Cheers &Jeers
JEERS: To the NFL’s DeMarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys, who was caught on camera last week denying a young fan an autograph request because the kid was wearing a New York Giants (the game’s opposing team) jersey. Really? Is Lawrence that petty to deny a kid an autograph for that? Lawrence defended his actions on Twitter by explaining that lots of kids don’t get to meet athletes at games, and that he will never treat another kid better than his own. The comments ended with #SorrynotSorry. We saw the opposite from Canada’s Bianca Andreescu, who took the time to engage fans with autographs and selfies at the U.S. Open. It isn’t fair to ask athletes to be role models. If they are comfortable in that role, then great. But it isn’t too much to ask them to be decent human beings. And on that front, Lawrence has a lot to learn.
CHEERS: To the crews from Maritime Electric, Fortis Ontario and Newfoundland Power, not to mention everyone else out there helping them out, who have been working nonstop to restore power after hurricane Dorian struck and threw 62,000 customers into the dark last weekend. Kim Griffin with Maritime Electric said it’s the worst storm the company has ever faced. The amount of tree damage is unprecedented. The challenge these crews are facing must be daunting. There’s nothing like losing electricity to make a person appreciate what it means to have power. Here’s hoping these crews stay safe.
CHEERS: To the Charlottetown Professional Firefighters Association (CPFA) for signing with the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) in August and immediately identifying staffing as its top priority. For 72 hours a week, only one full-time firefighter responds right away to a 911 call from Station 1 on Kent Street while there are no career firefighters at Station 2 in Sherwood. With the city on the verge of building a third station in the West Royalty area, it is time that this issue was addressed.
JEERS: To the 17-year-old youth and 56-year-old man who were ticketed on Sept. 6 for passing the same school bus in Souris while the red lights were flashing. It’s the same old story. The warnings are out there, but people still selfishly choose dangerous driving over patiently waiting for kids to safely board or exit a school bus. They were caught and charged, but that is only half of the battle. The threat of fines and the loss of licence obviously isn’t working as a deterrence. And, we can assume the flashing strobe lights on the 42 new school buses aren’t going to make much of a difference either. The province needs to come up with some real solutions before a tragedy happens.