Writer's Block | Bill Phillips

Minority fall this fall?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:42:12 -0700

The stars are now aligning for a federal election this fall.

A senior Conservative official has been quoted as saying Prime Minister Stephen Harper is looking at dropping the writ as early as September 2 or 5. My bet is it will be September 5 because that’s the day of the Free Press company golf tournament. I wonder if I can get wireless access from the rough (I likely won’t be on the fairway) when the call is made to post the story on our website? It’s all my fault. I’m sure I saw MP Dick Harris rummaging around our office the other day, noticing the golf tournament poster, chagrined that it is a company only tournament and he, being a great golfer, wasn’t invited, and then slyly suggested to Harper that September 5 is a good day to call an election.

Yup, that’s how it happened. So you read it here first – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will call an election on September 5 … or Sept. 2 … or some other day.

Seriously though, it seems Harper is bent on calling the election in the next couple of weeks, putting the election sometime in mid-October. Not bad timing. It’s only August now and already the stores have their Halloween stuff out. Okay, I haven’t quite gotten serious yet, so here we go.

Harper has to call an election pretty soon if, for no other reason, to stop that inane “fish or cut bait” reference to the Liberals. He’s used it so many times that it’s starting to apply to him. It’s been interesting to watch though. While Harper has been rattling the election cage, Harris has been downplaying an election call.

The Conservatives have been complaining that they cannot effectively govern and are calling on the opposition parties to either let them govern or call an election. It’s an ironic call because the Harper government has outlasted most minority governments in this country. And even though the Conservatives have not brought forward legislation it wants to because it knows it won’t get through parliament, the country hasn’t fallen apart. The economy is still ticking along fairly well, things are moving, and Harris and fellow MP Jay Hill are handing out cheques left, right, and centre.

While the current minority government hasn’t worked for the governing party, the question Canadians should be asking is whether it has worked for them. Is Canada on the brink of dysfunction, as the prime minister would have us believe? I don’t think so. One of the beauties of our system is that we can have a minority government. The business of government still operates in a minority government. The business of politics doesn’t. And that’s what the complaint is about.

It’s not a complaint limited to Harper and the Conservatives. Every political leader and party wants a majority government. Majority governments mean the governing party can ram through whatever legislation they want. Just look at B.C. following the 2001 election when the Liberals held every seat in the Legislature but two.

A majority government runs unfettered through its term. A minority government, however, tiptoes very carefully through a usually shorter term.

So, while all leaders tell you how horrible another minority government would be, ask yourself how horrible the current ones have been.

Minority governments may not be as effective as majority governments, as far as the politicians are concerned, but they are more accountable, as far as the electorate is concerned.

Heading off to university

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:33:24 -0700

It was a few years ago this week. Okay it was long ago this week. Let’s just say it was the year 19… this week when I entered the hallowed halls of post-secondary learning.

There was no UNBC to attend. University choices in British Columbia were limited to UBC, SFU, or UVic. My choice was UBC.

Like most students, my first experiences were tense ones. I landed at the airport in Vancouver with all my worldly possessions in two bags. Some clothes, toiletries, and a portable typewriter. Laptops weren’t quite the rage then. I stepped off the plane, only to be paged to go to the flight desk. Not knowing where the flight desk was, or why I would be paged since I didn’t know anyone in Vancouver, I quickly found the nearest exit and hailed a cab. (I found out later that some of my buddies from my hometown found out when I was arriving and had come to pick me up ... to save me the cab fare.)

“Take me to UBC,” I sternly told the cab driver, mustering up all the maturity that my just-turned-18 vocal chords could manage, not wanting to sound like a rube from the country (which I was).

All was going fine until, suddenly, we left the city. We were driving through a forest.

Primed with stories about city cabbies taking country folks for long rides with the meter running, I calmly tried not to panic or show that I had no idea where we were, all the while watching the meter and then recounting how much change I had in my pocket.

No one had told me that UBC is surrounded by 1,000 acres of forest known as the Endowment Lands. The cabbie had driven me straight to UBC.

Next up was registration week. It’s probably different now, but back then registration week was one’s first initiation into university life and it was a doozy. Being in Vancouver, it rained all week.

Registration, back then, entailed going to several different buildings on campus to try and get the courses you wanted. They drummed into us to get our schedules done ahead of time. That was just a clever ploy in order to dash our spirits. Inevitably, if you had chosen to take English 100 at 9 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, when you got to the building to register, all those classes were full. And, for some crazy reason, you had built the rest of your classes around the English class, since it was mandatory and you had to take it.

The only English class that was left was Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 4:30 p.m. right when you had scheduled something easy, like Theatre 100, which meant dropping Theatre and taking Physics 100 or something drastic like that.

Anyway, you get the picture. Registration week consisted of trudging around in the rain from building to building hoping you could get at least one of the courses you had planned on while faithfully preparing … ahead of time … during the summer months.

Oh, did I mention that at each course you usually had to stand in line for an hour or so to find out the course was full? Just an added bonus.

At any rate, I, along with thousands of other first-year students, survived registration week. The second big task to accomplish, and one that was necessary after registration week, was to get a phony ID so we could get into the student pub.

Good luck to all those heading off to post secondary learning this week. Hopefully your first days are better than mine. It’ll be tough, but stick with it, it’s worth it.

Getting the information

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:55:23 -0700

Public perusal prohibited.

We hear a lot of talk about public-private partnerships these days. They have come into vogue since the Liberals took power in 2001. In many ways, they make sense … why does the government have to provide services that the private sector is capable of doing? And, hopefully, the private sector can do the same with less money, although that opens a different can of worms.

I want to get back to ‘public perusal prohibited.’

Prince George Omineca MLA John Rustad was part of an all-party committee that reviewed the Personal Information Protection Act. The committee focused on many of the new challenges facing us as we try to protect our personal information … the Internet etc. It should be interesting to see what the committee comes up with and how our privacy laws are changed, if at all.

Okay, now I’m getting back to ‘public perusal prohibited’ … honest.

While there are benefits to public-private partnerships, one huge drawback is the ‘public’ is shut out of the process. The public, in these cases, is the government, not you and I, the public.

One of the Liberal exercises when they came to power, was to shut down many senior care homes across the province, saying they were in a terrible state of disrepair. They probably were. The result, though, was to replace them with privately-run facilities. The new home going up at 20^th Avenue and Victoria Street is a prime example.

