Improving the revenue from The Squamish Adventure Centre

 To Squamish Council regarding the need to increase revenues from The Squamish Adventure Centre

Just a thought: Has anyone thought about the access to this site?. ...Not user friendly in my opinion. One way North to South you have to go to the main (terrible intersection) and then turn back on yourself .  South to North you could go straight by. Do we need another external consultant to tell us that? My answer would be a definite "No". 

By “going straight by” I mean that if you happen to go through the intersection (Cleveland/Highway 99 )in the fast lane (which is quite likely if you end up there while waiting to go through at the lights and were not quite sure where you turn to the Adventure Centre) it is quite possible that you may not be able to move over to the right lane as the exiting traffic speeds up….Hey presto, you miss the turn! This is important to the issue. The hours of opening are also important, they have to be tailored to the public if you want the maximum remuneration. The facilities that you offer should range from basic information to the provision of souvenirs…and also to, perhaps, scheduled entertainment.

There is an auditorium on site, so show promotional material which highlights our town and environment. The possibilities are far reaching, but don’t frivol our money away on nebulous consultants, as has been done so much in the past. I actually care about this great town!

Idea: When we do get our public transit to Vancouver and Whistler sorted out....Make this the main bus terminus but still keep one stop Downtown!”  My argument for a Roundabout at Cleveland and Hwy. 99 still stands (See later Blog on this.).

Regarding the removal of John A. Macdonald's sculpture from Victoria City Hall.

History is History and should be preserved. But the issue here is not just John A. Macdonald; it involves ALL the later Prime Ministers who condoned and continued his legacy right up to fairly recent years.

Ask yourself: When did the residential school system actually stop? Maybe we should get rid of all their memorials too!?

Should it be ALL or NOTHING? Or should it be just him? For sure the statue should not be destroyed...no more than all the memorials to all the despots and dictators throughout history....they are landmarks to our triumphs and mistakes, from which we should all learn. What we revere and celebrate is always our choice.

One person said: "Just put them all in a park somewhere with ever evolving descriptive plaques. You could have a revolving park of shame, or a colonial oppression sculpture garden. You could also have a good fellows area when revisionists declare someone worthy again. (Redemption) Replace the original locations with plants, playgrounds, art....whatever."

Another said: "To all those who say it's a part of history I say: Was Russia wrong for removing statues of Stalin? Was Iraq wrong for removing statues of Hussein? Was Germany wrong for removing Nazi monuments? Yes we need to acknowledge our history but we shouldn't glorify past wrongs".

And I replied: "The point is from where they are removed.They should not be destroyed but kept in an appropriate space to reflect the history in context. Otherwise we would have few 3D records of most politicians....They are not usually known for their saintly dispositions! If they are really bad they should never be revered but still remembered. There are still statues of Nero, Caligula, Napoleon etc. and should be. Anyway History is a subjective interpretation of Chronicles and Chronicles are usually full of inaccuracies.,,,but they are all materials from which we may reflect upon some of our mistakes".

On the need for a new Boat Launch at Squamish. BC.

I read with dismay in the Squamish Chief that the Squamish boat launch at the Yacht Club will be removed soon.

‘Woodfibre Liquid Natural Gas’, apparently, will not be allowing boat launch use or any other by the public at Darrel Bay for at least four years. It seems that Council has NO firm plans to build another boat launch, even though there has been feedback requesting this from several public members in recent surveys.

This really begs the question as to how much our Council is aware of the impending need at present. In my opinion unnecessary money has been often wasted on ventures of lesser importance in recent months. There is little need to list them as they have been often aired in our local media

The ‘bottom line’ seems to be that we will be unlikely to get a much-needed replacement boat launch in the foreseeable future...great! We need a survey to determine how much use our present dilapidated launch gets ...especially at weekends.

Any town on the ocean or lake needs a boat-launch . I predict that many will be upset if we suddenly find that there is no such facility.  Our Mayor has indicated that there have been discussions about possible ways and means regarding this whole issue. However, philosophies change and the prioritization of budgets change. At present there is a need to rebuild or modify the Civic Centre and many other buildings in town. G.A.S. is back on the cards....and such recent initiatives as our innovative directional signs must be completed.

I am aware that there is a plan in the unspecified future to have a launch incorporated with other more sophisticated structures on the ocean front ...but, alas, way down the line. It is my understanding that there has been a survey which very much included space for our druthers regarding the ocean front...and a boat launch need was mentioned many times. 

Please remember that many people in this town have invested in small boats at no small cost...I ask our Council not to turn its back on the issue. This is not a question of privilege. we really need a new facility now.

