PUBLISHED IN THE NEWFOUNDLAND HERALD FOR WEEK 27 JUNE - 3 JULY 2010
...
I had visitors from British Columbia this week and we took pride in showing them around the beautiful rural Town of Gambo.
They were very impressed with the people and the friendly attitudes displayed by those who had very little but were willing to share the little they had.
They were impressed with the wonderful parks, trails, and recreation areas within walking distance or short driving distance of my home.
They wanted to be part of the “HAVE” province! That is until…
I told them we can’t drink the water from our taps, we have to go to the communal watering hole to collect spring water to drink, just as they do in Third World Countries. They were shocked to see elderly citizens trying to lift water jugs into their vehicle, obvious strain and struggle being observed in their efforts.
I told them our town has had it’s Infrastructure Grants cut by $200,000 per year by Danny Williams, a significant sum that is needed to provide the clean drinking water, a necessity of life that we used to get from the taps in our kitchen.
I told them the previous government, not the Danny Williams government, provided the recreation areas and trails that they enjoyed visiting. We have not received much since, except higher Property Taxes and will soon be paying a higher price to have our garbage driven halfway across the province instead of utilizing a local dump.
They admitted that if this is what being a “HAVE” province means, they will go back to BC and their “HAVE NOT” conveniences.
//signed//
Robin Brentnall
Gambo, NL
No comments:
Post a Comment