WOW- I AM THE FIRST. NO BITCHING TO READ. WE LIVE IN A GREAT COUNTERY, A GREAT TOWN AND FOR THAT I AM GRATEFUL. Have a smile on your face and enjoy the day.

Slow down on the roads in this fine weather, and have a great week end.
metalman.

A reminder to everyone who drives in the morning and mid afternoon. When a school bus has its red lights flashing you STOP. I live off of Sintich road and my kids get the bus at the corner of my road and Sintich and no fewer than three times a week some jackass (a different one every day) passes the bus coming in the opposite direction and occasionally from behind.

It does not matter what direction you are going in people. When a school bus has red lights flashing you STOP. This is not a suggestion it is the law. Children walk across the road to get on the bus you WILL hit one one day.

I am so fricking sick of people who can’t follow the basic rules of the road and it is almost always grown adults. They don’t even slow down. They just speed right on by……which I may add the speed limit is 70kmh on Sintich not 110km. SLOW DOWN

There. Done.
Chey

Otherwise I too am grateful to live on such a wonderful country and overall I love This city. I have been here 16 years now…..this is home.

@Chey…..why not call the RCMP and report the plate number? At the very least they will call the registered owner and discuss your concerns with them.

They are going too fast and you would have to walk right out on to Sintich to see them. Also this time of year, license plates are covered.

We are standing on the bus side of the road and thankfully at THIS stop no kids cross but there are multiple other busy stops and if it happens this much at ours it must happen elsewhere.

It is a good idea though if I can get a plate number. We stand fairly far back from Sintich (probably about 25-30 feet down our road right until the bus comes to a full stop just because this is so frequent and that straight stretch is terribly slippery in the winter.

It has been over four months now since the IIO has dribbled any information whatsoever as to the disposition of the Greg Matters case.
For an agency that promised transparency i find this troubling.

We are on the verge of entering another war in Africa and what is the lead item in the news? Some clown on a bicycle has used drugs to aid him in winning races.
Whoopie.

Another war in Africa? Seriously? What about all the other wars?

I wonder if they are going to strip the titles from all the other cheaters?

Yes wonderful Prince George where saying Green leaves a bad taste in your mouth and where kids rape kids!

Chey – if you are walking your kids to the bus and there anyway maybe a high vis vest and a stop sign are in your future :)

Have a great weekend everyone, I am off to the cabin again. No power, no phones, no cell service – just the wood stove having a hot toddy while reading a good book by the oil lantern and candle light… woohoo. Might even drill a hole in the lake and see if I cant catch some fresh dinner!

Interceptor best to not drill a hole in the lake as it will drain dry :) maybe one in the ice instead..lol good luck fishing.

I have called PG home or 33 years and have no thoughts of moving :) love this place for some reason :)

Have a spectacular weekend everyone

chey,
have a chat withthe drivers and maybe they can get a few license plate readings.
might be a good idea if the company that runs the school buses have all their drivers start jotting down license plate numbers and pass them on to the rcmp.

“Interceptor best to not drill a hole in the lake as it will drain dry :) maybe one in the ice instead..lol good luck fishing.”
LMAO – duly noted…

Born and raised in the area. 50 years. People complain, I respond, its a free country, leave!. Its not perfect here, but it never will be anywhere. Most people that spend all their time complaining has issues from inside. Nothing to do with where they live or its politics.

The city right now has a trust issue. because of the commonwealth, and the central heating, kin 1 decision. They need to deal with this firstly. They need to find a way to reduce city hall. Not the outside workers, its the pencil pushers trying to justify their existence.

I still like Prince George.

I tried to see license plates this morning an it is impossible. The driver is checking kids off her list while they get on the bus. But I think I will figure out who to talk to at regional district and see if they can put up those flashing light means stop reminder signs on Sintich because it is a matter of time before a kid gets smoked. The stop before ours is on the hill right when you turn off the highway to go to the airport. You know the blind hill blind corner, and kids do cross Sintich at that stop.

It would also be nice if the radio stations have reminders in the morning when they do their Diversified Transport updates that lists late running busses.

