Vigil offered small great moments
To the Editor,
I joined others Monday night for a vigil for the victims of the Quebec massacre. Though the gathering did not quite stretch from City Hall to the Harbour Quay, a group of people lit candles, spoke a few words, stood with each other. In times such as this, there seems so little that one can do, so little to be said. I came home, alone, and wept.
Wept for the loss of peaceful people in prayer, for those who died, for those injured. Wept for the hate in those who in act or rhetoric, in policy or pronouncement, incite and perpetuate divisiveness and discord. Wept for the fear, the anger and the sorrow that sometimes engulfs us. For the lovely, bright glow of a few candles on a darkening street, in a gathering of a few quiet people.
In the dream and hope for reconciliation, in this town, may we one day meet in a larger group, all of us with candles and silence. Then let’s bring out the drums, the music, the singing. The dancing, the food and the celebration of all that we are in this town.
We are all pretty much good people here. We do not all care about exactly the same things, but we care about the same fundamental things. And in our hearts, we care about each other, as has been evidenced to me a thousand times over in the seven short years I have lived here. This is a city with a heart and a very, very good soul.
I am ever glad of the embrace of this city that has become my home and of the good people here.
Tonight I light another candle for all of us against the dark.
Cheryl Church,
Port Alberni
$10aDay Plan only viable alternative
To the Editor,
It’s long past time for affordable child care to be available to all children in British Columbia.
Children need a safe, clean, nutritious to body, mind and spirit, inclusive, culturally aware space for each and every child.
The $10aDay Plan would enable all parents access to reliable child care each and every day.
Children have always been the future. One in five children in British Columbia are living in poverty with no food security or affordable housing with potable water.
It’s 2017! I’ve been hearing government promises and inaction for more than 40 years. It’s 2017.
It’s time to reverse the statistics on so many levels. The $10aDay Plan is a small investment for many who will be with us for decades and their descendents after them.
Bring a brighter light into the future for all.
Dennice Goudie,
Port Alberni
