A 4 www.ash-cache-journal.com Published every Thursday in Ashcroft by Black Press Ltd. Founded in 1895 Editor: Wendy Coomber
The Editor’s Desk
Thursday, January 2, 2014 The Journal
COMMUNITY
VIEWPOINTS
WENDY COOMBER
Worries behind us, now look ahead It’s done. Finished. Every complaint we made last year, forgotten. Every good time tenderly packed away in our memories. As I was looking over my list of contributors last week, I was thinking how small it’s become. Just like enrolment in our schools. Just like the number of businesses that hold on.... Last year I wrote that the local economies were not doing well. This year, looking back, I could say the same, except that there is hope. Ashcroft Terminal and Constantia Mines in the Ashcroft and Cache Creek area provide a bit of light where last year there was less. They aren’t going to bring dozens of jobs to our towns overnight, but every job counts these days. The Journal enters its 121st year of business in Ashcroft. We’ve seen better times, and hope to do so again. We do it with your help: without all of the club submissions and pictures, we’d be hard pressed to cover everything. If you’ve ever wondered how to submit a story or photograph to The Journal, just send it to me. Or you can contact me first. I’m usually happy to receive submissions about community events. To those of you have submitted anything to me for print this year, you all have my thanks and undying gratitude. My regular, unpaid contributors like Loon Lake columnist Barbara Hendricks and Spences Bridge columnist Mavourneen Varcoe-Ryan, entertainment columnist Nadine Davenport and fitness columnists Vicky Trill and Wayne Little are my pillars. I may send out huffy reminders to them once in a while, but I appreciate their efforts, and I know our readers do as well. Andrea Walker, Vivian Edwards, Reta Robertson, Phyllis Gray and Jessica Clement keep us updated on various local clubs and their activities; Maria Russell Martin keeps the tennis news coming and Deanna Horsting and Diana Hoggard sends us minor hockey news whenever we ask. Muriel Scallon and Pat Kirby make sure that the Ashcroft seniors are well covered, and Zee Chevalier provides the Clinton Seniors news. Much of the school coverage comes from the schools themselves, but thank you nonetheless for keeping us posted. Thanks to the Ashcroft RCMP for taking the time to recap the week’s files for us, and to Brian Henderson at the Ashcroft Fire Dept. for all of his help. Also, thanks to staff at the Village Offices for all of the help whenever I ask for it. There are so many more who I could list, but there’s only room for one more - you, our reader. We appreciate you more than you could imagine. Our best wishes to you for a happy 2014!
Journal
AN ICY CASCADE to rival the miserable ice storms back east
MP James Moore’s Ebenezer moment by Ryan Meili www.troymedia com SASKATOON, SK/ Troy Media/ - Surrounded as we are by the tunes and decorations of the holiday season, Industry Minister James Moore’s recent uncharitable comments about child poverty and hunger invoke inevitable comparisons to Charles Dickens’ famed miser Ebenezer Scrooge. One could easily imagine Scrooge haughtily asking his nephew, “Is it my job to feed my neighbour’s child? I think not.” The spirit of Moore’s comments offend the many Canadians who do think that if their neighbour’s child goes hungry it ought to concern them, that our responsibility for each other goes beyond the walls of our own homes. The attitude behind such comments is far from admirable, and disappointing to hear voiced by any elected official. It’s a position far from the values of Canadians. Perhaps more disturbing from the Federal Ministry of Industry, however, is the comment that poverty is not Ottawa’s problem. Government at all levels should be concerned primarily with our well-being. The tens of thousands of chronic illnesses and early deaths, the human misery and indignity of poverty, should keep politicians up at night. Even if this human cost is ignored, the financial burden on Canada should be more than enough to interest our federal representatives. Poverty in Canada - through increased costs of social services, decreased taxation revenue and decreased productivity - is estimated to cost approximately $80 billion, a total of over $2,000 per Canadian per year. This includes an increased health
expenditure of approximately $8 billion, which represents a huge cost to public coffers, not to mention the impact on our quality of life. How could this possibly be a problem that does not concern Ottawa? Moore’s suggestion that the federal government’s only role is to ensure that the economy is strong enough to employ people out of poverty also falls flat. An annual waste of $80 billion impedes that effort, and should be enough to convince him to care. Elimination of poverty requires more than a growing economy; it requires a dedicated plan. When more jobs are available, some people’s living conditions improve quickly. However, the accompanied increase in cost of living can send some families into deeper poverty than before, a rising tide that swamps the smaller craft. And that continued and deepening poverty costs us all dearly. As most provinces have realized (all but B.C. and Saskatchewan have introduced comprehensive poverty reduction plans), poverty doesn’t just go away on its own. Those provinces that have dedicated resources and meaningful measures have seen that investment pay off in significantly fewer people living in poverty, and decreased costs as a result. It was encouraging, however, to see Moore apologize quickly for his comments and recognition that such remarks impede the cause of fighting poverty. Apologies, however, can be hollow. As hollow as unanimous commitments from parliament that don’t result in change for the one in seven Canadian kids who continue to live in poverty. The sincerity of Moore’s apolEMAIL:
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ogy will be known, not by its speed, but its fruit. One commentator suggested a donation to the food bank would be a way for Moore to redeem himself in the wake of these comments. While that is always a fine act, we should hope to see a more upstream response from someone in a position such as Moore. Rather than a token gift, it would be far more meaningful for him to use the influence Canadians have given him to try to create the conditions for less need of food banks, for fewer hungry children. This could include advocating within cabinet for an approach to poverty reduction that includes an affordable housing strategy, child care programs, better wages, and effective support for marginalized populations. He could work with the provinces that have poverty reduction strategies to reinforce those efforts, and strive to convince those without such plans to create them. He could become a champion for the economic and human arguments for the elimination of poverty. For now, all we have is an unguarded moment followed by a hasty apology. If Moore, and his caucus colleagues, can move from Scrooge’s “Bah, Humbug” to Tiny Tim’s “God Bless Us, Every One,” then his Ebenezer moment could be an inspiration and a benefit to all Canadians. Ryan Meiliis an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, a Saskatoon Family Doctor and the Director of Upstream, a new, national non-profit dedicated to improving health outcomes by addressing the social determinants of health. Subscribe to The Journal 1 Year Subscription: $44.10 (GST included) Senior Rate: $37.80 (GST included) Out of area subscriptions pay a $17.85 mailing surcharge The Journal is a politically independent community newspaper. All material contained in this publication is protected by copyright. Reproduction is expressly prohibited by the rights holder. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.