Thanks for the ideas. I have about 14 more years left of using this bus stop.

I wonder what PG will get first? An IMAX theater or a PAC??

Is this an early spring for us? Or is mother nature setting us up for a big disappointment?

Why not video tape the drivers. When a drivers sees someone pointing a camera at them they may stop or at least slow down enough to get the plate, plus you have irrevutable proof they were breaking the rules of the road.

I have been here in pg since the mid 80s because it serves my purpose to be here and so far still does. But there is no way in hell I would ever want to retire anywhere within city limits. A couple hours drive to get into the city for shopping occassianly sounds about right.

Happy Friday all! Please slow down. It is not worth the risk to yourself and especially others. Use your head.

Install a dashboard camera that is activated when the stop sign flips out. Announce that the bus is so equipped with a big sign on the back of the bus. Solved.

“It has been over four months now since the IIO has dribbled any information whatsoever as to the disposition of the Greg Matters case.”

Just wait until the report is released. People will be shocked!!!

Lived in PG most of my life and have lived in other areas of the country and BC, nothing wrong with PG at all.

Just spent a week in downtown Vancouver, family member in Saint Pauls, anyhow the people living downtown there, very interesting bunch.

I read somewhere Commonwealth getting involved with Trails downtown redevelopment, again I will use that word, interesting.

On the bus comments: Cameras cannot be used – invasion of privacy believe it or not. If and when a driver can get a licence plate #, a form is filled out to go to the RCMP. If the bus driver cannot visually identify the alleged driver then a letter is sent to the owner of the vehicle advising of the event.

This is an ongoing problem in various areas. A bus driver’s main concern is the students safety first, the majority of the time they are not able to catch a license plate number of a speeding vehicle. Unfortunately, not enough of the public cares to participate in nailing these people. It is of no benefit having a police car on the side of the road where people can see it :)

just a thought, maybe the school bus should stop in the middle of the road with their red ligts flashing.

lights

Good job on the “Revitalization Seeds” story Ben!

Interesting read on the last presidential election

There are a lot of rumblings of voter fraud on the internet. Areas were there was 108% turn out or the like, or areas where 100% of the votes cast turned into votes for Obama in swing states, Romney winning in every single Photo ID state and a lot of other scuttlebutt.

Lots of rumours/conspiracy theories out there about the Newtown shooting being a hoax perpetrated by anti gun nut cases.

OMG!!!!It`s FRIDAY!!!!

wowwww we are gonna get a Green Crime Task Force, according to Citizen. Welll Mayor Green wants to tackle the crime in this town so she getting her friends together to form a group. Thought we already had a Crime Task Force.. What happened to them??

I see in Free Press that O’Neil wants debate with Green. Maybe Green will sic the Task Force on O’Neil..hehehe

If you can not the license plate of said driver and report it to the RCMP, they do make note and if said driver or vehicle is habitual the owner will receive notice it the mail of possible infractions made to their drivers license, but your self or the bus driver who should also be tracking these license plates and calling them in to dispatch are willing to act as a witness to these infractions, if you do have dash cam footage even better you cant deny video footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jELGbQGwUHo

I wanted to get a smaller garbage can, go from the larger city one to the smaller one and the City website says: To downsize you don’t have to pay the $20 charge as we encourage people to produce less waste.

So sure enough I call and change my garbage container size and they tell me its a $30 charge even if you are downsizing!!! Am I crazy or is this totally wrong?

gold_rush… yeahhh Green pays them good. Thirty bucks to bring the new can to yer house and take the old one. They don’t encourage recycling with these kinda fees..

“you cant deny video footage”

Tell that to the two guys in Vancouver that got beat on for protesting someone urinating on their building.

With security video and six (6) witnesses, they were let off due to the Judge deciding that there was no “beyond a reasonable doubt” proof of ID.

Global news last week I think.

gold rush:
both ;>

anti gun nut

…..a person really needs a assault rifle with a 100 round clip to make up for what they lack in the manhood department(bushmaster penis-extender:P.