Journalists are always trained to ask the five Ws for a story and, when dealing with government, to also ask “how much?”

So, when one of these public-private partnerships for a seniors care home was awarded, I asked the question: “How much money will the private company receive every year to run the home?”

Valid question. The private business is being paid with public dollars and in these days of government transparency, the public has a right to know where their dollars are being spent and whether there actually are any cost-savings in these public-private partnerships.

I hit a brick wall. No one would divulge that information. It’s private, I was told.

I launched a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The company, Retirement Concepts, which is in the news these days for alleged neglect and abuse of residents, fought the request bitterly. It argued that it is a private business and dollar amount of its contract with Victoria is nobody’s business. It argued that it was a highly competitive business, even though its only customer was the government, and that divulging such information would give its competition an unfair advantage.

I argued that when the government awards a paving contract, the amount of the contract tender is always divulged and, if members of the press really want, they can easily find out who else bid and what their bids were. This should be no different.

Not so. It took more than a year for my request to work its way through the process. In the end, I was given a copy of the contract with all the portions relating to money blacked out.

So much for freedom of information.

Your Environmental Grade

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:05:16 -0700

Last year I bought a scooter and a hybrid car. I have recycled and composted for years. I have a solar-powered generator in the garage (conveniently out of the sun, but hey, it’s there). Last fall I properly disposed of more than 25 old batteries that were gathering dust on the family farm. Two years ago, when the old gas-fueled lawnmower bit the dust, I replaced it with an electric one and have resisted buying a ride-on mower to show off to the neighbours.

However, I do still own a full-sized pickup truck with a V-8.

Even so, I think I’d give myself a ‘B’ for my efforts to help preserve and protect the environment. That puts me in line with almost half of British Columbians. According to a new Ipsos Reid poll, 48 per cent of us would give ourselves a ‘B’ in the preserving and protecting the environment department. Only six per cent would give themselves an ‘A’ while 37 per cent would give themselves a ‘C.’ Only six per cent would give themselves a ‘D’ or an ‘F.’

So what are British Columbians actually doing to help preserve and protect the environment? For the majority of British Columbians, fifty-six per cent, their concern for the environment has a “very significant” impact in the way they manage waste at home (recycling, composting).

That’s the easy stuff. The numbers are significantly lower when it comes to other choices around the house. Only 21 per cent said environmental concerns impact their choice of vehicle. Nineteen per cent said it impacts their food choices, 24 per cent said it impacts their principal mode of transportation, and 27 per cent said it impacts their choice of detergents and cleaning products.

How about climate change? It’s a big issue and does the ‘think globally, act locally,’ mantra apply. Most of us think it does.

According to the poll, 74 per cent of British Columbians said that the actions of individual consumers have a significant impact on climate change. And a comparably high number, 69 per cent, believe that individuals either bear the greatest responsibility in the fight against climate change or that they share it equally with government and companies.

Okay, politicians and major polluters, don’t think you’re off the hook.

As being green becomes more and more fashionable, we all have to look at we are doing, as individuals, to help the environment.

More and more ‘green’ products are entering the marketplace everyday and some of them may actually even be environmentally beneficial.

And while there are still a lot of naysayers about climate change suggesting we don’t need to do anything, my response is simple: Why wouldn’t we want to improve our environment anyway? Regardless of whether the planet is dying or thriving, doesn’t it just make sense to do things that don’t hurt it? Or, at the very least, minimize our impact on it?

We can do that locally by making good, environmentally sound choices in our daily lives. And, we can do that globally by pressuring our politicians to make good, environmentally sound choices and policies when ruling this city, province, and country.

Bill Phillips is the winner of the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s 2007 Outstanding Columnist award.

Will Caledonia rise again?

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:21:09 -0700

How about Prince George, Caledonia, Canada?

The area used to be known as Caledonia, why not again? But this time why not in the context of Canada’s 11th province? Let’s make everything north of 100 Mile House Canada’s newest political force. Sound a little extreme? Wacko? Perhaps. But maybe it’s also an idea whose time has come.

The Electoral Boundaries Commission will be in town next week listening to our concerns about its recommendation to reduce our representation in the provincial legislature. We’re going to give them an earful about how we don’t fewer MLAs in the North.

But what happens if our arguments fall on deaf ears and the commission’s recommendations are adopted? What do we do then?

Why not separate from the rest of British Columbia?

It’s not without precedent in this country. We need only look further north for our inspiration. Canada’s third territory of Nunvaut only a few short years ago was just the eastern part of the Northwest Territories. The separation of Nunavut from the Northwest Territories began with a 1992 territorial referendum in which the electorate approved the move as part of the largest native land-claim settlement in Canadian history. The process concluded with the establishment of the new territory on Apr. 1, 1999. Nunavut has an elected 19-member assembly, which will assume all governing powers by 2009.

It can be done.

We can even look further south for inspiration. There have been rumblings in northern Ontario for years about the top half of that province splitting from the rest of Ontario and forming another province. The suggestion was even to join with Manitoba to form ‘Mantario.’ In 1999 the Northern Ontario Coalition political party was formed.

"We're not there anymore with Ontario. It's always a struggle," said Charles Primeau, former mayor of Longlac, Ont. in a 2006 interview. "It's a lack of respect. That's the most frustrating thing. At a certain point if I don't get respect, I'm going to move out."

Sound familiar?

The electoral boundaries commission is just the latest in a long line of ‘beyond Hope-isms.’ If you spend any time in the Interior (I’ve lived my entire life on this side of Hope) you know that the folks in Lotusland just don’t get when it comes to the Interior. However, we probably don’t get it when it comes to the Lower Mainland either. We do realize, however, that the province’s population base does rest on the other side of Hope which means the majority of government’s attention is focused there. That’s not to say someone is doing something wrong, it’s just the way things are. For decades folks in the North have wanted a more representative say in governance.

Demographics have worked against that happening. Once again, that’s no one’s fault. It’s just the way things are. So how do we achieve that? If we are looking for that in a representation-by-population electoral system, the wait will never end.

Oh there will be lots who pooh-pooh the idea saying the North wouldn’t have the economic clout to make it as a province, British Columbia is stronger the way it is, it’s too difficult, etc. etc. etc.

It’s not about economics our clout on the national stage. It’s about controlling our own resources and future -- self-determination.

Don't forget that STV

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:06:55 -0700

One of the things we can’t overlook in the proposed changes to the electoral boundaries is the fact we will be voting, again, on the Single Transferable Vote system.

