-inch television, but I have to fix the leak in my kitchen and repair the cement window sill first.
Remember back to the start of the regional hospital, when city council stated we would have a special increase in property tax to cover the city’s portion of the hospital and then when the hospital is paid off, we will take that tax off. Well guess what, hospital is paid off and the tax is still there.
And when the hospital was built, it was when we had seven paper and saw mills working full time, employing almost 10,000 direct and indirect jobs with expendable income.
Those are all gone now and what we have left is an aging demographic, wondering how they are going to pay for their city taxes, increases in insurance rates, hydro bills and all their other bills. Many of them are just scraping by on their pensions each month with no frills.
Let’s make this easy for all the people who call Thunder Bay home, let’s have a vote. With a municipal election in October, let’s put the multiplex on the ballet for the people of Thunder Bay to decide. Yes, we build a multiplex, or no, this is not the time.
Let democracy decide, or do we believe in democracy anymore and just do the will of our city councillors? While we are at it, let’s have a vote about keeping or getting rid of Victoriaville another white elephant costing over $700,000 a year to upkeep.
Chris Mills
Thunder Bay
