you know, i’ve worked entirely too hard for a friday. at least now i have a minute or so to catch my breath. *pant*
wicked winds woke me from a dead sleep at 1:01 this morning. i thought my windows were going to blow off the side of the building. while i was up, i witnessed the transformer across the street blow up. that was fun! trying to go back to sleep was not. i’m not exactly sure when i finally passed out, but it was far too close to two am, if you ask me. which you didn’t, but i thought i’d tell you anyway.
next week is looking freakishly busy. monday, i’m going to yet another movie karen won tickets to. tuesday is a double-feature at the ridge i really want to see (but probably won’t). wednesday i’m supposed to go to the dentist, but i think i’ll cancel that because i don’t think i want to go to the hockey game (!!!) after having fillings replaced. thursday is a union meeting i must attend. friday we’re going to pho for lunch, but the night is free which is good because i start my next course that saturday. phew. oh yeah, and i’m taking my car in tomorrow to get it all ready for the rest of winter and, hopefully, going to the art gallery.
now, about this plebiscite business. the more i hear that hat-wearing, swaggering ex-m.e., larry campbell prattle on about “giving vancouverites a voice”, the more i want to scream. not because accurately gauging public support is a bad idea, on the contrary, i totally agree with that. not even because i worry that the ioc will get nervous if we show any waver in our support for the bid, which i do. why it irks me to no end is that mister mayor seems to think that only the residents of vancouver city should have a say in this. well, buck that, fuddy. if the entire olympics and all its venues fell within your council’s borders, then sure. go right ahead. hold your vote and make it definitive.
what da vinci seems not to realize, or care about, are the other communities in the lower mainland who will equally bear responsibility for hosting the games. hey, is that whistler residents and business owners i hear screaming bloody murder? wait, what about the north shore mountains? don’t forget about all the poor people in other municipalities who will have to deal with the influx of people and traffic and just general inconveniences brought by having the world focus on such an event. don’t they deserve a chance to speak, too?
mr. campbell’s arrogance — maybe it’s in the name? — astounds me. then again, this is the same man who wants to set up safe injection sites for heroin addicts. yeah, that’s a great idea. maybe it really is in the name. sounds just like someone else named campbell who wants to proliferate alcohol through our communites as much as legally possible. buying beer at a gas station is such a good idea, too!
by the way, i never vent on politics, so i reserve any and all rights to be wrong, sound like a moron or just generally be a whiny bitch about things i don’t know very much about.
Just so we’re clear, Mayor Campbell has no authority to call plebiscites in cities he’s not mayor of (e.g. Burnaby, Richmond, etc.). That’s up to the municipalities themselves.
yes, richard. that’s what i’m worried about.
i don’t get your complaint. yeah, he’s holding a plebiscite in vancouver; that’s totally the city’s prerogative! yes, it may/will have an effect on an issue that may/will affect other municipalities: that’s their issue, not his. campbell is mayor of vancouver, and he’s judged this to be an issue that will affect vancouver, and one important enough to require public input. that’s his job! that’s what he does!
yes, other municipalities will be very involved in the olympics, should vancouver-whistler win. absolutely! can any of them hold their own plebiscite or referendum? absolutely! you make it sound as if campbell is preventing anyone else from taking the same route as vancouver, when that could never be the case. if you want a chance to speak, go to north van council! if whistler buisnessmen want to make themselves heard, they can lobby their own city to hold their own vote!
what’s the problem here?
vancouver to the olympic committee = the entire lower mainland.
they don’t understand the difference between burnaby, north vancouver richmond and vancouver city. they will hear “vancouver voted against supporting the olympic bid” (if that is unfortunately the case), which may be true, but the rest of the municipalities may support it 100%. why should we get shot down because the people in the core are negative about it?
this shouldn’t be decided by ONE city. this should be decided by ALL the affected communities or, better yet, the entire province. if one city’s plebiscite downs our chances, i’ll be livid. it’s not fair that mr. mayor is holding the rest of us hostage.
i don’t want a chance to speak in council, derrick. i don’t need one. i’m happy with the course of action. i don’t need to give the naysayers a chance to boo what could be a glorious opportunity for vancouver(ites), british columbia(ns) and canada(ians) to shine on the world stage. i’m excited and elated that we’re very close to snagging the bid and it pisses me off that one part of the whole can nix it all.
ok, i understand your argument now! yay!!!
first, vancouver is the most populous city in the lower mainland/has the biggest budget/has the downtown core/blah blah/ but you know that, and it’s not the point. it should be stated, anyhow.
it’s hard for me to say, because i’m excited that a negative vote might sink the bid, and salzburg or someone might get it. i’m worried that the public support will be higher than expected, and the bid will get a big upswing.
my only advice would be to get active among your vancouverite contacts, and make sure they’re all on your side, though i imagine you’re doing that. the only long term solution to one GVRD municipality acting rogue on an issue that affects them all is a megacity, a la toronto. hrm.