Happy Friday everyone, and HEY! let's be safe out there.
metalman.

Glad my fiancee is in Canada right now... her families home is on the beach in the Philippines... we warned her parents but they don't believe us it seems... news says the tsunami is traveling at 800km per hour and should reach Davao within the hour at 7.3 meters wrapping around all sides of the Pacific Islands as far as Indonesia, Mexico, and Chili... I think its time to pray for a lot of people because a lot of people all around the Pacific will be effected by this one.

I do believe that PG taxpayers have been had. Last year a survey was done by the city that asked the citizens about snow removal. We were told that the majority wanted snow removal left as it was and the city informed us that would be the case. They must have learned from senior governments that you ask the people and call it consultation and then do as they damn well please anyway. I have lived on the west side of PG for 38 years and have never seen our street in worse shape than it is right now. Even in 1973 when we had 12' of snow the street was in better shape. Even though our street is a bus route we barley have single lane traffic. The plow came down several times and took only one swipe down the middle of the road and then disapeared. The result is a single lane road where you have to find a driveway to pull into in order to pass another vehicle. On garbage day it's an obsticle course with all the garbage bins in the street. I will admit that some of the neighbours are pushing their snow onto the street so that in places it's barely single lane that is open. I thought that it this practice was illegal but it has been happening all winter. I think that the city just changed the snow clearing to what they wanted after the survey and ignored the people. November can not come fast enough for me to express my displeasure with the mob at city hall.

Nice to see someone else mentioning 1973. Most seem to have forgotten that as the record year.

I totally agree that this year the clearing is totally unacceptable.

Then again, what Mom Nature is doing to Japan makes our problems miniscule. It is still dark there so it looks like not much information from the northern parts where the epicentre was. Estimated casualties seem very low. Hope it stays that way .....

Going down Foothills yesterday morning, there was a grader and three loaders widening the road just north of Highland. Why? Who knows? The road had been powed to the edge all winter. Meanwhile you still can't drive downtown roads without feeling like you are riding the rails. Washboard snow. Rough instersection crossings etc. Yet wasting time and money on something that is not needed confuses the hell out of me. Oh yeah, then there's the plow trucks driving around the cities rough roads with their plows up and lights flashing.

Watching the events unfold in Japan late last night, so horrible to see the tsunami waves taking out so many peoples livelihoods, and most likely many lives. Sure makes snow removal and potholes insignificant. In my mind at least.

Take some time out this weekend to be grateful for everything you have!

There are probably alot more streets to plow in 2011 than there were in 1973, the city has grown over the years. Also keep in mind that costs have skyrocketed. If you think what the cost of operating a grader was in 1973 comparted to now....
and yes there is more taxpayers and more money in the budgets, but I think the costs are much inflated and have far exceeded the increase of money in the budgets. Our dollars don't go as far. I don't know what the answer is, it's a difficult balancing act, for sure.
I do agree that the snow removal in downtown PG seems to be lagging this year.

If you were ever going to attend a PGSO Concert do it this Saturday (March 12). Simon Cole's clarinet solo alone will be well worth the ticket. Not an import from another land, Simon is a world-class musician living and working right here in PG!

I cannot believe the roads this year either!!

The most ridiculous thing is that my road is not even a bus route but they have been plowing it on a regular basis....and then you drive down 15th ave where it is barely safe for it to be a 2 lane road. It is hard to stay on your side of the road without almost scraping the side of the vehicle in the other lane or taking out their side mirrors.

I made the upgrade from a little hatchback car to an SUV last year and this year's winter made my choice a VERY good one!! I don't know how I would have gotten around this year with my little car!!

How are we supposed to drive these "eco friendly, and economical" vehicles, when they can't make it around town in the winter?????....or is it that they don't want us driving those, but rather...driving the gas guzzling trucks and SUVs???

There is no question...the roads in PG are as bad as I have ever seen them this winter.
If you have a small car,some of them are actually impassable.
The city can make all the excuses they want...the reality is,there is no excuse for the roads to be in this shape.

Good Morning everyone. Please take time out of your day to supports Mackenzie in Being Kraft Hockeyville 2011... You can do this by voting as many time you want until Sunday. You can vote by going to www.krafthockeyville.ca or by calling 1-866-533-8066 and Mackenzie is 09. Thanks everyone who is supporting Mackenzie..

Local news is overshadowed by the rise of the Republican attack on the middle class in the USA. Has anyone noticed?
Attacks here by our beloved Conservative federal government and blessed Liberal provincial regimes have been nor subtle, but quite effective.
Where is our Liberation Square?

Anyone here have any experience setting up thier own personal microhydro system? Anywhere in PG that carrys the equipment and has some knowledge of it?