I can’t help but notice that many many vehicles have their licence plates and back bumpers are covered with snow making impossible to read. Especially pickup trucks. The NDP tripled the fine for that to $167 dollars. If enough tickets issued for that like the cellphone tickets I’m sure more motorists would smarten up. Alberta has no need for front licence plates. B.C. has no need for rear licence plates? When you are out and about, pay attention to these drivers and see if you can see a cop around. Remember though that city hall gets 25% of what the cops make in ticket revenue. Clamp down on this one law and we might have enough money for the PAC. There’s an incentive, eh?

“you cant deny video footage”

Don`t need to tell them,Judge already told them.

Harb – 50 million for a PAC. 25% of the tickets means we would need 200 million in revenue. At $167 a throw we would need about 1.2 million ‘obscured license plate’ fines handed out… sorry Im bored
LOL

Green certanly deserves some knocks in some areas, however the setting up of the
group to look into crime in Prince George is not one of these areas.

We have a serious crime problem. Its about time that the City ie; Mayor and Councillors, members of the community, and the Police got together and try to solve these problems.

I especially like the longer terms in jail for prolific offenders, and also the opportunity for them to go into re-hab if they are serious about changing their ways.

So in this case I say Kudo’s and Accolades to Mayor Green for doing what should have been done many years ago.

Have a nice day.

I read somewhere that the new RCMP building was going to double as the PAC…

maybe it was a joke.

“I read somewhere that the new RCMP building was going to double as the PAC…” PAC=Police Against Crime

Perhaps if Diversified laid a complaint with the RCMP, maybe they could occassionally station a member on the odd school bus equipped with a video camera or have a policeman with a video camera set up near frequent problem areas or even drive behind a school bus on a route. The trouble is, there are not enough policemen on traffic duty during problemm times.
This will only change when the city changes the policy on policing.
Could we have maybe have input from a policeman on this?

Actually we have to many policemen on traffic and not enough on fighting crime.

They could do a better job on traffic with less people if they worked in concentrated areas through out the City. 97 South from 5th Avenue to BC Rail Industrial Park. Hart Highway to 97 and 5th. 16 West from City Limits to Junction of 16 and 97. Lots of bad, (crazy) drivers on those portions of our roads. Get them on a regular basis, and they will start to get the message.

This business of picking off people who dont come to a full stop at a four way stop, generates money but is not necessarily the best bang for our bucks. We need to lean hard on those drivers who have a total disregard for the safety of others.

What happened to the foot patrols downtown??

Interesting no comments on the idle no more, guess the natives had their 15 minutes of fame.

“Interesting read on the last presidential election

There are a lot of rumblings of voter fraud on the internet. Areas were there was 108% turn out or the like, or areas where 100% of the votes cast turned into votes for Obama in swing states, Romney winning in every single Photo ID state and a lot of other scuttlebutt”.

“Lots of rumours/conspiracy theories out there about the Newtown shooting being a hoax perpetrated by anti gun nut cases.”

OK, you guys are kiding, right? Right?
Sadly there are enough half-wit statements in these threads that it’s difficult to tell sometimes when someone’s pulling your leg.
Going on 18 years in PG, longer than I’ve lived anywhere. Guess it’s home now, which means I need to start looking harder at what I can do to make a positive difference in this town.

Pssst-don’t tell the Canucks the season has been shortened, they might win the cup this year!! ;-)

@seamutt,no we`re still here, but there are some first nations folks out here that do not agree with the way there protests are organized.,as a first nations person not living on reserve I think the blockades need not happen, commerce needs to carry on for everyone that include all you union dumb a s s e s. so they need to revisit that strategy. More of an informational Champagne,flyers a web site.

“Is this an early spring for us?”

Seems more likely to be a relatively common January thaw.

Lots of rumours out there that this is Saturday, not Friday.

yeah gus.. Indian Spring.. great eh…. Let’s enjoy while it’s here for could get colder again..

I haven’t been able to figure just what the protests are about, oh right having democracy on the reserves, that would be scary for those in power.

Here is an interesting read.

