How does a (city) of 24,000 have the money for a second station? All current residential and commercial addresses fall within FUS guidelines. Who will benefit? Not the taxpayer nor the homeowner. Current response times fall within norms for the entire city. How about hiring more firefighters so we can achieve a class one rating with FUS, thereby putting the city and all residents in a lower house insurance bracket. Imagine, saving the homeowner and business owners some money. What a concept.
I have been reading this paper for years and very much enjoy this column, but this is the first time I have ever submitted my own comments. Perhaps then it is fitting that the issue that finally moves me to write is democracy. I am moved to send a big bouquet to the editor and various contributors to the paper for encouraging and assisting people to get out and vote. In last weeks’ Record the editorial and Commen-Terry by Terry Farrell both highlighted the importance of not only exercising our vote, but making an informed decision. Our democracy is our heritage and that legacy was sometimes paid for with the blood of our fellow citizens. With the increasing busyness, diversions and complexities in society there is a tendency to take it for granted as witnessed by the woeful voter turnouts in the past few years. However democracy is an invaluable gift, delicate and vulnerable. If we do not use our rights we could lose them, and not with a bang but a whimper. When we are too distracted, disgusted or bored to exercise our democratic rights we may wake up one day and find out that they no longer exist. The alternative voting process is just one step along that slippery slope. Our complex world also makes it more difficult to make our voices heard and to challenge those who represent us with the kinds of questions that make them accountable. For the past several years, almost by default, it is our free press that has taken on that role, like an unofficial opposition, asking the questions that count and publicizing issues that affect communities at every level. This helps citizens to support participatory democracy, but it cannot take the place of one of the most fundamental functions that only we as individuals can do. We need to get out and vote.
A three-year-old boy waits almost two hours in St. Joseph Emergency only to leave with no care. We know it is common for a wait in Emergency for a period. However a three-year-old boy comes in as soon as his mother can take him after work for trouble breathing and coughing until he throws up. Forty-five minutes to get through admission with no one ahead of us then onto the waiting game. It is very hard to keep a little one entertained that long, in a hospital especially. All the staff could say was “I hope you wash his hands” as the child is rolling around on the floor after an hour and a half. The mother ended up having to leave before care could be obtained because anyone with kids knows how it is after bedtime with a sick and bored child. It turns out the child has pneumonia and the family is appalled at the lack of organization never mind the poor child.
A wedding bouquet of thank yous to the Comox Valley newlyweds who recently requested guests forgo a wedding gift and make a donation to Dawn to Dawn. Best wishes for many years of happiness! Your and your guests kindness is very much appreciated.
Millions and millions gallons of water are flowing out to the ocean; from the Puntledge River. Courtenay and regional districts need to look into a cistern system so all the residents, especially seniors and pensioners that are on water meters, are not getting gouged, which we are now.
Putting aside the question of candidate selection in this upcoming election I think we as taxpayers really need to be concerned with this vote on homeless funding being put forward by the regional district. Even though this is a very worthy cause and deserves our attention I have a great deal of trepidation about this whole concept simply because we are being asked to make a totally uninformed decision. It has been widely rumoured that upward of over $700,000 of our money has been spent on trying to find solutions to this problem over the past couple of years with what I would suggest have been few if any tangible results. What is even more disturbing is that there has been absolutely no disclosure as to how that money has been spent which raises a lot of questions. Is it just a coincidence that the audit that was performed by the provincial government on the regional district recently, which likely would had contained most of this information, and was scheduled for release before this election has had its release postponed until after the voting?
A heartfelt thank you to My Tech Guys. I’ve been taking my computer there for repairs ever since they opened. Staff is always knowledgable, friendly and reassuring. Thanks for being such an asset to the community!
A big thank you to McConnochie’s Furniture for their excellent service. After my recent experience, I can totally understand how they’ve stayed in business for 50 years. Four years ago, I purchased a well-known, name brand recliner from McConnochie’s. Fast forward four years. I had a problem with the recliner’s mechanism. My recliner isn’t just a chair in my home. It’s my “nest.” I’m a senior with various health challenges and a disability so my recliner and I spend a lot of time bonding. The various staff I talked to at McConnochie’s listened to me and made me feel that they really valued me as a customer and responded with very caring, timely service for which I’m truly grateful. They advertised “We offer excellent service.” They truly do. As a footnote, they did this without ‘breaking the bank’, meaning I’m a senior on a fixed income.
A big round of applause and thanks yous for the honest gentlemen, who, on Oct. 19, found my wallet with cash and all my credit cards, just laying on a bench in the Comox Mall. I am in my 90s and had stopped to get myself ‘reorganized’ after some shopping and banking and had inadvertently left my wallet behind as I got up and headed into the grocery store. This kind and honest soul found my wallet and instead of running off, went looking for me and with the help of a store clerk found me and returned the wallet complete with everything! I was so shaken about the whole ordeal that all I could say was “thanks” but this old lady would like to properly show my appreciation and thanks by offering to buy a coffee or a lunch for this honest gentleman. I would appreciate it if he would call me, as he knows my name but I don’t know his and I could offer a proper and sincere thanks. It’s good to see honesty and integrity still lives today! Thanks again.
IF MARIGOLD PHARMACY was not up to standards, I would not have been able to enter. I have an allergy to dust, etc. and had no issues being in Marigold Pharmacy.