British Columbians almost approved the voting system change in a referendum during the last election. What was lacking was a map of the proposed electoral boundaries. We now have that map and we’re going to vote again.

For this area, the proposed STV riding would mirror the proposed new regular ridings of Prince George, Fraser-Fort George and Bulkley-Nechako. Those three would be one riding under the STV system and we would elect three MLAs.

It would be a big riding -- 130,000 square kilometres.

First, the proposed STV ridings are still a reduction in MLAs for the North, which would still go from eight MLAs to seven. So, in that respect, STV does nothing for the North. Representation would be reduced.

What STV does do is provide the voter the opportunity to vote for more than one candidate. If we use the 2005 election as an example and look at the three current ridings of Prince George North, Prince George-Mount Robson, and Prince George Omineca, the election ballot would have 15 names on it -- three Liberal, three NDP, three Green Party, and six others. When you vote, you mark your first, second, third choices of candidates.

There were a total of 46,420 votes cast in all three ridings, which means for any one candidate to be declared elected, at least on the first round, they would have to receive 23,211 votes.

In 2005, voters in these ridings cast 22,204 votes for the Liberals, meaning a Liberal candidate wouldn’t have been elected on the first round. With 16,772 ballots cast for the three NDP candidates, they wouldn’t have elected anyone on the first ballot either.

What would likely have happened here is at least one Liberal would have been elected on the second round, and quite likely one of the NDP candidates as well. Under the STV system, if there is no clear winner (50 per cent plus one) on the first ballot, it goes to voters’ second choice. It stands to reason that most Liberals would pick another Liberal as their second choice, and quite likely third. Same goes for the NDP.

However, because both the Liberals and NDP had significant numbers voting for them, it stands to reason that the second MLA chosen would have been a New Democrat.

But what about the third MLA?

With the Green Party candidates securing 3,597 votes (not enough to elect an MLA) it would likely come down to the second or third choices of those who voted for the Green Party candidates. It’s anyone’s guess if that would be a Liberal or a New Democrat.

One thing is certain, under the STV system, and our current boundaries, it’s unlikely we would have three Liberal MLAs. It’s open for debate as to whether that’s a good thing. Having three MLAs sitting on the government side is good, having three MLAs in opposition isn’t. It shouldn’t be that way, but it just is.

Will the STV system be beneficial for the North. It gives the voter more options and makes the election process a little more exciting. However, the bottom line is, under the current proposal, the North would still lose an MLA and that is not acceptable.

CN says nothing

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:05:58 -0700

If a train crashes in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make any noise?

There is one question on my mind following Saturday’s train crash and fire across the river from Paddlewheel Park: If that crash had occurred in the toolies, 50 miles from nowhere, would we have even heard about it?

News that a similar derailment occurred on the same spot about a week ago seemed to come from CN employees speaking off the record. Maybe I’m out of the loop, but there was no official notification from CN regarding either crash.

A check of the CN website contains a multitude of news releases. The latest has a screamer headline: “CN and Wayne Gretzky team up for CN Miracle Match in support of Stollery Children’s Hospital.”

I searched their website for information on the crash here. Nothing.

Months ago I signed up for CN automatic news release service. I checked my e-mail all weekend. Nothing.

Now, in defence of CN, Kelli Svendson, its regional manager of public and government affairs, was readily available for media all weekend.

However, that’s not my point. My concern is that there isn’t any real public notification of these accidents. I’m sure CN notified the property authorities when the accident occurred, but public notification doesn’t seem to be on their radar. Maybe it isn’t up to the corporation, but I can’t help wondering if this had occurred away from the prying eyes of the public, would notification be given.

And, in light of the amount of hazardous goods that are travelling on our railways (and I use ‘our’ because, according to Premier Gordon Campbell, we didn’t we, the taxpayer, still own the railway … er, railbed), public reporting of accidents is a must.

Rail traffic through Prince George will increase dramatically when the inland port becomes operational. The public has a right to know what is happening in its own backyard in terms of hazardous materials and accidents.

Then there is informing the public and spinning a yarn. The biggest laugher this weekend is CN’s insistence that “no product entered the river.” I’m not sure what that means. Photos of the crash clearly show the river on fire shortly after the derailment. Something entered the river. Perhaps the ‘spin’ doesn’t take into count diesel leaked from the locomotives as ‘product.’ The lumber and gasoline the trains were carrying, which are perhaps technically the product, burned on the shoreline.

CN was already pretty quick to determine that the crash was a result of human error. A supervisor has been tagged as the culprit and he will apparently be disciplined.

A source told me, however, that in such incidents CN uses the Catholic Church method of discipline, the guilty party is simply moved to another jurisdiction where no one knows him and he can start again.

At any rate, it was a spectacular show Saturday afternoon. Thankfully no one was injured.

You can check out our video of the incident on our website: www.pgfreepress.com.

Unanswered questions

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:04:34 -0700

Being a journalist, it’s in my nature to ask questions. So, with that in mind, I have a few questions to ask. If anyone has the answers, please drop me a line. Here goes:

When did capri pants become fashionable for men? Surprisingly, they do look good on some men. As with most fashions, they look good on the young, hip, and incredibly good looking. For the rest of us, it just looks like we got our clothes out of the wrong closet in the morning.

Why does every truck in town with a rotted out muffler have to go by my house, with the pedal to the metal, at least once a day? Is that in the owner’s manual somewhere? Which leads me to my next question, when the muffler rots out in my truck, whose house am I supposed to roar by?

Why did it rain on the PGX? This one I do know the answer to -- because someone said on Thursday that it never rains on the PGX.

Why aren’t mini-donuts a food group?

Why do weather forecasters always say it’s going to be nice, even when it’s raining outside?

Why do I have to scrape frost off my windshield in mid-August? What ever happened to the dog days of summer?

Why doesn’t the city have a curbside recycling program?

Why was The Bourne Ultimatum sold out twice when I went to see it? Okay, I could have bought a ticket in advance, but, who knew?

The British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission will release its report on revamping electoral boundaries. What are the odds the North will get hosed … again?

How many politicians, senior officials, and public relations hacks does it take to avoid responsibility for the recent CN derailment? Okay, this is a trick question. The answer is … all of them. How many scapegoats do they need? An easy answer … only one, who was neither a politician, senior official, nor public relations hack.

When will the Cameron Street Bridge be replaced? Now that’s a tough question.