Go to any community up our coast of any significant size and you will find some type of boat launch...let us push some condos aside a bit and do it!

The Birds and the Bees etc.

Recently, we have been having some problems with bees visiting our Hummingbird feeders. I like bees, we need bees BUT…

Hummingbirds find them irritating at best and dangerous at worst. So, what do you do?
It has been suggested that if you move the feeder a short distance away, the bees get really confused and it will take time for even one of them to find the feeders in the new location…then the successful scout must go all the way back to relay the new place info to the hive. They cannot just tell their buddies at the source site. I tried this method….and yes it does work for a while.

Saucer style feeders are the best because they are not so prone to leaking and the bees seem to find it harder to reach the sugar solution. Bees are more attracted to yellow and Hummingbirds are more attracted to red…so there is a choice here too.

Try to plant bee-attractant flowers in your garden and hope!

Also, do NOT use the “red nectar” sold in stores because it is deemed bad for the birds ( https://www.thespruce.com/is-red-dye-harmful-to-hummingbirds-386578 ) and keep to a 3-1, or 4-1 ratio of water to plain sugar (NOT HONEY) …. 3-1 for colder days and the other for warm days (All a matter of energy).

Wasps are another issue and I set wasp specific traps (Google for them) and I do chemically discourage them too (if you see what I mean).

To prevent ants…be sure to purchase feeders which have ant dams at the top or hang your feeders with fishing line ( ant’s athletic skills do not run to scaling such a thin access “rope”).

Swimming and Children

Recently we have been very much aware of the stranded Thailand boys in the flooded cave. I have just read some criticism of parents who have children who cannot swim, which is the case with most of the boys now stranded in the cave system.

We must be aware that swimming instruction needs to be done in a comfortable water environment such as a pool or lake, not in a river with currents or in the sea where there are pounding waves. Many in poorer Countries or in isolated inland areas do not have access to such facilities. Even if they are near water, the conditions could dangerous for many reasons, especially in tropical climates.

When I was a child in the early 50’s, in Britain, public pools were rare; waves at the seaside could be rough and you would have to be near anyway to enjoy these places regularly…we take our transportation for granted today. I did not learn to swim until I was 12, and then only because our school had a small pool.

Most parents would dearly love their children to be able to swim as early as possible but a luxury such as this is often illusive to many. So, I say to the critics of such parents that we should all be more sensitive.

Garlic

 Quit watering them once the leaves start to turn yellow prior to harvesting if you can.....but we live in a rainy place, right?

To harvest, don't pull them up, dig them up gently with a fork. when the leaves start to turn yellow at the bottom....do a test on one or two plants to see if the bulbs are big enough. The trick is not to damage the outer skin covering.

After harvesting, try to avoid washing as much as possible. Dry the soil and gently rub off the remainder off, then hang them upside down in a cool dark place with good air circulation..... leave til all the leaves are dry. You can then cut off the leaves leaving a stalk about 4 inches long. Soft stemmed will keep longer (6 months) than hard stemmed (2-4 months).

Some people plat the leaves for storage. Enjoy.

I do it this way every year.

Dangerous or Not

Trump ......Could this man be dangerous, or not?

A view:

He launched himself as a "Populist". Populists rely on promises to the masses including many who are uneducated, many who want better in their lives for various reasons. He was elected.

Now cast your minds back to the early thirties in Europe. Many of you cannot, in reality, remember what went on , but you can indulge in virtual reality by "Googling" or by reading History.

Germany was in dire economic straits after WW1. The conquering powers had put the squeeze on this Country, big time. Hindenburg was in power and Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Hitler was ambitious and idealistic. Enter "The Night of the Long Knives" where he consolidated his grip on power. He gradually got rid of those important elements which were in his way of fulfillment. Right wing extremists were already organised, supportive and active. The stage was set.

The main promise to the people was "Libensraum" ...the extension of living space for Germany and a hope for better things. Meanwhile a convenient "Scapegoat" was conjured...the perception of harm coming from racial groups and minority groups like the Jews and various others. This notion is very powerful for ambitious Politicians.

Fast forward to the various pushes and invasions of European Countries prior to 1939. and the ultimate declaration WW11.

Remember that Germany was a Democratic Country prior to 1939 and remained so, after 1945. But in between?...well, you know that!

Now in the USA we have Extreme groups: We have the NRA, the KKK and a whole bunch of extreme Religious organizations, most of which support the present administration..

Now, YOU ALL can decide what this means...I leave it to you.

Or perhaps this is all a delusion.....I hope so!