Leaders need to learn from history’s lessons

I mean this letter to be something that will motivate the City of Medicine Hat Council and other levels of Government.

We are at a time of great upheaval there are many out there that for them the end of the known world has arrived. I have been both fortunate and unfortunate to live through these times.

This is not the time for our City leadership to sit back and say they will inform us more on April 6. There are many that need some reassurance now. Back in 1987 both my wife and I got laid off in the same week, we had 3 small children a mortgage, car loans, personal loans ett.

While the lessons I learned during this time helped to prepare me for now, it was still a very scary lesson.

I also was in a very good position in 1991 when we had a very severe recession in Canada and thought “What recession?”. I am asking our leaders to stand up and not think of re-election but do what is required to help those in need.

For about 20% of population this is a very scary time. Why are pay cuts not being taken at the high wage scale of public officials, but instead they are laying off the most venerable the part time and temporary and low-end front-line workers?

I agree with the wage subsidies of 75% the Federal government is now offering, but where was this 2 weeks ago?

I would ask the politicians to just put themselves in the position of a family who is less than $200 from not paying their bills to explain to their children we both lost our jobs.

How would you sleep at night knowing there are no jobs to go to? How would you comfort your family?

It is great to mandate all these closures and shut down businesses but what about the outcome, what about the victims?

Maybe you have to spend a few sleepless nights to solve these problems but there are many who are spending sleepless nights just trying to figure out how to get food.

Alan Rose

Medicine Hat