The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 7
December 25, 2009
Ministry covering up truth about accident Dear Editor: I’d like to make reference to Dale McKay’s sharp comments regarding the provincial Ministry of Transportation’s absurd statement on road conditions in Barney Weismiller’s critical tragedy. Mr. McKay hit the nail right on the head, period. When I first read of this horrible incident, I felt considerable compassion for the wife and family in this tragedy. You can’t help wonder why something of this nature occurs. It’s beyond comprehension. As Mr. McKay stated, the Ministry of Transportation investigating their own people is ludicrous. What is disturbing about this issue is that we’re expected to believe this is the gospel. Maybe we’re a bit dense, but not stupid by any means. The investigation must be exposed to the proper authorities. It should not be
acceptable as it now reads. Cover-ups are number one on the agenda, starting with the RCMP and that terrible zapper incident at the Vancouver Airport. Paul Kennedy, Chief Police Commissioner, singed their feathers real good, which was most deserved. It would be interesting to know the total cost of this super snafu. Possibly we could consider tapping into their pension fund for a portion, or maybe the full amount. The politicians are masters of coverup. They get their training at the provincial level, then drift up to the federal level where they complete their apprenticeship. It’s most disturbing, plus so frequent that now you don’t know who or what to believe. George Guimont Fairmont Hot Springs
Beware of monopolies Dear Editor: A 1969 Davey Special Committee Report on Mass Media concluded: “This country should no longer tolerate a situation where the public interest, in so vital a field as information, is dependent on the greed or goodwill of an extremely privileged group of mediaowner businessmen.” Beware of media monopolies, was the warning to Canadians. The 1981 Kent Commission Report on newspaper ownership opens with the statement: “Freedom of the press is not a property right of owners. It is the right of the people. It is part of their right to free expression, inseparable from the right to inform themselves.” We’ve come a long way, baby! Today, a handful of businessmen control what Canadians read, watch and hear. Tabloid sensationalism, blood-and-gore crime, celebrity gossip and sports hype has replaced debate on political and social issues. Preaching openness and account-
ability in his campaigns, Harper is largely the problem. The Canadian Association of Journalists thinks so, continually honouring Harper with its Code of Silence Award. The association president stated the award was the easiest decision the judges ever made, adding: “Harper’s gone beyond merely gagging cabinet ministers and professional civil servants, stalling access to information requests and blackballing reporters who ask tough questions. He has built a pervasive government apparatus whose sole purpose is to strangle the flow of public information.” Under the Harper autocracy Canada is no longer a free and open society. Harper’s stranglehold on the flow of information leaves voters uninformed or misinformed – hardly democratic. With 42 percent of Canadians not showing up on Election Day, Stephen Harper’s free rein could well destroy the Canada that we used to know. Bryan Stawychny, Edgewater
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