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OPINION
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Omineca Express
Write The Editor c/o Omineca Express, Box 1007, Vanderhoof, B.C. V0J 3A0 l Fax 250-567-2070 l newsroom@ominecaexpress.com
New season for ‘School Wars’ Tom Fletcher
Black Press Like a bad reality show about a dysfunctional family, B.C. School Wars has lurched to life again for the 2013 election. Coming soon to billboards and buses across the province: staged pictures of sad-faced kids crammed into dirty classrooms by a heartless government. It doesn’t even matter which government. This ritual combat went on through Social Credit and NDP governments too. Premier Christy Clark opened the new season with her promised pitch to restructure bargaining. It suggested splitting up bargaining into traditional wage and benefit talks, and a separate table and fund for classroom size and support. Cast in her familiar role of the sullen, rebellious teenager, BCTF president Susan Lambert staged a news conference to distort and mock the government’s offer. A 10-year deal if we give up bargaining wages and classroom conditions? “Ludicrous.” What’s ludicrous is her characterization of a formula to link teacher pay to nurses, post-secondary faculty and other government workers. Nurses are renowned for getting raises when no one else does, so this should be an opportunity for these powerful unions to co-ordinate. But the BCTF can’t get along with other unions any more than it can negotiate with any discernible competence. Lambert falsely claimed there was no consultation on the proposal. This reminded me how she low-balled the costs of her union’s demands by hundreds of millions during what passed for negotiations in last year’s strike season. Behind the scenes, the BCTF executive and the school district bargaining agent had just settled on a mutual costing model. What this means is the school districts, which have to make payroll and balance budgets, have convinced the BCTF to stop misrepresenting costs. I’ll believe that when I see it.
Common cents Editor: In my opinion, having a swimming pool in Vanderhoof makes a lot of sense, and cents. The health benefits for all ages are obvious, but it can also be seen as an economic benefit. Think of the number of individuals and families who spend money to drive to Prince George and go swimming, see a movie, go shopping, buy groceries, or dine out. Consider instead the attraction of a swimming pool in Vanderhoof, not only The Omineca Express is published every Wednesday in Vanderhoof by Black Press Ltd. Publisher: Pam Berger advertising@ominecaexpress.com Editor: Cameron Ginn newsroom@ominecaexpress.com
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to the residents, but to those living in surrounding communities. The ripple effect could be a positive one for local merchants and provide opportunities for meaningful employment. The advantages of our youth learning to swim seem to outweigh the $86 per $100,000 of property assessments per year that a pool would cost homeowners in Vanderhoof to fund this worthwhile endeavor. Imagine not having to drive to Prince George during the long
winter months on dubious road surfaces, or daily in the summer for weeks at a time to learn this valuable skill that could save a life. One argument I heard against the proposed pool comes from those who are fortunate enough to own two residences, one in Prince George and one in the voting area. They express a reluctance to pay increased taxes for the proposed pool facility. But on a similar note, all homeowners, regardless of the number of residences they have, pay school taxes on each of their
residences, regardless of whether they have children attending school. Perhaps the words of my Grade 4 and 5 students put it best: “It would be so fun to go swimming with my class!” or, “it would be fun to have swimming in Physical Education class! I could learn to swim better and be a lifeguard!” and, “We can have new good memories.” Sarah Barr Vanderhoof, B.C.
Editor: Regarding the letter to the editor “Drowning in debt,” we would like to first address the issue of the cost of borrowing. Any large purchase or project has a cost associated with it, such as borrowing money to buy a home, or borrowing money to develop a business. Unfortunately, a $4-million loan without interest is not realistic. Already the town is looking to secure the additional $8 million through funding, partnerships and grants. As for the operating costs of $600,000, this has been factored into the calculation and will be covered by the taxes being requested. Yes, this operating cost will continue past the 30 years of the loan repayment. However, with large industry in town, and interest shown by others, perhaps opportunities may arise to reduce this cost to the community. Please know this is not a “Cadillac” option. Most aquatic facilities have at least six lanes, whereas this facility only has four lanes with a leisure area for young children. The quote of 19.45 per cent increase inmunicipal taxes is not entirely correct. Perhaps for 2012 this is the figure; however, the increase in tax is a rate per assessed value of your home. This is a fixed rate. The mu-
nicipal tax rate is not a fixed rate and therefore one cannot quote this “pool” increase as a per cent of the municipal taxes. This percentage will change yearly. The example given of a home worth $250,000 would have a yearly increase in taxes of $217.03. This would equate to an increase of $18.08 per month. If our electricity or hydro were to increase by this rate, it would go unnoticed. In addition, the pool will not bankrupt the town, expenses have been considered and the funds allocated through the increase in taxes. This increase, when spread throughout the population, should be manageable. We need to give more credit to our local elected council with putting this proposal forward. We are two professionals with a young family. Yes, we moved to Vanderhoof without there being a pool. However, we did not have children at that time and a pool was not a priority. As our children grow and we grow older, we make monthly trips to Prince George for all of us to go swimming. The gas alone costs close to $500 per year, not to mention the lunches, additional shopping, etc., that could be kept in Vanderhoof.
It is not only families with children that would benefit from an aquatic facility, but many different segments of our population. These include teenagers, people with disabilities, those injured in the work place requiring rehab, and our elderly, whose quality of life would benefit from having a pool. It is the one activity that exercises your whole body without negatively impacting your joints. We have long cold winters where it is difficult for many people to get their daily exercise. A pool would provide a means by which to fulfill this. The social atmosphere of a pool is an opportunity to meet new friends, learn new skills and decrease stress. These benefits cannot always simply be measured in dollars and cents. Most towns the size of Vanderhoof, or smaller, have an aquatic facility that are well used. Why should Vanderhoof be any different? A vote for a pool is a vote for our future and moving the community forward. We see a pool increasing the health of the community, and increasing its appeal to people and businesses looking to make our wonderful community their home. Zoe and Davy Dhillon Vanderhoof, B.C.
Pro-pool parents weigh in