Snow a hot topic in city

Situations that were not just an inconvenience but downright dangerous abounded and persisted far too long. Neither Lynn Hall’s front page guff nor Pearce’s facetiousness change that at all.

Re: Square peg, round pipeline, editorial, Jan. 11

Mytwobits: The whole Canadian economy is underpinned by resource extraction, exploitation. Shut down our mining, forestry, oil and gas, hydroelectric and we are a “developing nation” the next day. Sure we have manufacturing in Ontario - which can be done by any country with a population base. What makes Canada rich, is the resources to exploit are here, so the wealth can be here. There isn’t a single resource project that some First Nation hasn’t objected to and litigated. Kinder Morgan was supported by the majority of FNs, but a minority got it stopped. So my question to the First Nations is there are 35 million of us in this country and we all need healthcare, schools, heat, food, clothing, so if we shut down all these activities so you can go out and hunt elk, and return to your traditional way of life, what do you want the other 33 million of us to do? Go back to where we came from?

PG_Resident: The band can’t even come to consensus within its own organizational structure and nobody can agree who has the authority to ‘approve’ anything. So in effect a very small number of people can hold up billions of dollars in infrastructure projects which are good for Canada and our weak-kneed government lets it happen. We have let hundreds of small localized groups of people have veto power, which is in no way practical, workable or sustainable. This is why investment is leaving the country.

Les_Vegas: Is investment leaving the country? Please provide evidence of this, with facts, not conjecture.

GPFL: Horgan is getting frustrated with building neverending consensus. In case you missed it, Neil, Horgan was quoted Wednesday in a live interview, as saying “If protesters are breaking the law, there are consequences for that and that’s why 14 people were arrested.” I took this direct quote from a Jan. 10. Vaughn Palmer Vancouver Sun article –LNG aside, clarification of consent with First Nations remains murky. “Murky” is a huge understatement by Palmer. Perhaps “pure mud” would better describe endless talking and attempts at building bridges with natives. Blocking existing real bridges with barb wire and using clubs to try and intimidate RCMP officers from removing that physical obstruction from a forest service roadway is illegal, as Premier Horgan points out.

Bill Thompson: So, based on what you have said, on one hand the hereditary chiefs hold final say and on others its the elected chiefs, band councils or reserve members or off reserve members or some combination of all the above who have the final say.

This may work for FNs but its not working for other Canadians and our courts, which are not based on that system. Its needlessly cumbersome and expensive to have a different system of negotiations for each FN group across this country.

No wonder negotiations never seem to cease, businesses can’t expand, investment is choked, FN people don’t get proper housing or water and the Canadian taxpayer foots the bill for both sides, seemingly in perpetuity in addition to paying at least part or all the cost of any agreed-to settlement.

No one seems to know exactly who they should be dealing with as evidenced by the LNG pipeline fiasco, leading to confrontation and hard feelings all around. There is no way the hereditary chiefs knew nothing about the agreement reached between the elected chiefs and the company behind the pipeline. So why only now, apparently, do they show up saying they haven’t given consent so the agreement is invalid? How does our court system agree to an injunction if they know the company doesn’t have a valid deal? Or does it? Time to sort out a workable, less complicated and far less costly system for the benefit of all concerned.

Re: Clearing the snow (and the air), editorial, Jan. 10

Iam Noone: Graders spent a day running around town with their blades up... pretty hard to move snow with the blade up, though I guess it would fit into the statement that they were out and and about.

Justin Fraser: The snow nonremoval was a joke as was the mayor/s response. My priority 3 street waited til the 9th day to be cleared, so much for 72 hrs. I have lived in PG for 60-plus years and generally the snow removal has been pretty well done overall, but the ball was truly dropped this time around and with the bitterness of ridiculous management overtime still in the air the level of incompetence displayed is truly disturbing.

Council, get your act together and govern, get rid of the overpaid management and get some people who will actually do their job and keep costs down, stop with the incessant tax and utilities increases. Prince George looks more and more like a great place to retire away from.