Why is Harper misleading the tax payers of this land about the true cost of the mega billions he wants to waste on his fighter jets so he can protect the true north strong and free from those pesky polar bears?

Fact of the matter is GW Harper's GOV.ever going too tell the truth??
For all you CONSERVATARDS out there,this clown is nothing short of a dicktator.
And the only transparncie is that anyone with a head on there shoulders should see rite thru this jerkoff!

With all the stuff in the news about gaming funding cuts I have to ask. How did charities and volunteer organizations survive before we had all the casinos and gaming grants and funding? The casinos have not been around for very long but these organizations and help were around for a long time.

What's with the changes at Baldy Hughes didn't it just get sold for a whole swack of money???

Quit whining about the roads or move to Vancouver. The city people are doing the best they can while we are all tucked in ours bed warm and asleep. Nothing we can do about the weather so shut up about it or move. Sick of you people that want everything and don't want to pay for it. Whine,whine, whine. Thank you to all the hard working city crew and contractors for helping me get to the ski hills and hockey games. Loving the winter !

Snow removal lagging downtown??? Are you kidding me! I work downtown and the snow removal downtown has been the best ever. Sure a few windrows for a couple of days but you can get from the curb to the sidewalk no problem.

I agree with the downtown. They have made that priority one as it should be. I can park safely there on the street, take care of my business, and get out of my parking spot.

Of course, that is as long as I can get through the streets that I have to travel to get there.

"Quit whining about the roads or move to Vancouver."

That is a great attitude. NOT!!!!

"The city people are doing the best they can while we are all tucked in ours bed warm and asleep."

Guess what, that is the work they chose. There are tons of shift workers. As long as the streets are3 the way they are, the activity is not the best that can be done. Maybe the individuals are doing the best, but the method of doing the work is certainly not. The people managing the work need to figure out a better way of doing it.

The first thing I think that needs to go is the way they are clearing the driveways by piling the snow so high at the end of the driveways. That is totally ridiculous.

Get rid of the front end loaders, at least most of them, stay with plows and increase the numbers and plow the snow to the side of the residential streets. The paved section of residential streets in PG are wider than those in many communities. Allow parking only on one side of the street when accumulated snow gets to be too much. If it goes even further than that on very bad years, start hauling.

I think the City also needs to seriously look at hauling distances. We have enough areas in the city which can be properly developed for small, local, snow dumps in such a fashion that they will not be intrusive on the environment.

Finally, I think someone needs to take a serious look at melting some of the snow. We must remember we have all the wood that can be used to melt the snow.

Harper may have some warts but we have the most stable economy in the world.

Charities used to have draws and bingos which in most part are now banned. That is how they raised their money in the past..

Telus is going to spend 750 million on a new headquarters in Vancouver. The richest man in the world, what is in common, communications. So feel good about your high cell phone, cable, landline and internet bills.

Need a realtor recommendation Gus ? Or run for Mayor.

You people know you you live in an ice bound hell hole - drive an appropriate type of vehicle. You own winter clothes & live in houses with furnaces I assume.

I also think that the snow clearing crews are doing a fine job at what they do. Its the management and direction of their work that needs to be heavily corrected or simply replaced by people who know HOW TO GET THE JOB DONE, and done EFFICIENTLY, without costing us an arm and a leg. West wood Drive for instance, has up to 14 feet of pavement out from the curb covered in plowed snow. A lot of residential streets have at least half of the road surface covered. At times, Burden street, along with others, with cars parked on both sides, is not wide enough to get a firetruck through between them. Think about that if you need a firetruck.

"Finally, I think someone needs to take a serious look at melting some of the snow. We must remember we have all the wood that can be used to melt the snow."

Melting the snow? As long as they don't make those huge piles of burning logs in MY street! I can't breathe air full of woodsmoke! Mind you, one frontend loader bucket full of snow dumped on the roaring fire would extinguish it for good anyways!

Can the wet ashes be used for something? Charcoal for the barbie, perhaps?

Thats what happens when people get hired because of who they know and not what they know. Most of the snow removal crew of 10-15 years ago has retired and has been replaced with managers relatives or kids of friends, etc. None of whom probably have any experience. They are just told to go out and push snow. I have seen no less than 2 big plow trucks hit the ditch this year because they don't know the roads.

Care to show any proof of that theory But?

"Nice to see someone else mentioning 1973. Most seem to have forgotten that as the record year."

Gus. It looks like for the period of December/January/February anyways the winter of 1981-82 had more snow than the winter of 1973-74.