Why are there Christmas displays in some of the stores in town?

Do we really need 175 more slot machines in town?

Why do we have to wait until January for a new season of 24? How many times will Jack Bauer say “dammit” this season?

Why do journalists reveal what politicians are going to announce days before the announcement is made? Why couldn’t they do the same for the latest Harry Potter book?

Why do some gas-powered cars get better mileage than some hybrid cars?

When it comes to global warming and climate change, why are we attacking the messengers? Who killed the electric car? Okay, that’s the name of a documentary, but it’s still a good question.

Why hasn’t the Stephen Harper government been toppled yet? Why did the Liberals elect yet another leader from Quebec who isn’t known in the rest of Canada? The second question may answer the first. When will either of them come to Prince George?

When will the Prince George Metis Housing Society stop evicting people?

When will these inane questions end? Right now.

O'Connor saga ends

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:00:57 -0700

I toured St. Joseph’s Mission School shortly before it was torn down.

Walking through the huge school, stuck out in the middle of nowhere south of Williams Lake, was a little eerie; to say the least.

There seemed to be a sadness to the place, not because it was being torn down but because of what had happened there. St. Joseph’s was a residential school. Like many residential schools, it had its share of priests who sexually abused the young native students. It closed in the 1980s and was torn down in the mid-90s.

As I walked through the deserted halls and looked at some of the secluded cubby-holes and closets in the building, I couldn’t help wonder if a native boy or girl had been abused on that very spot.

Big old empty buildings always echo and if you let your imagination go, you could almost hear the screams.

News last week that Bishop Hubert O’Connor died in Toronto brought me back to that trip to the mission. I’m sure the news of his death brought a lot more people back there and their memories would be more vivid and less pleasant than mine.

While some will mourn Bishop O’Connor’s passing, many natives around Williams Lake likely will not.

Charged and convicted of rape and indecent assault against two native women, the O’Connor case became a flashpoint in the debate over the church’s role in residential schools. O’Connor is a prime example of how badly the church has reacted to sexual assault at residential schools.

Through a series of trials, appeals, and jail time, O’Connor steadfastly maintained his innocence, claiming the sex was consensual. O’Connor fathered a child with one of the women.

To add insult to injury, was the attitude that the worst of his crimes was breaking his vow of chastity. Rape and abusing a position of authority seemed secondary.

The incident is also a black mark on the church. In keeping with practices in other areas of simply moving priests involved in such dalliances, O’Connor was never publicly sanctioned by the church. He was, up to his death, Bishop Emeritus of Prince George and retained the Catholic honorific of ‘most reverend.’

However, at least there was some closure. O’Connor apologized at a traditional native healing circle in 1998. Some feel that he only participated in the healing circle to avoid a third trial and possibly more jail time. That doesn’t matter. If you’ve ever participated in a healing circle, you know how powerful they can be.

O’Connor’s healing circle was staged in three parts. In the first stage, O’Connor was confronted by one of the women he had abused.

She told him how his actions had affected her life and he apologized. Thirty-eight people took part in the second phase. Members of the victim’s family and elders told of the pain they had endured because of O’Connor, specifically, and the residential school system, in general. O’Connor apologized to them as well.

Then, more community members joined in and written apologies were presented by O’Connor and Bishop Jerry Wiesner, on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church.

Knowing a lot of the people involved, there won’t be any rejoicing with news of O’Connor’s death. That’s not their way.

But there will be sadness with the reminder of the residential school system and how wrong it was.

Flight into Mackenze

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:30:01 -0700

There is a standing rule in this business - when someone offers you a flight, you take it.

So when the folks at Northern Trust called last week and said there was a seat on the plane heading up to Mackenzie for the big announcement in that community, I was in. Some might argue that since I took advantage of a free flight, I risked losing my objectivity in reporting on the event.

Not so, but I didn’t voice any concerns until we landed back in Prince George. It’s a long walk back from Mackenzie.

And, for the record, the only concern I have about the announcement of a $750,000 grant to Geoscience B.C. to extend geophysical studies in the area, is that it doesn’t do much for the 900 or so people who will be out of a job when Canfor closes the mill there for good.

Those folks who were looking for a reprieve from the bad news, or for something to fill the hole, were left in the lurch.

The grant will result in some economic activity for Mackenzie, but it won’t create any new jobs there. Last week’s announcement isn’t about today, or tomorrow, it’s about the future. Mining exploration is a slow thing. Exploration helps the economy, no doubt about it. But it’s all done in hopes of finding a deposit big enough to warrant a new mine. Should that happen, it will be years before approvals are given and construction begins.

Is the announcement good news for Mackenzie? Absolutely. It will be good for the North and the province if deposit worthy of a mine is discovered.

Okay, now back to the flight. It was in a 20-seater NT Air plane. I’d never been in a plane that size before so it was a new adventure for me.

I was surprised that the cabin was only about four feet high. Tough enough for me, but for Prince George North MLA Pat Bell, who is well over six feet, … lets just say he didn’t sit at the back of the plane.

And, of course, being a pilot, he probably enjoyed sitting up front anyway.

That was one of the things that surprised, and disconcerted, me about the plane. If you leaned out into the aisle, you could see out the front windshield. Not so bad when you’re flying, but when we were coming in to Mackenzie there was a little bit of disturbance so, from where I was sitting my sight lines were kind of like this: Runway, (bump), sky, (bump), runway, (bump), lake, (bump), runway, (bump), trees, (bump), mountain (bump), runway … you get the picture.

You just kind of hope it’s the runway in the windshield when the wheels hit the ground. But, we landed safe and sound … none the worse for wear.

I was a little surprised to see former Premier Dan Miller get on the plane with us as well. I wasn’t aware that he was a board member for Geoscience B.C., so it made sense. He had an interesting message for the folks of Mackenzie, which had nothing to do with the Northern Trust announcement.

Miller knows what it’s like for a community to lose its major employer. He, of course, was Forest Minister and NDP MLA for Skeena, when Skeena Cellulose died its slow agonizing death in the 90s. He’s been there. He knows what it’s about.

His message for the people of Mackenzie. Make a lot of noise. Don’t go quietly. The plight of 900 workers in Mackenzie, a million miles away from Victoria and Vancouver, isn’t on anyone’s radar down there even though the Lower Mainland’s boom comes on the backs of places like Mackenzie. So, may some noise.

It was also interesting to see Miller and Bell chatting away like they were best of friends. When we put politics aside, we realize that our objectives are usually pretty similar.