“You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake, you are the same decaying matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile” – Fight Club

I’ve been #IdleTooLong about this whole topic, and I feel like I need to express my point of view without disrupting innocent travelers on highways, and cargo carrying freight trains.
First, allow me to clarify that I am a Cree man with full status. I have family in positions of political power in this very province, and should declare that my opinions are my own. While everyone needles over the finite details of the current situation, I’d like to paint my thoughts for you with much broader strokes.

I’m so very proud of my culture. The way the plains Indians lived on this land was a fantastic example of community, art, respect for our environment, ingenuity, and spirituality. I’m proud of the native inspired tattoos that I sport permanently on my body. As a father, I’m teaching my son that same respect and understanding of where his blood derives from, in the hopes that his pride will outshine the prejudice he will inevitably experience growing up, or at some point in his life.

I’m also very proud to be Canadian. Our vast mosaic of cultures, languages, and beliefs make up this welcoming land of opportunity for all. Whether you like it or not, we all have the same citizenship, but some have a different view on the value of it.

I don’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of the government bills, documentation, or policy that is driving the current protests, but I’ve intently watched news stories, read columns, and have regularly monitored the comments being made on facebook. Based on all of this, I feel the need to break my silence on this issue.

1 – It’s embarrassing how the #IdleNoMore protest is being handled.
Blocking major traffic thoroughfares does nothing good to bring support and awareness to your cause, it creates immediate animosity towards you. Protesting freely in parks or in front of government buildings seems like a much more productive way to attract the attention of those you seek. The politicians. Not the regular welder-Joe who’s just trying to get to work. Hold him up and cost him money? See how much support you’ll get out of that guy…

Clarify what you are protesting for, or against. I’ve never seen such a passionate group of people go forward in protest in such disarray, and without clearly stating what it’s all about. If it’s generally about your need to be consulted, respected, justified for being mistreated, or the preservation of your culture, then let’s be out with it and start a constructive discussion.

Understand that you do not need to be consulted for anything any more than the Canadian citizen next to you does. Your opinion on things doesn’t count “more” than anyone else’s.
Respect is earned, not given.

There’s no question that the native people of yesterday were brutalized, hunted, tortured, and humiliated for decades. It’s awful, and no one should ever have to suffer like that. The elders of the time signed those treaties to bring peace, and offer what they hoped would be a leg-up in a new world that they realized couldn’t be held at bay. But those days are long over. It defies logic to have the current population pay for the tragedies committed by people that came so long before them.

The preservation of your culture is YOUR job, not anyone else’s. For example, Polish, Irish, and Ukrainian societies thrive all over the country with very little or no support from government coffers. They celebrate traditional dance, language, and food all by simply passing it down from generation to generation. Native communities can do the very same thing (and generally do), but without financial support.

2 – “This movement is about the whole environment, its not just about the treaties….The bill that passed now un protects the rivers, lakes, forests, land, etc, etc, so we need this bill to further protect ur childrens futures…..thanks to Harper Govt….rigs n developemtn will pollute the air, waters, etc, etc..”

It’s no secret that our Canadian economy is driven by the oil and gas industry. Yes, there have been some awful environmental blunders due to a plethora of different reasons. I heartily agree that we need to protect our natural areas that support wildlife, but I also know that there is aggressive legislation, and powerful government offices in place that already have that very same sentiment at heart. Millions of Canadians support green technology and research, as well as lobby for stronger federal policy. So if that’s what this is all about, there’s no need to blockade anything, as a majority of people would already agree with you.

3 – “It is about the 480 page Bill that the government has passed without you knowing about it. It went through the house of commons and the senate in 2 wks. 480 pgs long…do you think that many people had time to read it? It says that under age criminals can be punished as adults. It makes more budget cuts. The librarians at schools are being budget cut. It is about ALOT more than Aboriginals, it’s about everyone in Canada. The Aboriginals are the ones who started to realize the Bill was gonna to do irreversable damage!”

