Kootenay Ice & fans
It has been a difficult year for the Kootenay Ice as we experienced the first losing season in 18 years. And yes as sad as it is to say our team’s attendance was down again, but in the rebuild years all teams struggle to draw fans.
Also our team was as much up against a weak economy as any other team in this league and I’m sure there were attendance issues throughout the league.
Yes it has been a tough year for our team. I attended every game this season and I am very proud to say fans of the Kootenay Ice over looked a team that struggled and proved through their support and in the best tradition of Kootenay Ice hockey that they support our team win or lose.
This is why I say with more conviction than ever thank you! for your loyal support and for that you are the best fans in the Western Hockey League! You are truly the best!
Attendance was down but I believe we held our own, as fans we proved to ourselves, proved to our team and proved to the league that we want and believe there is a proud place here in Cranbrook for our team to continue as part of the WHL. Better support for the future is critical for the financial viability for our team to stay in Cranbrook. We should all think about our proud hockey heritage as it is truly a great one, considering we are a relatively a small community we can all be proud of the past accomplishments of the Royals, Colts, and of course our Kootenay Ice.
As it has been in the past, it is so today, our players and this team needs better and continued strong support, as fans our team needs us and we need our team to stay here as a strong part of our community. We need to continue our passionate committed strong support for our team.
We must be patient as this team will be strong and competitive again in the near future. I believe our team does have a positive future.
I salute and thank all the players as they are all fine young men and I am proud of every one of them, they played their hearts out and gave a gallant account of themselves over the whole hockey season.
James LeClair, Cranbrook
Don’t just talk green and tax us
After listening to our new prime minister on the news over the past couple of months and how he is showcasing Canada to the world as one of the worst offenders of CO2 emissions, I need to make a few points. That is an absolute fallacy. We make up 1.8% of the world emissions of CO2. The US has more CO2 output per capita when they live in a much more moderate climate. China approved four new coal fired power plants every week in 2015 and ranks the highest in the world by far for emissions yet we get the black eye. He is going to bring in a new carbon tax real soon if his actions follow his words. Most people cannot afford any more taxes, especially ones that do nothing for the environment and only pad the government coffers.
We have introduced carbon taxes in BC which only go into general revenue and have done nothing to help reduce CO2 emissions. I am 100% in favour of reducing pollution and CO2, but if our government is going to talk about this on a constant basis, let’s see something concrete other than raise the taxes on the public. How about give incentives for people to go green with solar or wind or whatever. There is absolutely no incentive for any such thing in BC. I have geothermal heating in my house and my bill has doubled in the past four years due to the fact that it runs completely on electricity. BC Hydro brought in a policy where if you use over a certain amount, your rate goes up by 50% on the excess, which is 3/4’s of the bill at that rate. That policy basically killed any more geothermal heating in BC. Our governments talk green all the time yet destroy the most efficient type of heating going with another tax grab. (Ironically called the Residential Conservation rate.)
Another point is the fact that Canada imports 43% of our oil from the middle east and pays world prices for it. We have excess oil in western Canada and the oil we do sell to the US is at well below world prices. I have spoken to people who have worked in Africa and the middle east where we get our oil from. Our environmental standards are much much higher than in those areas and yet our oilsands have a huge black eye. Maybe defending this country and it’s industry instead of making us look bad to the world would be my idea of our government’s job. The Energy East pipeline is an absolute no brainer yet the biggest opponent to it is the province that has reaped the most benefit from transfer payments from our dirty oil over the past fifty years. Maybe they should separate.
I will be happier than anyone when I see trucks going up the Creston-Salmo with solar panels powering them or the train running though Cranbrook using something other than diesel, but until that time, don’t talk green and just tax us. There is definitely climate change going on, as there has been since the beginning of time. If the government can change the weather to exactly what they want with new taxes, then they are a lot better than I thought they were.
Harry Caldwell, Kimberley