Canada Day

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:35:12 -0700

It was a treat being able to take in the Canada Day celebrations last weekend.

Having spent the last 15 years in the Stampede City to the south, rodeo always dominated the July long weekend. There were Canada Day celebrations, but they were overshadowed by the buckin’ broncs.

Here it was just the opposite. Canada Day was the main attraction Sunday and, with picture perfect weather, Prince George residents came out in droves.

Organizers for the all-day event in Fort George Park estimate that about 15,000 people took in the fun, that’s up from previous years.

It was certainly packed at the park and there was plenty to see and do. The performances in Kiwanis Bowl were absolutely spectacular and the food … oh, the food.

It’s a great idea to celebrate Canada Day with a showcase of food from other parts of the world. One of the things we are proud of in this country is the fact that we welcome people from other parts of the world. They can live here without losing, or forgetting their roots. Giving the city a taste, literally, of other cultures is wonderful.

It may be a little tough on the system, but, hey, it tastes great.

The fireworks provided a spectacular finish to the day. We here at the Free Press are proud to have played a part in presenting this year’s Canada Day fireworks. It’s good to see the fireworks back. They make the day.

Moving the fireworks up to Exhibition Park was another good move. I’ve heard all kinds of horror stories about trying to get out of Fort George Park after the fireworks in previous years.

Staging them at Exhibition Park meant lots of access and that means an easy exit.

University Way was jammed with vehicles as a lot of people (myself included) figured that a bit of elevation would provide a great vantage point to watch the fireworks. And it was. With the city lights in the background, the fireworks were absolutely fantastic.

There were lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ were I was and there was even one proclamation of ‘sweet,’ which, for you older folks, is hip talk for ‘ooh’ or ‘aah.’

Canada turned 140 years old on Sunday and we threw an appropriate bash. Kudos to all the organizers and participants of the Canada Day celebrations. It was a job well done.

Live for my birthday

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:48:38 -0700

It was very nice that a bunch of the world’s best musicians held a 24-hour concert for my birthday.

Some of you may have thought that Live Earth was about saving the planet. I’m sorry to have to break the news, it was concert for my birthday. Al Gore insisted on the Live Earth, save the planet stuff … sheesh. What a guy.

Gore is an interesting guy these days. He’s still a little stiff, but he’s getting the climate change message out. To think that Gore was a hair’s breadth away from the U.S. presidency, I’m reminded that fate is a fickle creature. Some breathe a sigh of relief that Gore didn’t win, particularly in light of his new crusade. Imagine an environmentalist U.S. president. It would certainly send shudders down the spine of the corporate world.

However, I don’t think Gore would be nearly as effective in promoting climate change sitting in the Oval Office as he is now. I remember having a summer student who was real go-getter. We would teasing her one day that she was going to be the first female prime minister. Without batting an eye, she said she isn’t interested in politics because she can be more effective and get a lot more done outside of the political arena.

There is a certain truth to that. If Gore had been elected president in 2000, he would have had 9/11 and a whole lot of other issues to deal with as president. He likely would have been a less effective advocate for climate change sitting in that chair than the one he is in now.

Fate.

The Live Earth show was a good one, although I doubt many people took in the full 24 hours (even if really was for my birthday). However, the message is certainly getting out there -- climate change is real. It is happening and we need to do something about it.

The message was that there are big things and little things that we can do to help the environment. I’ve already starting doing what I can. I starting bringing my own cup into the coffeeshop. It cuts down on waste in the landfill.

I’ve had my scooter for about a month now and I figure I’ve used about 100 litres less fuel than I would have if I had driven my truck all that time.

One of the interesting things about the Live Earth show was the Live Earth pledge that people can take online outlining steps individuals can take to fight global warming on a local level and a larger scale level.

One pledge is “to demand that my country join an international treaty within the next two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90 per cent in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth.”

Given our federal government’s backpedaling on Kyoto, it’s a tough order. However, that’s the idea behind the pledge. Government’s, of all stripes, do respond to the will of the people. That’s what keeps them in power.

Another interesting pledge is to “fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2.”

While our provincial government has stated in it’s green plan that it will institute such a moratorium, the hypocrisy showed through when the Free Press discovered the provincial commitment on limiting coal-fired plants applies only to those plants used for power generation. Other such new coal-fired plants, such as the one proposed for Giscome to fire kilns, aren’t subject to the strict carbon sequestration rules.

And that leads me to another one of the pledges: “To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal.”

Live Earth was a good show and the good thing about the pledges is they reaffirm there is more we, as individuals, can do to fight climate change than turn the lights off when we leave a room.

We can pressure our elected officials to take action and to make fighting climate change a priority for their party and/or government. We can do a lot as individuals.

Potholes and politicos

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:21:45 -0700

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the city-created pothole in front of the Free Press.

I now stand corrected.

City crews were out shortly after my column appeared, fixing up the hole.

And it looks like they did a good job.

Their fix-up, of course, had nothing to do with my column … did it?

Of course not, it was scheduled to be fixed. Coincidence, obviously.

But, in case it wasn’t coincidence, there are several potholes on the street leading to my house and, if the city accidently turned its paver around in my driveway (leaving some asphalt behind), that extravagant spending by the city may be overlooked, just this once though.

Ah, the power of the press … sure.

• • •

Talk about the 29 per cent pay raise has dissipated somewhat, much to the liking of our politicos who would like the issue to go away.

There has been lots of talk about it, but how much do our MLAs really make?

According to the province’s Public Accounts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006, John Rustad was the lowest paid of our local MLAs.

That’s understandable as he is not a cabinet minister.

He was paid $73,439 plus $1,693 for being a committee chair for a grand total of $75,132.

Agriculture Minister Pat Bell was paid $74,097 for being an MLA.

However, as a cabinet minister he gets paid a little bit more.

He received $33,372 for being minister, plus a Capital City Allowance (for having to do business in Victoria while residing in Prince George) of $14,639.

He also received $68,730 in travel expenses. That brings his compensation to $190,838.

Deputy Premier and Education Minister Shirley Bond was also paid $74,097 for her role as an MLA.

She was paid $38,867 for being a minister.

She received a Capital City Allowance of $16,576, and $42,416 in travel for a total of $171,956.

More grist for the mill, with a couple of caveats.

The 29 per cent raise is on the salary only, not the travel or Capital City Allowance portion of their pay.

