“SAY NO TO HST IN BC” RALLY

Sorry for the tardy post… Too busy as usual…

Although I’m not fond of the idea of having to pay for a new tax, I didn’t participate actively in the rally that occured last week. I was curious as to how many people would turn up and was disappointed to see that with such a huge group on Facebook alone (over 120,000), only about 1,000 – 1,500 people (in my eyes) turned up for the “event.”

Bill Vander Zalm

Carole James

ON THE SIDE: RANDOM PHOTOS #1

Sometimes I have photos that I don’t know what to do with them (as far as this blog is concerned), so these will fit in the “random photos” category.  Here are the first five:

Arguably the most recognizable car in Vancouver

A cool cartoon painted on a vintage car

From my last visit back home in Montreal, in 2008

Vancouver’s Lions’ Gate bridge at night, as seen from Stanley Park’s Seawall

A mouth-watering dessert at “Seasons in the Park”, in Queen Elizabeth Park

WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN…

Just finished watching this provocative one hour talk about the dire effects of exponential growth (in population, non-renewable energy use, etc.). The lecture is presented by Al Bartlett, Professor Emeritus in nuclear physics at Colorado University. In his own words:

“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”

This is something for everyone to watch — not just people living or interested in Vancouver. ;)

RALLY AGAINST NEW TAX (R.A.N.T.)

I don’t like to talk about politics, but sometimes a topic is too infuriating to pass by without saying anything. If you still don’t know from the title of this article what I’m talking about, just read the “Why should you be upset?” column on the Say No To HST in BC Website to find out what has me and many other people clenching our fists in anger.

On a positive note, this unfortunate move by Gordon Campbell and his Liberals has brought the masses together in unprecedented ways. As of this writing, over 108,000 people have signed up on the NO BC HST Facebook Group in less than a month! Power to the people… :)

Former BC premier Bill Vander Zalm had this to say about the proposed HST’s negative impact. As mentioned in that commentary, a non-partisan rally is planned on Saturday, September 19, at noon, at the Vancouver Art Gallery Canada Place.  Come and voice your discontent peacefully along with the thousands of other people that are expected to take part in this event that is sure to shake the Liberal government’s foundation.

THE CANADA LINE IS HERE!

Broadway/City Hall Station

The Canada Line is here, ahead of schedule and under budget. :D

I’m looking forward to being able to go to Richmond in 25 minutes — either at the airport or at Richmond Centre –, but this inaugural day was painful…  It took us close to an hour and a half to finally board the train at the Yaletown/Roundhouse station (and there were worse stations: I heard a police officer say that people at the Waterfront Station had to wait up to 4 hours before boarding). But that day was special and some measures had to be taken to ensure that everybody had a chance to experience the new SkyTrain line (otherwise, people coming from Waterfront would fill up the train immediately and people at subsequent stations would not have a chance to try it out). I expect the first few days of operation to be quite busy, but things should settle down once people who just want to try it out have had their kicks.

Long lineups were part of the scenery near the  downtown stations of the new Canada Line

The new train cars have more room than the older models — which is great for the luggage you’ll be carrying to and from the airport –, cell phone coverage works even underground and as you wait for your train, the electronic display lets you know when the next three are coming.

Some improvements could be made in the looks department, though. Coming from Montreal where each metro station has its own personality and style, Vancouver’s underground stations strike me as quite bland. Gray is the dominant color, just like a typical Vancouver sky and works of art in whatever form are nowhere to be found (did I miss them?).

Richmond, here we come!

All in all, the new Canada Line is a great asset to the Greater Vancouver Area and I have a feeling I’ll go to Richmond more often now that there’s a quick and easy way to get there. :)