Check out the statistics at the bottom of the page at the link, one of them is the following one:

"Greatest winter snowfall 293.3 cm winter 1981-82"

(It looks like these statistics go way back because one of the ones given occurred in 1949-50)

http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/19504/1/february+2011+one+for+the+record+books

How are we doind so far Mr Dan Rogers


DAN'S PLAN OF ACTION

Short Term:
•Adopt a plan to keep taxes at or below the cost of inflation for the next three years.
•Adopt a plan to ensure tax rates are among the most favourable for each class when compared to our peer communities.
•Establish a clear policy aimed at reducing the current debt load so we are at or below our peer communities.
•Establish benchmarks to reduce the tax subsidy for major civic facilities so they are at or below peer communities. Ensure each facility has a long-term business plan.

Long Term
•Initiate a review of tax rates to ensure a fair tax-to-services ratio for each class and engage reps from each class in the discussion.
•Review policies to ensure the best price is received for goods and services.
•Ensure competition is open and transparent when tax dollars are being spent either directly by the city or indirectly through grants or partnerships.


From Dan Rogers for Mayor Page [url] http://danrogers.ca/vision-and-priorities/better-fiscal-management/ [/ur;]

oops try this

http://danrogers.ca/vision-and-priorities/better-fiscal-management/

So who should I vote for tonight at the Conservative nomination meeting? I'm wavering between anybody but Stoltz. :)

Starrider, those are all good objectives.

There is one main problem, the benchmarks that are identified are not made public to us. I hate doing all the research to find those benchmarks. If Dan was really serious about what his objectives were at that time, then he should make it easy for the average citizen to see how well the objectives are being accomplished.

The garbage services in PG are horrible... I always end up taking it to the dump myself (again this weekend) and pay to dump it twice. If the street isn't wide enough for the cars, and the bin is a little bit in the driveway they drive right by... back in the old way they would still dump your bin as they couldn't use the excuses they can now to drive by and ignore it.

In the summer during bear season I use a bungy cord to hold the lid down from the bears getting at it as they seem to know the garbage day schedule... the city guys won't stop to remove the bungy cord either, so its a choice of having garbage all over the yard from the bears, or taking it and dumping it myself....

I kind of wish we could just opt out of the service all together and use a private provider that actually dumps the bin... maybe show a receipt to city hall for the paid service and make the city workers compete if they want the work and the city revenue.

Some free enterprise competition for the service without being double billed.

Anybody but Kinsley... a guy who fronts for the communist party of China with his bought and paid for advocacy for the Gateway project... still on the payroll as far as I know... how could he legitimately represent us when they are paying him far more than even his nomination ever would.

They all seem to tow the party line of Harper and have no original ideas of their own. Not one candidate was even willing to speak out against the HST or GST for that matter... shocking seeing as a large part of the riding borders Alberta and looses out large as a result of the HST. Probably a result of a Harper edict that came down on them, or maybe they just support the tax... its hard to tell.

I guess one is not allowed to have their own riding specific agenda if one is to represent the conservative party?

Safe seat equals party control over the riding IMO.

Baldy Hughes , people are walking out of the programe , so where are they going?? one has to wonder if this rehab was put togeather to get problem people out of Vancouver??

I kind of wish we could just opt out of the service all together and use a private provider that actually dumps the bin... maybe show a receipt to city hall for the paid service and make the city workers compete if they want the work and the city revenue.

That is the best suggestion I have read in a long time.If the people are not satisfied with the way the city does things, then we should just be able to opt out!

Could opt out of the garbage pick up scenario on the basis of the Charter of Rights under "freedom of association". But that would take a lawyer or two. Charter of Rights trump city hall garbage deal? On another note, I hear tell that Burns Lake won't have doctors after the end of April. Would like to know if their MSP billing will reflect that. MSP payments are a contract based on an understanding? Right? MSP with no doctors void the contract?

They still shoot horses dont they???

Egypt,Egypt,Egypt...

Whine, whine, whine and whine some more! You people need to get out of PG. Seriously ! Just go somewhere where the world is perfect in your rose colored glasses !

@ Harbinger

Burns Lake will have doctors, practicing out of their clinics, but giving up their hospital privileges.

Has the snow clearing crews been given their own areas this year? I find it strange that some areas are complaining that they are not getting plowed and I came home from work to day and found that my street has been plowed again. It seems that it is plowed once each week.

I am not going to complain about the snow removal as I know doing a job where you have to work around the public can be difficult, when trying to be vigilant of what you are doing and every other Tom,Dick,and Harry!I do have a few questions for Boon.How do you think things are improved upon in the world?How do you think people are able to obtain a higher wage & benefits?How do you think things change in the world?How are the things in Egypt,Libya and other places going to change?Maybe all the citizens of these countries should have just packed up and moved elsewhere!Would you call the people of Libya or Egypt a bunch of whiners?The one thing I have learned so far in life, is if you are a mouse and let people walk all over you,and don't ask questions,make suggestions or simply say nothing,that is what you will receive in return,NOTHING!