And, while the travel expenses may seem high, remember that MLAs in the north have the farthest to go and do the most traveling.

• • •

For those who may have been wondering, the federal Conservative government is no more, even the Government of Canada has disappeared.

Official correspondence from Ottawa now refers to itself as ‘Canada’s New Government.’ Good thing, we were getting them confused with the Liberals.

Just one question – how long is a government ‘new?’ If the Conservatives win a majority next time and the next time after that will they start referring to themselves as Canada’s Old Government?

Just asking.

Scooting around

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:34:33 -0700

At risk of divulging top secret chronological information about myself, I remember a time when things were … cheaper.

When I was in high school, $5 bucks was enough for a night out on the town. You could pool a couple of bucks with your buddies to get a six-pack of beer, you could get a pack of smokes, you could get a plate of Chinese food at two in the morning, and you could put a couple of bucks worth of gas in the tank.

Yes, $2 worth of gas was enough to cruise around all night.

The price of gas has certainly changed in the past, oh, five or six years.

I’ve been thinking for some time now about getting a something that’s a little more fuel efficient. With successive trips to the pumps less than two weeks apart costing $100.57 and $99.34, the time had finally come.

I purchased a scooter on the weekend. I’ve joined the hip, happenin’ Euro crowd. I did resist going to the Harley Davidson store and getting leathered up. The leathers, while probably practical, seem like a little bit of overkill for a scooter.

There was a great deal of satisfaction when I gassed the scooter up for the first time -- all $5.38 worth. It should get me back and forth from work for about a week. Not bad. A little better than the full-size pickup with a V8.

One of the reasons I went with a scooter, rather than a small car, is I’m not quite ready to give up the truck. As part owner of a cattle ranch, I still need somewhere to carry those two fenceposts and that half-roll of barbed wire (especially when I go to the grocery store).

The second reason I went with a scooter was for the environment. While the shine seems to be wearing off of some of the government green, I’m still thinking about ways I can lessen my footprint on old Mother Earth.

It’s fitting too, because this week is Environment Week and today is Commuter Challenge Day. Prince George residents are encouraged to find a different way to get to work other than fire up the SUV and ride to work by themselves.

I’ve done my bit by taking the scooter to work. I’m still using a gas-powered engine, but burning a thimble of gas instead of a bucket has got to be better for the environment.

I’ve only had my scooter a few days but I’ve noticed a few things. First, when they talk about motorcycle safety and awareness, they mean it. There is no doubt you are harder to see and defensive driving takes on a whole new meaning when you’re on a scooter because it doesn’t matter who is at fault, if you crash, you lose.

The second thing I’ve noticed is that I’m starting to like Coun. Brian Skakun’s pothole plan a lot more. If you think the potholes are bad when you’re driving in your car, try driving the city streets on a motorbike or a scooter. You really notice how many potholes there are and, when you’re on a bike, even the little ones pose a hazard. New paving is nice, but fixing a few potholes would be nice too.

As for me, I’ll be scooting around town and with the money I save on gas I can buy a new suspension for the truck.

Gassed up about marketers

Wed, 30 May 2007 10:19:52 -0700

That snake oil salesman at your door these days may just be a natural gas marketer.

The marketers are in Prince George and they are going doo-to-door trying to convince you to switch from Terasen gas to another gas provider. New regulations came into effect May 1 allowing other companies to supply you with your natural gas -- using the Terasen lines that already go into your home. Very similar to what happened with phone service a few years ago.

The natural gas marketers, however, are going door-to-door and giving many residents the ‘hard sell.’

I talked to one Prince George senior who had marketers from two different companies hit up within two days. The first company used a pair women and the second was a young man, apparently from Ontario. All were very aggressive ╔ telling the senior she had to sign the paper they were waving in front of her. The second marketer, when told the senior had signed with the first two women, didn’t stop and still urged the senior to sign up with his company.

All were promising better gas rates than Terasen. And this is where some of these marketers have gotten themselves into trouble ╔ and there are a lot of them. More than 1,000 sales people representing 15 rival firms are trying to convince Terasen customers, including those in Prince George, to switch under new provisions that allow them to choose alternate gas suppliers.

B.C. Utilities Commission secretary Rob Pellatt told Black Press there have been at least 30 complaints in the first half of May and some apparent violations.

“We understand they have been dealing with it internally with their marketing representatives,” he said. “It’s more of a teething problem from what we’ve seen.”

He said some marketers have illegally claimed customers will save money by signing up for their contracts, while others have given the false impression they represent Terasen.

The senior I talked to showed me the contract she had signed and her Terasen bill. Sure enough, the contract with the marketer was at a higher rate than her Terasen bill.

The new providers offer long-term fixed rates – akin to locking in a mortgage for several years instead of paying a floating variable rate.

Right now the three- to five-year rates offered range from $9.24 to $10.99 per gigajoule (GJ).

The new providers offer long-term fixed rates – akin to locking in a mortgage for several years instead of paying a floating variable rate.

Right now the three- to five-year rates offered range from $9.24 to $10.99 per gigajoule (GJ).

That’s significantly higher than the $7.66 per GJ Terasen currently charges, so homeowners who sign up now will only save if current gas rates move sharply upward.

“They may save money and they may lose money,” said Pat MacDonald of the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre. “It’s like the stock market.”

Terasen’s rate for gas has fluctuated between $6 and nearly $10 per GJ over the past five years.

People who switch may also incorrectly think the rate they pay the alternate supplier is all they’ll pay.

In fact, they must still pay Terasen $2.77 per GJ to deliver the gas, plus basic monthly fees.

That transmission charge is where Terasen actually makes its profit, while it must pass on the commodity cost of the gas to consumers at no mark up.

Other providers are under no such restriction and add profit margins to their gas prices.

In effect, residents who sign up will pad the profits of not just one but two companies.

“That’s how these people are making money,” MacDonald said.

Some of the new providers also offer options to make natural gas use “carbon-neutral” by paying an extra 50 cents per GJ.

When consumers choose that option, the provider promises to buy certified carbon emission credits from projects like wind farms or biomass plants to offset the carbon dioxide their homes emit from burning gas.

The senior I talked to will be canceling the agreement she signed. Under provincial regulations brought in a few years ago, you have a 10-day cooling off period to cancel any contract signed with a door-to-door salesman.

The only advice I have is read everything before you sign anything. Ask salespeople to leave information with you so you can read it at your leisure and decide. If they can’t do that for you, it should set some alarm bells ringing.

