Take Out The Trash

Whether you’re one of the recent Whistler or Vancouver transplants, or you’re a Squamish lifer, we all have one thing in common. We’re concerned about the direction Squamish is going. The only difference is how we prioritize that concern since family, self, and job take most of everyone’s time. Hence it’s so easy to just keep quiet and exasperate “No one listens anyway”.
Oh but that’s not true. It’s an election year and our Mayor and Council hear every word. Unfortunately, they only hear what people are telling them. Of the thousands in our community there are but a handful of private citizens who find the time and effort to talk to our council. Other than that, the only people talking are the people with serious money on the line.
Now lobbyists are nothing new, it’s just how the game is played and if you stand to make donkey loads of cash of course you would pay someone to influence elected officials.
For instance, there are people desperately wanting to crush our affordable housing strategy if the recent Landholders Association ‘white paper’ is any indication. You remember, it’s the one saying the poor are the ‘chosen few’ with the usual spiel about landowners deserving all the money while downloading everything onto the district taxpayer. Which is fine, with so much money on the line they’d be stupid to endorse something that helps those in Squamish struggling to afford living here. And council would be just as stupid to listen to them above all others.
Sadly, most people don’t have time to pay attention, let alone get involved. They just hope their elected officials are in tune with their community enough to handle these difficult decisions.
Well forget hope people, the time to talk is now!
Need proof? How’s this: Mayor and council were unable to decide if Squamish wants curbside recycling. Oh, it get’s better (in a bludgeon your head kind of way). Not only has this question taken up tax payer funded council meeting time, but they want to spend more time and money deciding whether to spend up to $9,000 on a poll asking the community if we want curbside recycling. We barely have enough to shovel snow or help out the food bank for jiminy sake! This is truly appalling and to deliberate this for another second is an affront to the decency of everyone in Squamish.
Why not ask if we want our potholes fixed or un-contaminated drinking water? Curbside recycling would cost only $25 a year. That’s less than the gas I’m spending driving to those appalling stop-gap community dumps. And you can only recycle if you have a car? That is truly asinine.
So, with news like this it’s obvious not enough people are talking to our elected officials. Now some of you are holding your anger in until Election Day. Please don’t. There are still plenty of important policies and decisions left to make. They can still do good, they just obviously need a lot of encouragement. Reminiscing about the future
(02.29.084) They’re a staple of each and every community around the globe. More often then not they can be found perched at a watering hole with one elbow on the bar and the other hand conducting a memory symphony as if to help clarify the point they’re making. I’m talking about the “I remember when” people. These ladies and gentlemen of varying age who have the scars on the inside and outside to prove they’ve been around.
Well, in Squamish we have just passed through what will no doubt be another quiver in the “I remember when” arsenal. This will of course be unleashed for years to come anytime anyone mentions snow fall. You can almost hear it now…
“I remember when we had snow on our lawn from November until February. To get to the bike trails we had to hike for miles in three feet deep snow. Uphill both ways? Ha! What we would have given for uphill both ways. Nope, you hiked up then you had to cling for dear life going down.”
Over the years that of course will be embellished and you’ll have to apply the standard grains of salt. But now, as the snow slowly fades away, the sun is making everything good again by bringing out the blooms. This is both in the gardens and it appears, in the paper as well.
I’m referring to the last few editions of the paper where there have been downright cockle warming amounts of letters to the editor.
Letters to the editor, as anyone reading this page knows, are one of the most valuable meters to gauge a communities pulse. For every letter there are literally hundreds who agree but can’t find the time to write.
Traditionally many of the letters are focused on one issue. Whether that be the provincial Liberals force feeding us IPP’s, the waterfront, or the latest Mayor and Council screw up. Lately however, the letters have been as varied as they are numerous and passionate, and I for one think that bodes very well for us.
If nothing else it shows that people are fired up and paying attention. Hopefully this fire will last until November when we once again choose who will get the lower than minimum wage position of Squamish councilor and mayor.
An engaged community is a prosperous community and ladies and gentlemen it’s time to engage. While everyone reading this page is at least attempting to pay attention, there are hundreds, if not thousands new to this community that we must all welcome and encourage to finally harness the vast potential Squamish has been squandering for so long.
With any luck, and a whole lot of work, in another ten years we’ll lean back on the porch with a good ol’ “I remember back in 08, yup, it was the year of the great snow and the year our community finally came together with a vision” and look how great it turned out.