Back in the days of copying notes off a blackboard or projector in school, I’m certain I’ve WRITTEN 480 pages in two weeks, let alone read that many. In a political world where literacy at a high level is demanded, I’m willing to bet that most could plow through that many pages in a very short period of time. I suppose the content would be laden with bureaucratic jargon and would need time to fully interpret…but that’s why you have a legal team.
Quite frankly, I agree with underage criminals being tried as adults, and I’m willing to bet that a landslide majority of Canadians will agree with me.

Budget cuts are a reality of our democratic world. I’m not sure if this means that librarians from schools are being removed, or the library itself, but the fact of the matter is, our schools rely on a healthy economy for funding. When money gets tight, things get sacrificed. I truly hope that the readily available knowledge in a library would be the last to go.

4 – “It’s not about the Aboriginals! That is what they are doing to distract you from what it really is about! It only affects the aboriginals- just like it will effect ALL of us!”
This is very confusing, but seems to sum up the general knowledge about what is going on. Who is “they”? Are we going into conspiracy theory depths here? Do people not realize that we have an official opposition in place as a natural government watchdog to debate everything that in-power government is trying to enact? If there were truly earth shattering implications in the bill in question, the opposition would be whistle blowing and bleating into any available microphone available so fast it would make your head spin.

First and foremost, I’m a human being just like you. I believe in equality. Across the board equality. Our country is so multicultural, that to give any specific group levity over everyone else is completely ridiculous. I’m not familiar with the particulars of old treaties signed, but I get the gist because I have used some of the special privileges provided to me. I do not pay for health care. I did for awhile in my young working life, but then the government discovered my native status and sent me a HUGE apology letter, and a cheque for every dime I had put into the system. Odd. I lived just up the street from my fellow truck driving friends, did the same job, paid the same taxes…yet there I was with this benefit because of my racial background and some papers that were signed all those years ago. I’ve used it for eye wear. This was particularly handy when I was “up against it” financially, but had broken my glasses welding. Here’s the thing though, why should I have an advantage on a co-worker who might be in the same situation? It’s not fair, and it needs to stop.

I move that Canadians start their own march towards coast to coast equality, or at least the serious discussion of it. Our country should offer no free rides to anyone. No help for those who refuse to help themselves. No quarter for those who would inhibit the lives and success of others. No limit to what anyone can accomplish with a steely resolve, and a great idea. It doesn’t matter who built the first camp fires and communities on this land, it’s those that work hard to continue to stoke the flames of collective well being that matter.

As a man that stands by his word, I pledge to never again use my native status to further myself in a way that isn’t available to every other Canadian. I will leave my son unregistered, and will teach him the importance of keeping it that way. I am a proud native man, and a hard working, forward thinking Canadian that believes the opportunities and advantages this country has to offer should be available to everyone equally.

– Anthony Sowan
@sowanonair

please share

UPDATE: After watching a day of comments…

For those of you that feel that I need to meticulously read treaty documentation, and Native history, I offer you this: There is no argument you can offer that justifies inequality of any kind in this country.

I said I didn’t know every detail, but I also didn’t say I’m completely uneducated on the subject. I also encourage people to think for themselves based on their own research.

No matter how you cut it, the monetary compensation and general advantages need to stop. Horrific things happened to people/races throughout history, and although I’m not condoning or supporting it, I do not feel that they should be given anything more than anyone else. The atrocities committed, in this instance, happened a long time ago to/by people that no longer exist. I agree that it should never be forgotten, but it makes no sense to have the innocent Canadian citizens of the present pay for crimes committed by someone else in a different time.

Really, the people that are abusing you the worst, are the people you have placed in leadership positions. Not ALL of them are corrupt, but there are some very serious issues with monetary responsibility. I honestly don’t know how some band leaders haven’t been arrested for fraud, embezzlement, and more.

The first step of “healing” is to put the past in it’s place. Only then can you work on your own personal lives, which will then naturally stem into becoming whole as a community. The healing you want and need can come from no government program, and no external source. #CanadianEquality

“The NDP tripled the fine for that to $167 dollars”

They knew a sure bet when they saw one. With winter roads varying from hard packed to wet with lots of dirt, very few vehicles can keep their license plates readable after 10 or 20 km of driving at highway speeds. A bit longer on city streets drving at the lower speeds.