Flight into danger

Wed, 30 May 2007 10:18:42 -0700

Flew to Vancouver on the weekend.

My original evil plans were thwarted though, when airport officials made me toss out my tube of shaving cream. Yes, my shaving cream posed a real threat, but apparently my razor didn’t. I got to keep that. I know, rules are rules, even if they’re silly.

It was a fun excursion out of Prince George Saturday. While we were sitting in the terminal, waiting the board, we were all blinded by a bolt of lightning and then thunder shook the entire terminal building. For those who like to count seconds between lightning and thunder to gauge distance, there was no time to count.

Then they gleefully announced that we would be delayed because of rules (there are those silly rules again) that prohibited them from refueling the plane during a lightning storm. Probably a good call.

Then the announcement came on that there was an electrical problem on the plane, probably due to the lightning, we supposed. They hauled out a fancy big rig to, essentially jump start the plane. Some of the less hardy folks, certainly not me, started to get anxious.

We finally boarded the plane, only to watch the pilot zip in and out a few times. Then we watched as he climbed up on the wing and felt around for something. Loose bolts? His keys?

The pilot got back on the plane and ordered the wings de-iced. Yes, it was the May long weekend, but probably a good call. We were about an hour late getting off the ground, but I don’t think anyone minded. Lightning storms are exciting, but I don’t really want to fly through one. The turbulence would probably make it tough to squirt my shaving cream in the pilot’s eye when I wanted to take over the plane.

• • •

I’m glad the city has abandoned Coun. Brian Skakun’s pothole plan. I’ve seen what they do.

Last fall the city ripped up a portion of the street in front of the Free Press office. Since then they’ve patched the subsequent potholes created about four or five times. It’s still major four-wheel drive country. Maybe if they could fix potholes a little better I could support the pothole plan.

Addendum. They’ve also ripped up the left-turn lane on 15th Avenue turning onto Carney Street, and ‘fixed’ it. If you’re using the left turn lane there, may sure you have a good dental plan because it will take care of any loose fillings you have.

• • •

It’s good to see a Canadian team has made it to the Stanley Cup final. The Ottawa Senators will take on the Anaheim Ducks (the ‘mighty’ has been dropped from the team). I always cheer for a Canadian team first. So, this year I’ll cheer for a team named after a bunch of doddering old folks who get paid way too much to do way too little, over a team named after a kids movie about a bunch of misfits. And we wonder why the NHL has gone downhill.

Paying the piper

Wed, 30 May 2007 10:17:42 -0700

There is no doubt the demands on an MLA are immense. It’s not a job for those who want to be home every night in time to catch the last half-hour of Oprah.

The job is demanding, the hours are long, and, it is undoubtedly one of the most stressful jobs going. And, they’re probably due for a raise.

But 29 per cent, plus a return to the gold-plated pension plan that the Liberals badgered the NDP enough about 10 years ago to force a change? Come on.

I don’t have any problem with MLAs getting a raise but slurping up a 29 per cent increase when everyone else in the province feasts on considerably less is too much to handle. The MLAs seem to have forgotten the uproar when they suggested a 15 per cent raise for themselves shortly after getting elected in 2005. Perhaps the feeling now is that, in the middle of a term, voters will have forgotten the lining of pockets come election time in 2009.

This time around the Liberals are using the cop-out that an independent panel recommended the increase. That may be so, but it doesn’t say anywhere that the panel’s recommendation has to be followed.

I don’t want to crap on the panel, too much, but I think a slightly larger panel would have worked better. As it was, the panel consisted of two top Vancouver lawyers and a university professor. My suggestion would be to add a teacher, a nurse, and a log truck driver to that panel. It probably would have come up with some different recommendations.

The panel did some good work and some questionable work. It compared what other MLAs are making across the country. Fair enough, but it should have been noted that Ontario MLAs just gave themselves a 25 per pay raise. Leap-frogging salaries is an old trick and one which several schools superintendents got in trouble for a few years ago.

There has also been talk about playing ‘catch up,’ as MLAs haven’t had a substantial raise in years. It’s ironic that this government was pretty adamant that it wouldn’t allow teachers to play ‘catch up’ when negotiating their contract.

The panel also trotted out a survey that, among other things, showed how little the public knows about MLAs and how much they get paid. That may be true, but it’s hardly a reason to give them a raise. I’m sure that not a lot of people actually know what a newspaper editor does in order to get the paper on the street, but if I used that as a reason to ask for a raise the laughing would be echoing off the walls at Black Press headquarters for quite some time.

As I mentioned earlier, the MLAs could simply reject the independent panels recommendations and perhaps give themselves a raise that is more in line with what other workers in this province have received. Bear in mind, a backbench MLA with no extras, makes $76,100. Put in perspective, that’s almost double what the average wage is in this province. Yes the job is tough and demanding, but a base rate of $76,100 isn’t horrible.

The other aspect of this, other than MLAs voting themselves a raise a our expense, is the recommendations are retroactive to April 1 of this year. MLAs simply shouldn’t be allowed to vote on their own pay raises. Any pay raises voted on by a sitting legislature should take effect after the next election. That way MLAs aren’t directly giving themselves a pay raise.

I guess the biggest part of this that sticks in my craw is that this all smacks of ‘do as I say not as I do.’ MLAs haven’t moved on calls to increase the minimum wage to $10/hour (a 25 per cent increase), but vote themselves a 29 per cent increase. That’s just not right.

Trade secrets

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:26:56 -0700

Having written stories about the Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, and a host of others, forgive me if I’m skeptical about trade agreements.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for free trade. However, trade agreements seem to be more about protecting someone than actually opening up markets. And why do they always have to be negotiated out of the public’s eye?

The latest one to come down the pike is the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement - affectionately referred to by all those in Bedrock as TILMA.

It came into effect on, no fooling, April 1 and is designed to break down trade barriers between British Columbia and Alberta. It will be phased in over the next two years. The Conference Board of Canada says the deal could add $4.8 billion to real GDP and create 78,000 new jobs in B.C. Heady stuff.

The idea is great and something that has been needed for some time. I know of the comments that came out when writing about all those other trade agreements was that there are more restrictions between provinces than there are between countries. It’s absolutely silly to think that its easier to do business with Alabama than it is with Alberta, but, in may ways it is. Breaking down the barriers is great but, once again, why do we need secretly-negotiated deals?

