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CLARK’S CROSSING GAZETTE | THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013 PG. 6
Taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize Saskatchewan as a tourism destination? Maybe... the forest fringe lakes provid A holiday isn’t just a great the country and the world and Actually, curiosity about ing camping and hunting opopportunity to decompress. especially from the United the success of Saskatchewan mobile phone competition States. was a common theme of many portunities or the chance to Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation
COMMENTARY
It’s not hard to understand why the Canadian government would want more companies selling mobile phones in Canada. Canadians, from coast-to-coast open their bills every month from Rogers, Telus and Bell and wish they were lower. They wish additional competition would drive up choice and drive down bills. And more competition appears to be on its way. U.S.-based Verizon Communications appears poised to enter the Canadian market. For any federal politician, it’s an attractive picture: Verizon Communications riding into Canada, like a knight in shining armour, to smite the Canadian wireless companies and save us all some money on our mobile phones. However, it shouldn’t cost Canadian taxpayers a billion dollars to achieve this. To be clear, Prime Minister Harper isn’t going to be handing a cheque for a cool billion to the CEO of Verizon on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange. He’s simply going stage an auction for wireless spectrum in January, an auction where Rogers, Telus, and Bell are not allowed to bid. Analysts expect Verizon to pay roughly $1 billion less than it would need to pay if it were bidding against the Big Three. Canadian citizens own the airwaves. The federal government, on behalf of taxpayers, makes a lot of money with its bandwidth auctions: the last one brought in $4.3 billion. That’s a lot when you consider the government expects to run an $18.7 billion deficit this year. Unfortunately, this year, at least one of those borrowed billions is headed straight into the corporate treasury of Verizon Communications in New York. Verizon doesn’t need the money: it already has 100 million customers in the U.S. In July, Verizon reported profits of $2.25 billion US in the previous three months alone, on sales of nearly $30 billion US. Nobody is going to argue, with a straight face, that Canadian wireless operators couldn’t use some more competition. But do we really need to rig an auction sale and offer Verizon a billion-dollar bonus to get into the game? And why Verizon? There’s nothing wrong with Verizon, but if we’re going to open up the market to foreign ownership and additional competition, why not just open up the auction to any company, foreign or domestic, to bid on the additional spectrum? It could be T-Mobile, AT&T, or UK companies like one of Verizon’s owners – Vodafone. Or one of the Big Three might outbid all of them. As taxpayers, isn’t it in our best interest to sell our spectrum to the highest bidder? And if it turns out that it’s a new company or two new companies that purchase the spectrum, Canadians also benefit from the increased competition. Sometimes an American operator can move in and turn the Canadian market upside down. Wal-Mart is a good example. Sometimes it’s a different story: Target’s takeover of the Canadian Zellers locations seems to be a work in progress: prices and selection in Canada don’t come close to the U.S. experience. The important difference between Wal-Mart, Target and Verizon, is that both Wal-Mart and Target had to pay full market-price to build or buy stores in Canada. They weren’t and aren’t protected from their competition. Industry Minister James Moore has clearly articulated his concern for mobile customers, but there’s apparently little concern about taxpayers and the billion they will be losing out on under this rigged auction. This upcoming auction should be a win for both customers and taxpayers.
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Provincial Politics
Sometimes it’s a great opportunity to see where you live from a different perspective. Or so was the case for me during our recent family vacation to Vancouver Island – a getaway that offered me some interesting perspectives on the perception of Saskatchewan, how that perception may be changing and maybe even the tourism opportunities that exist for a province like ours. Of course, it’s really hard and perhaps a little unfair to compare the amenities of a place with beaches, oceans and mountains like Vancouver Island with most Saskatchewan communities. Island communities flourish in summer from a tourism trade that not only comes from the mainland and neighbouring Alberta but also draws a surprising number of tourists from around
islanders I encountered – whether they were originally from Saskatchewan or not. In fact, compared with our previous visits 15 and five years ago, there seemed to be a growing interest in our province and a changed perception. Some with no previous connection to this province even suggested that Saskatchewan might be a place they would like to visit one day. (One guy with a Corner Gas hat suggested he’d really like to see the community where the TV show was shot. I dared not tell what has happened to the set at Rouleau or the province’s film and television industry.) This takes us to the topic of what Saskatchewan communities – especially smaller rural communities – can do to capitalize on tourism opportunities in the future. As previously stated, we aren’t exactly blessed with quite the same amenities as Vancouver Island, but one wonders if opportunities for tourism are being missed. Place like Eastend’s T-Rex Discovery Centre and the Cypress Hills, the Big Muddy,
experience farm and ranch life, small community atmosphere or First Nations history may be greater than we realize. Of course, it would take massive co-ordination and maybe a little vision from the government and Tourism Saskatchewan. But in a province noted for its creativity, might there be possibilities? One thing we certainly have going for us is previous decades of exporting people, as demonstrated by my Parksville visit. Might it be possible that retiring baby-boomers and up in B.C., Alberta and elsewhere might want a summer week hometown visit or tour? Suppose the package included tickets to ‘Rider games? Or how about a house “exchange” program between current Saskatchewan residents and retirees elsewhere? Are there creative opportunities we’re missing? Sure, some places are blessed with more obvious tourism amenities. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make a few of our own.
Reader Opinions
Drivers need to watch for kids heading back to school Summer vacation is coming to an end and children will soon be returning to school. CAA Saskatchewan reminds drivers to slow down and to be extra aware of children on foot, on bicycles, near buses and in school zones. “Children can be easily distracted, especially with the excitement of returning to school, and catching up with friends and classmates they haven’t seen for awhile,” says Christine Niemczyk, Director of Communications with CAA Saskatchewan. “The students may just
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That said, a closer examination of communities offered some surprising similarities with rural Saskatchewan communities. For starters, much of the Island is made of small-town communities still reliant on commodity-based industries like agriculture and fishing ...albeit, they tend to be highly subsidized with the tourism industry that also benefits from better weather extending the visitation season to far longer than we enjoy here in Saskatchewan. In fact, it’s that weather that attracted so many ex-pat Saskatchewanians to the Island, or so we quickly found out. At the Parksville condo where we stayed, no less than three of five adjacent residents were occupied by one-time Saskatchewan folk who once called places like Moosomin, Pense and Rose Valley home. All seemed very anxious to get news from home – whether it be the recent good fortune of the ‘Riders, the number of moose making their homes in the flatlands or the upturn in the economy.
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not be as attentive as usual; they’ve been away from school for two months and are adjusting to schedules and new routines. As drivers, we need to be especially cautious around schools and playgrounds to help keep our children safe.” Drivers should follow these important tips: * Slow down to the posted limit in school zones. * Be prepared to stop for safety patrols at intersections and crosswalks. * Always stop for school buses that are loading or unloading
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students. * Obey “No Stopping” zones in front of schools. Use designated drop-off and pick-up areas only. * Watch for children darting out from between parked cars, school buses or buildings. * Teach children to always stop, look both ways and listen before crossing the street; wait for the signal of the school safety patroller when crossing the street near schools. Since 1951, CAA Saskatchewan has coordinated the School Safety Patrol Program which
as a partnership between CAA, the police, school boards, teachers, and parents, helps students to learn about road safety. Patrollers have an opportunity to work in a team environment to help develop their leadership skills and become role models in their community. In Saskatchewan, there are 4500 CAA School Safety Patrollers who are sharing their pedestrian and traffic safety knowledge with their classmates.
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VOL. 6 NO. 4