Bay Watch
You can tell it is really close to Cabin Fever stage when you start sticking your long nose into other people’s problems.
I simply had to write…
Having spent more than two decades in an elementary school solving the multitude of silly problems that seem to arise daily, it was quite simple for me to come up with a solution for this seemingly difficult situation out at Shallow Bay.
Let’s break this down to the lowest common denominator.
Len Walchuk and Karla DesRosiers want to grow more oats and hay so they need more land to grow it on.
The Ta’an don’t want to go to meetings and discuss this but they also don’t want to give up the land because they used to hunt ducks there.
CPAWS wants to save the planet and designates these swampy wetlands as “globally significant.”
OK ... here goes… Walchuk will promise to grow a great grain crop, near the swamp, not in the swamp, in fact he will keep his big, noisy tractor 100 meters (328.08 feet) away from it. The ducks will promise to breed profusely and help themselves to the nearby grain crop. They will also invite many of their relatives along, with their distant cousins the geese, to come join them at their new holiday resort.
The ducks and geese will all work together to help Walchuk and DesRosiers harvest the grain.
The Ta’an will ask Walchuk and DesRosiers if they can still hunt the swamp to cut down the now burgeoning duck population, and CPAWS will continue to use large silly words like “globally significant” when describing your local pond or swamp.
Since CPAWS does not seem to understand where local farmers actually plant, they were very concerned that planting grain causes irreparable damage to wetlands and the inhabitants of this wetland.
On my own, I conducted a survey on my 16 hectares of prime, globally significant, well drained, sandy farm land which just happens to be fringed by globally significant stunted aspen and scrawny spruce.
I noticed that, by just by planting oats, I have increased my mule deer population, my goose population and my vole population in one short year.
The biological diversity and the increase in indigenous species was impressive. What I have proposed here on Bay Watch is a win, win, win situation.
The guy I really worry about is the poor government negotiator, Komaromi.
He still has to go to the office each day and deal with issues like this and since both parties will never be happy with his decision so they have to come up with new arguments, bring in some new reinforcements and rush to the media to splash this issue all over the headlines.
It is enough to make a government negotiator quit in frustration and go to teaching school.
Don’t bother, Komaromi, even with my obvious skills in negotiating, I still can’t figure out how to keep a class full of Grade 7 boys from rushing into a gym storage room that is full of identical basketballs and keep them from fighting over one particular ball.
Good luck.
Peter Harms
Whitehorse
The blame game
The blackout did not affect our home very much since we had installed catalytic wood fireplaces, a couple years back, that do the majority of the heating in our house.
As an added bonus we found you can actually cook things on top in a pinch.
Since we have our own water pumping system, we always keep backup water containers in the house, for times when we have no electricity.
The single strongest criticism I have about the way the power blackout was handled was the lack of communication to the general public.
Emergency Measures Yukon has a very clear lead role spelled out in the Civil Emergency Measures Act, Yukon.
At the very least, they should have been down at the CBC within the hour making sure that regular broadcasts were going out to the general public.
This time, we were lucky that no one was hurt from this event.
I do find it very annoying to hear a public servant on the radio justifying the lack of timely communication by shifting the blame to seniors or disabled or the general public for not being better prepared.
Florian Lemphers
Shallow Bay
Yukoners are
good for the heart
More than 50 years ago, 10 Canadian doctors and researchers got together and started what is now called the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon has two goals: public education and research on heart disease and stroke.
The foundation is not dependent on government funding. All the money raised for the Foundation comes from the efforts of Canadians, like you.
The work of the Heart and Stroke Foundation is very important as each year 79,000 Canadians die from either heart disease or stroke.
Each year more women than men die from stroke.
After age 55 the risk of stroke for Canadians, doubles every 10 years.
The good news is that leading a physically active lifestyle, eating a heart healthy diet and staying smoke-free not only reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke but also makes life more enjoyable.
In the Yukon, during Heart Month (February), there are a number of businesses that must be thanked for their contributions.
Canadian Tire has placed a cash donation box at each till. CKRW, Main Street Yukon Society and the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce have helped to promote the Super Fit for Heart at the Canada Games Centre.
Hair Sensations is donating $2 from the sale of every pair of heart earrings.
The employees of Whitehorse, the Royal Bank and the Bank of Nova Scotia are selling $5 silver pins as a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Northwestel employees are also selling the $5 heart pins, and the company has kindly agreed to match the funds from the sale of these pins up to $1,500!
On February 14 , CBC is doing a show from up the Canada Games Centre during the Super Fit for Heart. Come and join us for a shinny hockey game, an aquafit class, circuit class, skating, running, walking, swimming or jogging on the indoor track.
Admission is waived for a minimum $10 donation. Thank you, Whitehorse and Peak Fitness.
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to all the Yukon teachers, parents and students who fundraise for the Heart and Stroke Foundation throughout the year with the Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart programs.
Congratulations to Golden Horn Elementary School, which has just achieved its Bronze Achievement Award for raising, over a number of years, more than $85,000.
Look for volunteer canvassers at your door this month. For more information go to our website at www.heartandstroke.ca or call locally to 668-2685.
Sue Edelman, Heart Month
co-ordinator
Whitehorse
Grateful Cancer Society
The Whitehorse chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society would like to thank everyone who participated in our very successful 2005 Rent-A-Santa fundraiser.
The tremendous support by members of the public who “rent” the Santas and Mrs. Clauses is truly appreciated.
And, of course, behind those beards and aprons are the most dedicated people who generously volunteer their time and willingly accommodate all the special “Santa arrival” instructions at each event.
Their continued loyalty enables us to maintain this worthwhile Christmas tradition. Special acknowledgement also goes to Qualita Cleaners and the Yukon News, whose contributions are vital to our program.
The Canadian cancer Society relies on the generosity of the public and its volunteers. The ongoing support and donations from the community assure that our program continues to provide much needed funds for cancer research and support for patients.
Mary Mickey and Laura Babala, Volunteer Santa co-ordinators, Whitehorse