Keep art out of the street
What a treat it is to take the bus for the usual one hour wait/schlep up Robson from Denman without being diverted for the sake of three benches or three little houses (read: "art installations") blocking the road at Robson Square. These objet d 'art could comfortably be accommodated on the massive sidewalk in front of the gallery or below, thereby giving semi-adequate service to one of the most densely populated areas in the world. While 10 people might enjoy sprawling on a bench on a road, this "world class city" needs to operate more effectively.
–Victoria Joss
The case for strategic voting
2015 could be the year that strategic voting finally arrives in Canada. Canadians who dislike Stephen Harper tend to do so intensely, but for differing reasons. For some, it’s his skyrocketing debt and dismal job creation record. For others, it’s his war on science and on the environment. For yet others, it’s his childish militarism. Heck, some just find him personally repulsive. Whatever. A quarter to a third of the electorate will still vote for Harper, some of them enthusiastically. (If that includes you, feel free to skip the rest of this letter.) But the vast majority of Canadians have had enough of him. We just haven’t made up our minds on who we would prefer. My hunch is that many of the remaining majority would be OK with either a Liberal or an NDP victory. Here’s where it gets interesting. In every election since Confederation, there have been no more than two parties who could realistically expect to form government. Not this time. In 2015, we have a genuine race between three contenders. Of course, Stephen Harper’s fervent hope is that the NDP and Liberals will come out about even, and that, aided by an avalanche of last-minute Conservative advertising, he can slip in again. Those of us who want our country back on track, towards Canadian ideals of fairness, democracy, peacekeeping and environmental responsibility, have only one realistic course of action in October. Take a close look at who has the best chance of winning. Put your personal preference aside and support the stronger opposition candidate. If we all do that, the worst outcome will be an infinite improvement.
–Patrick Truelove
All rants and raves are the opinion of the individual and do not reflect the opinions of Westender. The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity and brevity, so please keep it short and (bitter)sweet. Email your rant or rave to [email protected]