The knock against such deals is always that they result always seems to gravitate to the lower standards, not the higher. In other words, if there are stricter rules in one jurisdiction, it’s easier to relax the tougher rules rather than toughen up the lax ones.

According to the powers that be, they say that won’t be the case with TILMA. Government negotiators have apparently told the NDP that the “intent” of the deal is to gravitate to the higher standards. That would be a first for trade deals.

However, the question of whether the deal will mean British Columbia will drop its six per cent sales tax or whether Alberta will adopt such a tax, has not yet been answered.

I would think that under such a deal, which is designed to open up trade between provinces, it would easily be argued that B.C.’s sales tax is prohibitive to trade and that the tax must either be eliminated or harmonized.

And that brings up the other sticky, sticky problem with these trade deals - democracy. They often trample on democracy. That’s what happens when governments make trade more important than people. The PST is a prime example. Like it or not, it was created by our democratically elected representatives and only our Legislative Assembly should be able to abolish it. But perhaps TILMA will take precedent.

Municipalities are a little leery of the deal because they worry about their powers being usurped by major corporations. Remember, the Liberal government has already enacted legislation allowing it to overrule local city councils when it came to development projects, so the spectre of more interference isn’t really welcomed.

Whether any of this will come to pass will be played out over the next couple of years as the agreement is phased in. On the surface, it’s something that needs to be done. We don’t need scads of restrictions between our to provinces. However, we also don’t need an erosion of the powers of our locally elected officials.

Judging character

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:46:39 -0700

I hate to say it, but I first met Bill Sundhu over drinks.

It was a long, long time ago. Bill was an up and coming young lawyer making his mark and I was an up and coming young editor making my mark.

We met after a community event and, as mentioned, had a few drinks with a mutual acquaintance. Even though it was almost 15 years ago, I still remember the evening. My wife and I sat and chatted with Bill and his then-wife-to-be for several hours.

It was one of those nights that was thoroughly enjoyable. The four of us had a great time talking politics, community, and pretty much everything under the sun.

One particular part of our conversation that has stuck with me all this time was when Bill talked about his youth. Bill was born in this country. He is as Canadian as you can get. But he is of Indo-Canadian heritage. I remember Bill telling me that things weren’t easy and that, even though we was born in this country, being an Indo-Canadian set him apart. He didn’t feel different, yet he was.

When we parted ways that night it we all agreed that we should get together again. Sadly, lives get busy, careers get busy, paths go in different directions. Our paths would cross occasionally but we never got together again socially, which I’ve regretted. When Bill was elevated to the bench in Kamloops, I interviewed him and he was genuinely excited about becoming a judge and proud of his accomplishments, as he should have been. We was probably still in his 30s yet, so becoming a judge at such a tender age was quite a feat. I was proud of him too.

After only 10 years on the bench, Bill Sundhu resigned this week.

The beginning of the end started just over a year ago when Bill was arrested following a drunken altercation at a Vancouver hotel.

He resigned Thursday, the same day a report on his conduct was released by Chief Justice Hugh Stansfield.

In his report, Stansfield noted Sundhu made derogatory remarks to a server, guest and police officer — all female — and to a male security officer about the officer’s sister; acted aggressively toward security and police; and threatened repercussions to the police officers’ jobs.

Stansfield said the behaviour was out of character for Sundhu, particularly his remarks about women.

I certainly second that sentiment. Bill is a classy guy. Even though I met him ‘over drinks,’ I never knew him to have a drinking problem. The night we met we didn’t get drunk or out of control.

Stansfield’s report says Bill has no recollection of the night in question and has determined that Bill has ‘episodic alcoholism,’ which means he drinks infrequently but when he does he gets rather intoxicated.

Attorney General Wally Oppal said Bill’s resignation is a sad turn of events. “(Sundhu is) a very good judge, a very popular judge and it is most tragic that one lapse on one night has led to this,” Oppal told our sister paper Kamloops This Week. “I question whether a resignation was in order.”

I agree wholeheartedly. Bill is one of the good guys. He’s a good family man, a good judge, and a good part of our society. It is truly a tragedy that he saw fit to resign from the bench.

I just wonder how many impaired drivers appeared before Bill, pleading for leniency because their impaired charge would cost them their job. And I wonder how many times Bill showed leniency.

Driving the Zamboni

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:05:42 -0800

Watching the Zamboni driver during Saturday night’s Cougars game, I couldn’t help wondering if the driver was a failed hockey hopeful.

There are those “I want to drive the Zamboni” ads on the tube, so you always have to wonder about the Zamboni driver. One thing I do know is that the life of the ice-cleaner has improved over the years. I guess we can thank Mr. Zamboni for that.

Cleaning the ice used to be a major production, at least where I grew up. The 15 minutes between periods was just enough time for a rather labour-intensive cleaning of the ice. It all started with an arena employee taking a house broom and sweeping the snow away from the base of the boards.

Then there was a legion of ‘rink rats’ armed with push brooms who would push the snow into the centre of the ice. From there, it would take group effort from the rink rats to push the snow to one end where a couple more people, armed with grain shovels, would scoop the snow off the ice into a big hole at the end of the rink where it would melt and the water would then be recycled.

That was the easy part.

One (un)lucky city employee (it was always a guy named Luigi Fierro when I was a kid), would be tasked with flooding the ice. (If Zamboni was Italian, there might have been a connection because Luigi was Italian through-and-through, with accent to match. He always called me ‘Beel.’)

But back to my story. Luigi was the Zamboni. If his contraption would have taken off, perhaps Fierro would be synonymous with cleaning ice between hockey games. However, given the chore it was, it’s not surprising that it never took off.

The ice-flooder (for lack of a better term) was an old oil drum that was laid horizontal and had sleigh runners welded onto it. The barrel was filled with steaming hot water. Through a tap at the back end the water would slowly flow into two canvas troughs, that were each about six feet wide, attached to the barrel.

The water would flow through the canvas and flood the ice.

Luigi had a metal grip that he would tie onto one foot so he wouldn’t slip as he, singlehandedly and walking backwards all the way, would haul the barrel around the ice until the rink was completely flooded. It was an art not to flood too much of the ice at the beginning and then, conversely, have enough water at the end to make sure all of the ice surface was flooded.

All this, the sweeping and the flooding, had to take place during the 15 minutes between periods.

Things have certainly changed. If the Zamboni driver ever says he’s got it rough, just tell to be thankful he isn’t driving a Fierro.