In this part of BC,one needs to have license plates on the top of cars such as taxi cab signs.

Until they make such a law, I would think that any reasonable judge would let the individual go since such a requirement is impossible to implement under certain weather conditions with licenses required to be displayed in the locations they are.

Recent events bring to mind the dichotomy that exists within the local population, one that exists in every town I suppose.
The passing of Anne and Bob Martin, of Lance Morgan, Jack Mackenzie, Greg Pichler leaves the community poorer. They believed in and delivered on putting others before themselves. That was their joy, giving to make their city a better place.
Then we have the takers, the ones out for themselves, who are geared first and foremost to lining their own pockets.
Thank god for the Martins, Morgans, Mackenzies, Pichlers. They are the people who make Prince George worth living in.

seamutt, thanks for posting that. It makes for a very interesting read. I particularly like the part about the preservation of culture being “their” job and not anyone elses. So true.

One Democrat, while the passing of those people (Martins, Morgans, Mackenzie and Pichler) do leave us without them and all the good things they did, we have a lot of other people who have, and will, step up to the plate for Prince George. Don’t despair for there are others out there like these folk.

I especially like the longer terms in jail for prolific offenders, and also the opportunity for them to go into re-hab if they are serious about changing their ways.
——————————————-
Why not attach a theraputic community to PG jail?

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CEgQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.canada.com%2Fnanaimodailynews%2Fnews%2Fstory.html%3Fid%3D2a0c30ab-51f9-474b-b90a-9c469d738c85&ei=xkv4UNaHEuKdiAKIl4DwBA&usg=AFQjCNFvtxCU4z3UlZPSpG7Wmp_8y9c1mA&sig2=OehIlofQ1fq55ua6obVU9Q

The front page of the Citizen irked me this morning. A woman misses her bus because of her own fault and she is supposedly told to hitchhike the Highway of Tears. Call me a pessimist but I really can’t see the dispatcher from Texas telling her that. I could see the dispatcher from Texas saying “could you catch a ride with another vehicle and catch up to the bus at another stop?” That seems more likely to me.

Greyhound DOES NOT HAVE to provide a bus service in northern BC. They DO HAVE to make a profit as an for-profit business to stay in business so they MUST DO what they have to to stay in business. I am kind of tired of hearing people complain about how Greyhound somehow contributes to the Highway of Tears horrible history.

Should have added, the takers are easily identified.
They are the ones who line up against the community, against the residents, citizens, taxpayers of the city.

Gold_Rush my suggestion to you – I recycle alot – so my large can in not full, I now put my can out every 2nd week (also have a long driveway which can be hard to navigate in the winter because of the snow). If you can keep the container clean by using garbage bags, This seems to work for me.

gus…. don’t be confused anymore.. It’s not just you… It is Saturday in China today

Should never catch up on world events while eating lunch….

JPMorgan CEO Mr. Dimon has had his annual overall earnings cut in half: from $23 million to a paltry $11.5 million for 2012 following a “mistake” that resulted in a 96 million dollar loss for the company.

Median pay for top execs of the fortune 500’s in the US was a hair shy of just $10,000,000 (ten million) per year.

It’s not all bad!

AIG has announced that they will NOT jump on board with their former CEO, Hank Greenberg (and present big gun at a company that is a major shareholder with AIG, his previous employer). Greenberg is the muscle behind a lawsuit seeking compensation from the US government over the unfair criteria that accompanied the ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY BILLION dollar bailout of AIG beginning in 2008, by US taxpayers. Greenberg says the terms have been just bad for his bottom line, so he wants to sue the very people that bailed him out at a company that he was running at the time. Old rich white guy.

PS: the average top teacher salary, with 15 years of service in the US is about $45,000.00 per year, according to the National Post.

US states had better get/keep on with bust’n the unions that negotiate these retarded, over blown middle class supporting salaries.

Good Weekend everyone!!!

