Saturday, November 28, 2009

Get Outta Town


Sometimes you get the feeling that politicians and bureaucrats just make up thoughtless harmful things to do just because...well, say, just because it's Tuesday.

Or for the same reason that dogs lick themselves - because they can.

The latest folly is this:

The Vancouver Park Board, under pressure by City Council to economize, has passed by a narrow 4-3 vote the stupid, stupid, stupid decision to close the Children's Farmyard at Stanley Park and the Bloedel Conservatory atop Queen Elizabeth Park.

They haven't figured out what to do with the plants and animals.

Perhaps they could just send themselves out to pasture and leave a few of Vancouver's best loved small treasures in peace.

Aside from being a stupid decision - Did I mention that this decision is stupid, stupid, stupid? - it is a lazy one.

Instead of carefully going over expenditures and trimming a shard of fat here and there and spreading the bad times out among all the Park Board assets, they have simply said, "What can we kill quickly to get over this unpleasant task?"

You lazy, thoughtless bums.

The Bloedel Conservatory is one of my favorite places in Vancouver.

It is exotic and delightful and fun.

So it needs some roof repairs...so come on, repair the roof!

Find new and innovative partnerships and new and innovative marketing to generate more income.

Ditto the Kids' Farmyard.

Let me promise you this, Dear Park Board Lazy People.

If you do not reverse this decision, I will not vote for one of you in the next election.

May thousands join me in this commitment.

Send your email to: pbcomment@vancouver.ca

I have sent this to the above address.

The foto, by the way, is of the Board Chair, who, when he voted, didn't even know that Bloedel is a designated heritage sight.

5 comments:

Jeff Taylor said...

David, is it me or is the Gov't's of Vancouver and B.C. beginning to really start scrambling to scrape up money to pay the BIG Olympic bills that are coming in now and for the many more that are to come ?

anonyomous said...

Indeed.
Remove the parks board from the ballot.
No representation without taxation!!!

Chris M said...

Oh no Jeff, it's not just you.
I volunteer for an organization and we are beginning to feel that we won't even be able to get pencils soon unless we pay for them out of our own pockets.
An organization by the way that has only one person with a salary and the rest are volunteers.
Pretty sad.
An organization that is trying to promote safety in communities.

Anonymous said...

David , I am born and raised in the lower mainland in fact my family lived on Burnaby street when I was born 56 years ago. I have lived in Kits, Maple ridge and have settled in Coquitlam. The only other place I used to think I would like to live was back in the West End. Well the people of Vancouver that voted in favor of the olympdicks have done something I never thought could happen. I dont think I want to live there any longer. Coquitlam will have to do and my dream of buying a small condo in Vancouver will likely turn into a condo in the Fraser Valley.
My parents paid taxes for many years in the city of Vancouver. It seems that every time any level of government makes any cuts to any tax payer funded item they forget something important. This is unfair to thousands of people that have supported these things for so many years. Its like telling someone that thanks for your support for the last 50 years but because of OUR inability to manage the government you in trusted to us we have wasted your money and the service is lost. But dont worry we will waste your tax dollars on a huge party for the rich and famous. They after all mean more to us than the years you spent building this into a very livable city.

I feel sorry for all of the people my parents age. They have been cheated.

Anonymous said...

Pay parking has done the most damage to visits to the Conservatory and the Children's Zoo.
When parking was free, the Conservatory had 120,000 visitors.
That has fallen to 50,000.
The revenue from parking is dwarfed by revenue lost from admission.
Remember, people come from all over the Mainland to visit these parks.