Lunn Needs To Attend Beetle 101:One Man`s Opinion

By Ben Meisner

    
Are you bothered by the fact that the Federal Minister of Natural Resources can come to this city and talk about the devastation of Stanley Park, before acknowledging the rest of the province is getting hammered into the ground by the beetle epidemic? The guy after all hails from the Island, (that may explain his lack of knowledge about the North) surely he must have had some inkling of what is going on here.

Oh yes, he said the maps show  a "mind boggling" scene of what the beetle has done, and he had been made aware that many communities survive soley on the  forest industry.  Yet,  you came away wondering if he had ever really seen the damage,  or was he just reading  from a cheat sheet provided by a Ministerial aide.

Oh to be sure he brought a promise for $11 million as the feds share for the airport expansion, which no doubt will be charged to the Beetle disaster fund. That fund is supposed to have $1 billion dollars in it and, not withstanding the pie in the sky proposals put forward by our Mayor for its use, we haven’t exactly be showered with cash.

The airport expansion is a good one.  Stieg Hoeg , Jim Blake and company have done nothing less than a hell of a job in getting the plan put togther. They are hoping to attract some major cargo interest and if they strike pay dirt, it may not be long before this thing takes off.

Back in the old days the city or town that had the best airport had the best chance of attracting a multitude of things. That hasn’t changed and the world is getting smaller and smaller due to aviation. Both of these guys along with their help put an oar in the water and now stand a good chance of making the ship go forward.

But now returning to the Natural Resources Minister.  Mr. Lunn, take a trip, rent a helicopter and go for a ride around the province, the part that doesn’t fall in the 604 and you’ll see just what really is happening in this province. Then maybe Jay Hill  and Dick Harris won’t be the only ones trying to deliver some of those beetle funds to the region.  

Im Meisner, and that`s one man`s opinion.

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