CindyME: Absolutely right!

Re: Fix democracy to avoid another PR vote, Todd Whitcombe column, Jan. 8

dizzy_d: Cool idea, let’s put it on a mailin ballot.

Chris Kyte: Fewer than 30 per cent of people living in B.C. support Pro Rep. FPTP works.

One hundred per cent of those elected take a seat in the legislature. The party with the most votes forms the government while the rest become the opposition. To think that the opposition does not play a constructive role is to not understand how our parliamentary system works. Opposition holds the government accountable and there is much work that goes on behind close doors.

Waverly: “Can we now have a conversation about our representative democracy and how it works?” We just did, and we voted on it, and the people have spoken with a clear and concise decision. That’s how democracy works.

NDPhack: A revolving continuous voting requirement would result in extreme voter fatigue and low voter turn out. The winner would be from a low election turnout that the PR minority would jump on as proof FPTP doesn’t work.

WayneSmith: You can’t fix democracy without a fair voting system, and that’s all that’s meant by “proportional representation.” Right now, political parties have all the power and voters have no way to hold them accountable because the outcome of the election doesn’t match the way we voted. Sooner or later we will figure this out. PG_Resident: People have figured out they don’t want coalition governments.

The Dude: Any improvement in our democracy has to first come from within the political parties themselves. As long as they continue to be run as the fiefdom of a small group of political operators then we will see substandard obedient candidates on the ballot – from all parties and the system we use to elect them won’t matter much. Mytwobits2017: If the goal is a more representative result, you have to hold two ballots. First ballot everyone’s name is on it, then second ballot, only the top 2 names. More work and cost, but it least we get to choose between the least of two evils if our first choice doesn’t make it.

artbetke: Continual elections? Continual campaigns? Constantly changing government? How would anything be accomplished? No thanks.

Re: B.C. minister under fire for visit to Coastal GasLink pipeline blockade, Jan. 8

Ian Simpson: Wow! Newbie minister just learning the ropes? Not how it’s done! The mea culpa’s better come fast and sincerely or the premier needs to act.

Slim: I don’t care which party a person supports, what political stripe they are, Mr. Donaldson needs lessons in integrity and rule of law.

GPFL: Mr. Donaldson seems to have forgotten that as a minister of the B.C. government, he has a responsibility to all of B.C.’s 4,500,000 people. The integrity of his office needs to show an unbiased approach to resource development. Meeting privately with protesters at a protest sight shows bias.

kitiara: So people protest to get the attention of politicians but politicians aren’t allowed to talk to them? Hmmmmm.

GPFL: Protesting is allowed, blocking roads, installing gates and obstruction is not allowed.

The minister’s presence at a blockade is the problem. The BC Supreme Court has ruled the blockade as illegal. Donaldson’s presence at an illegal blockade is the problem. As a minister of the BC government, Donaldson has to follow the rule of law. Donaldson is a sworn officer of the B.C. Government. Most news reports on this issue have failed to distinguish the right to protest vs. the illegal act of blockading access.

bb49: Not when the protesters are in violation of a supreme court order. Donaldson is showing total ignorance and disrespect of law.

canucks_rule: Their elected chief and council have signed on to the agreement. Same as we can’t change what our elected leaders do no matter if we have titles, the only way to change it is to elect someone else.

lunarcom: If more politicians got out of Victoria and actually saw how their actions affect real people things would be better all the way around!

Claymor: The Minister must resign. He actively supported an illegal blockade. He has also misrepresented the Supreme Court of Canada Delgamuukw decision and ought to know better. He is now hopelessly compromised and needs to stand down.

PG_Resident: The question is valid. Does Donaldson see himself as an activist or does he follow the rule of law? He put himself in conflict here.

peece: Agreed. Poor choice on Donaldson. I bet Horgan is pissed as it shows a divided caucus (He was apparently fuming with his agriculture minister over the fish farm file last year).