Palopu wrote: “We have a serious crime problem. Its about time that the City ie; Mayor and Councillors, members of the community, and the Police got together and try to solve these problems.”

Right ….. and exactly how do you think they are doing that.

Oh, I forgot, they are building themselves an icon of a building for about $5million more than they needed to spend for something that looks a bit more functional …….

The crime capital of Canada needed a capitol building … ;-)

“I am kind of tired of hearing people complain about how Greyhound somehow contributes to the Highway of Tears horrible history.”

A lot of things contribute to the deaths on that highway …..

The main contributor is the highway. If it were not there then there would be no deaths along it. ….

So let me get this straight … it is Saturday in China today … but it is not Saturday here until tomorrow……

So does that mean that China leads the world and the rest of us have to clean up after them?

Guess North America never really had a fighting chance in that case ….. ;-)

yup Gus… then the day after that, we can say Saturday was yesterday. But the Chinese are still ahead of us..by a day..

Good post seamutt. Similar to that one, there’s another one making the rounds, many may have seen it… regarding Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Band. Google this guy. He is the real deal.

—-
(Cut and paste)

i am not sure of the date of this speech. he has made several. he was not invited to victoria island for fish broth.
Chief Clarence Louie, Osoyoos BC speaking in Northern Alberta :
Speaking to a large aboriginal conference and some of the attendees,
including a few who hold high office, have straggled in.
‘I can’t stand people who are late, he says into the microphone. Indian
Time doesn’t cut it. ‘
Some giggle, but no one is quite sure how far he is going to go. Just sit
back and listen:
‘My first rule for success is Show up on time.’
‘My No. 2 rule for success is follow Rule No. 1.’
‘If your life sucks, it’s because you suck.’
‘Quit your sniffling.’
‘Join the real world. Go to school, or get a job.’
‘Get off of welfare. Get off your butt.’
He pauses, seeming to gauge whether he dare, then does.
‘People often say to me, How you doin’? Geez I’m working with Indians what
do you think?’
Now they are openly laughing ….. applauding. Clarence Louie is
everything that was advertised and more.
‘Our ancestors worked for a living, he says. So should you.’
He is, fortunately, aboriginal himself. If someone else stood up and said
these things – the white columnist standing there with his mouth open, for
example – you’d be seen as a racist. Instead, Chief Clarence Louie is
seen, increasingly, as one of the most interesting and innovative native
leaders in the country even though he avoids national politics.
He has come here to Fort McMurray because the aboriginal community needs,
desperately, to start talking about economic development and what all this
multibillion-dollar oil madness might mean, for good and for bad.
Clarence Louie is chief and CEO of the Osoyoos Band in British Columbia’s
South Okanagan. He is 44 years old, though he looks like he would have
been an infant when he began his remarkable 20-year-run as chief.. He took
a band that had been declared bankrupt and taken over by Indian Affairs
and he has turned in into an inspiration.
In 2000, the band set a goal of becoming self-sufficient in five years.
They’re there.
The Osoyoos, 432 strong, own, among other things, a vineyard, a winery, a
golf course and a tourist resort, and they are partners in the Baldy
Mountain ski development. They have more businesses per capita than any
other first nation in Canada.
There are not only enough jobs for everyone, there are so many jobs being
created that there are now members of 13 other tribal communities working
for the Osoyoos. The little band contributes $40-million a year to the
area economy.
Chief Louie is tough. He is as proud of the fact that his band fires its
own people as well as hires them. He has his mottos posted throughout the
Rez. He believes there is no such thing as consensus, that there will
always be those who disagree. And, he says, he is milquetoast compared to
his own mother when it comes to how today’s lazy aboriginal youth, almost
exclusively male, should be dealt with.
Rent a plane, she told him, and fly them all to Iraq. Dump’em off and all
the ones who make it back are keepers. Right on, Mom.
The message he has brought here to the Chipewyan, Dene and Cree who live
around the oil sands is equally direct: ‘Get involved, create jobs and
meaningful jobs, not just window dressing for the oil companies.’
‘The biggest employer,’ he says, ‘shouldn’t be the band office.’
He also says the time has come to get over it. ‘No more whining about
100-year-old failed experiments.’ ‘No foolishly looking to the Queen to
protect rights.’
Louie says aboriginals here and along the Mackenzie Valley should not look
at any sharing in development as rocking-chair money but as investment
opportunity to create sustainable businesses. He wants them to move beyond
entry-level jobs to real jobs they earn all the way to the boardrooms. He
wants to see business manners develop: showing up on time, working extra
hours. The business lunch, he says, should be drive through, and then
right back at it.
‘You’re going to lose your language and culture faster in poverty than you
will in economic development’, he says to those who say he is ignoring
tradition.
Tough talk, at times shocking talk given the audience, but on this day in
this community, they took it and, judging by the response, they loved it.
Eighty per cent like what I have to say, Louie says, twenty per cent
don’t. I always say to the 20 per cent, ‘Get over it.’ ‘Chances are you’re
never going to see me again and I’m never going to see you again’ ‘Get
some counseling.’
The first step, he says, is all about leadership. He prides himself on
being a stay-home chief who looks after the potholes in his own backyard
and wastes no time running around fighting 100-year-old battles.
‘The biggest challenge will be how you treat your own people.’
‘Blaming government? That time is over.’

