Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: to good decisions. In amongst all the other fallout from the massive Jan. 17 snowstorm, St. John’s city council made the decision to have Metrobus offer free fares for the two weeks after the buses were put back on the roads. Hopefully, curious potential customers left their cars at home during the snow-clotted days after the state of emergency ended. Hopefully, they got to see how the city’s bus service could work for them; it’s easy to forget about the benefits of transit if you never, ever use it. And for many who use the bus service regularly already — especially those who lost pay during the long week of shutdown — the free fares meant at least a little money stayed in their pockets. For regular riders, an extra $45 in their pockets is no small thing. Well done — and let’s hope it means a stronger Metrobus in the long run.
Cheers: to more good decisions. On Friday, the provincial government put in new rules about a series of vaccinations — patients will now be able to get vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis A and B (including the TWINRIX vaccine), shingles (herpes zoster), human papillomavirus (HPV) and chickenpox (varicella zoster) from their pharmacists, without having to get a prescription from a doctor. The government does warn, “People should contact their pharmacist in advance, as some locations may charge a fee to provide this service, in addition to the cost of the vaccination.” It’s another way to reduce the near-constant pressure on family practitioners — and that’s certainly for the best.
Cheers: to raw naked capitalism, and the laws of supply and demand. The poststorm 24-hour on-street parking ban has certainly been a bane for people trying to find a place to put their cars during class time near the university. The city’s parking enforcement teams have been out and about on a regular basis, tagging cars with tickets even on streets that have been widened basically curb-to-curb. Spotted on one enterprising homeowner’s snow pile near the university? A hand-written sign offering to let people park in the home’s driveway — “$4 for daytime, $2.50 overnight.” All you have to do is phone the number on the sign — or just knock on the door. If the offer gets enough takers, someone’s going to have enough money saved up for storm chips and beer by the time the next storm rolls around.
Jeers: to delay. Because of the storm, the provincial government has given the Public Utilities Board a week’s grace to finish up its report on how to mitigate electrical rates. The provincial inquiry into the Muskrat Falls fiasco had already been given additional time. But should we be surprised? After all, think how many years of deadlines the project itself has missed.