Some new years begin with noticeable differences, whether of opinions or changes in lifestyle or quality of life.
For 2012, some of these are fairly obvious, some uncertain, and some still a threat on the horizon.
If any of these will have a bearing on our own lives or on the lives of loved ones, it behooves us to keep a weather eye and an ear to the ground. If our individual attentions, persuasions, or actions can move things in the direction we’d have them go, then we must take the duelist’s stance and remain “En garde!”
The past year’s changes are already making themselves felt in the Qualicum Beach town hall.
Different people have different beliefs about what the votes of November 2011 really meant. A number of new councillors are saying that people voted for “change.”
Many voters are saying, “We didn’t vote for change, per se, we voted to replace retiring council members.”
When a mayor of many years standing is re-elected with a resounding majority, that indicates a degree of satisfaction among the electors, of the way things have been going.
The job of a council is to represent a town’s people and objectives, not to stir up animosity and hard feelings at the opening gun and thus leave a residue of mistrust to invade council’s efforts for the next three years.
A new year and a new council should be co-operating to further the proclaimed choices of the majority its citizenry, not pointedly working to further what may be their own agendas.
Another big change brought forward from last year and waiting to be dealt with is the change in ownership of The Gardens at Qualicum Beach. Having enumerated the proposed changes, whose motives appear to be accumulating dollars, not contributing to the comfort of its residents, I’ll not list them again. Suffice it to say that the attendance, the attention, the petitions signed and delivered, in the wake of July and August’s information/proposals meetings indicated that Gardens’ residents and their families were adamantly opposed to the proposed changes.
The Town of Qualicum Beach also abandoned the proposed changes to the zoning bylaw governing the renovations. Everything seemed peaceful in the Gardens for some weeks and months, except for a circulated letter from the new owners stating that their proposals were ‘on hold’ until January 2012. (“Until we may have some new people to persuade in the town hall,” was the underlying message perhaps?)
All those members of the public as well as residents, who attended the November 3, 2011 all-candidates meeting at The Gardens will certainly remember the two succinct questions from a member of the audience near the end of the meeting.
All 11 candidates at the head table will remember them, too.
“Are all of you in favor of rejecting the proposed renovations to The Gardens?”
All 11 replied in the affirmative.
“Would each of you, individually, indicate that you would not support the proposed renovations at The Gardens?”
Each hopeful candidate raised his/her hand indicating that he/she would not.
Those elected will no doubt remember and fulfill those pre-election promises.
Meanwhile, there are changes occurring at The Gardens … changes not made with the Care Floor residents’ comfort in mind.
Paper/plastic sanitary products have been drastically reduced in quality (cost?); this to the point that many families are supplying (i.e. paying for) better products themselves rather than have their loved ones suffer the discomfort and indignity of the much inferior, cheaper replacements.
Unfortunately, this does play into the owners’ ‘bang for the buck’ philosophy, for they refuse even to accommodate the difference in cost between the cheapest product and a better one, making residents’ families pay the whole shot.
Something else that quietly occurred at mealtimes, is that kitchen staff no longer serve the meals — they are served up by the care aides.
One can only wonder at the health standards here.
Do care aides go through a washing-up process before moving from the care of a resident to the serving of food?
Are care aides trained in the proper way to handle cups, glasses, utensils (i.e. without fingers on the rims or insides of drinking vessels)? Do they wear ‘kitchen/dining room only’ aprons to protect dishes and food from bacteria picked up while attending residents?
Are care aides doing kitchen staff jobs because kitchen staff has been reduced?
No, there’s no lack of items requiring our close attention and the asking of questions.
Stay tuned, everyone, to what’s happening around us.
Nancy Whelan is a regular News columnist.