Johhnny Belt ….. that stuff is the eye catching media piece that will get a certain segment of the population go rah, rah, rah …

The thing is, that is the showman.

Here is the real person doing a retrospective of where he came from and the bands around his cam from.

In my mind it will put a more historic persepctive on the last 50 years of first nations in the southern part of the province …..

The whole thing is a bit more complex ….

http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/2012/01/chief-clarence-louie-1.html

“the first thing that you do when you want to conquer an island is to take away the work ethic” Clarence Louie is Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band

There you go ….. ;-)

“In our band, even the person sweeping the floor gets bonuses” Clarence Louie is Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band

“Most of the businesses we work with are surprised that the reserve lands do not belong to the First Nations … that they have to go through the DIA or whatever it is called today ……”

“These are not crownlands, they are our lands” Clarence Louie is Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band

He would be surprised if the Indian Act disappeared within his lifetime …..

Instead of having bums, homeless and surly deadbeat ne’er-do-wells with their squeegees at every intersection cleaning windshields maybe the city can encourge these same people to clear off rear licence plates at select intersections. Maybe flip the bum a loony or twoony if it means saving $167 bucks.

He is great, I think, when I listen to his reasoning on CBC …. in McMurray he was speaking for macho white ears and brains …..

Good post seamut enjoyed reading it.

“ne’er-do-wells with their squeegees at every intersection cleaning windshields”

Gee, I thought I drove around this city frequently. I sure do not see too many of those squeegee people ….. the lower mainland, sure …. Traffic moves far to fast here … no tied up rush hour traffic = no squeegees ….

gus: “Johhnny Belt ….. that stuff is the eye catching media piece that will get a certain segment of the population go rah, rah, rah …”

You can try to diminish it if you want. Maybe you have a little too much of the white guilt to appreciate it. Who knows.

Most people that spend all their time complaining has issues from inside. Nothing to do with where they live or its politics.
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Only a sick person would make such a comment.
Cheers

I agree BCRacer time to call the stations that run them. I’m e mailing Global and tell them I’m not watching until they drop them. I have nothing against religon but don’t preach to me on a public station.

When “Thief” Spence and her gang vacate Victoria Island are they going to pay for the clean up and restoration on that island or will it be left for the taxpayers of Canada to pick up the tab? Is there a waiting list for other people with their causes to squat on “public land”? As an aside I didn’t vote for any of these protesters to speak for me.

5 degree’s on the 18th of January, come on global warming.:)

The same can go for the expensive lying commercials that the B.C. Liberals spouting every time I put BCTV on. I find this offensive and wrong on sooo many levels also.

The catholics must be lost then. I thought their home was on the other side of the world.

Harbinger…haha. We were calling her Chief Theresa exSpence.

I can remember a few decades ago, before global warming, farmers were haying in January because the fall had been so wet and January was warm and dry.