I’ve never been one to take much of an interest in politics or politicians, nevermind comment on them, but I hear too much grumbling – a kind word – about our provincial government not to say something. Seems they are beyond shooting themselves in the foot; their knees must be hurting.
It ought to be explained to them that in our democracy everyone gets to vote, yet they continue to upset large segments of the population. Hard to find a health care worker or teacher that remains a supporter; many are upset with being hoodwinked into new political Strong & Free number plates; there are outcries over game ranching and coal mining on the eastern slopes; and after all of the criticism of people driving too fast, why on earth should the speed limits be increased? Wrong optics.
Voters have memories, and scuttlebutt says the NDP needs only to just sit in the weeds and wait to pounce.
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An increase of $8 for a monthly transit pass may not sound very much to a commuter from Edgemont or Lake Bonavista, but to many who have to use a combination bus and LRT from home to a low-income job, every cent must count. I chatted with a young lady on our bad snow day who said to get to work she had to walk to the bus stop and wait, wait again at the N.E. LRT station, get off and walk to a bus stop to travel down to the southwest and then walk a few blocks to prepare to begin serving tables by 8:00 a.m. Give her a thought.
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Back to politics. I read a Winston Churchill quote that I thought I should share. “A nation trying to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
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Here we are in December, and my laptop still says, ‘your social tab is empty.’ I made it.
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Kudos to the TD Bank for committing $1.5 million to support the National accessArts Centre to develop and share the extraordinary talents of artists with disabilities. The long-awaited move to the former Scout Hall on Memorial Drive will be a real feather in the cap for president and CEO Jung-Suk Ryu who has worked tirelessly to achieve the goal of providing a building that will help solve his waitlist of 100 looking forward to participating.
Ryu has suffered through an agonizing long time dealing with the delays in approvals that escalated construction costs and a start time to begin renovations to the building – like a front door entrance for people with disabilities – but he is a very determined individual still working hard to reach a financial goal to be able to welcome artists to their new campus home by winter 2026/early 2027.
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I read that the late George Best, Northern Ireland professional footballer who played most of his career for Manchester United, said when he visited Canada, he was told to drink Canada dry, but he couldn’t make it.
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Final words: “Time means more when it’s running out,” Dag Aabye in the book Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past by Brent Popplewell.