Gordon F D Wilson » Java Jive – Over morning coffee

Nonsensical verbiage is the medium for modern marketing

Gordon — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:35:24 +0000

Have you ever had someone say something that you think is so stupid that you cannot believe there is not some deeper meaning to the statement? Take for example, my experience the other day in a local coffee house. I walked up to the counter and asked the young server for a black coffee, dark roast. She smiled, took a mug and filled it with coffee from the carafe marked “dark roast”.
Here is how the conversation went:
“Here you go,” she handed the mug of coffee toward me, a sparkle in her young eyes. “Would you like cream and sugar?”
“No thanks, I like black coffee.”
“This is black coffee.” She held tightly onto the mug. “I was asking if you would like cream or sugar in it.”
Ok, judging by her inability to work the cash register and process my payment, I can believe this was a very new employee, perhaps her first day. Maybe I was her first customer, I don’t know. She appeared to be in her late teens, so maybe she had grown up in a family without coffee, I am not sure. But, come on; really? Is it possible someone can be that stupid? Or, did I miss something? Is there coffee out there that doesn’t appear black when ground, perked, and poured?
I often hear people talk about the need to dumb a conversation down in order for the average person to fully grasp its meaning, and maybe that’s part of the problem. Maybe by collectively turning a deaf ear to obviously stupid statements, we are accepting that stupid is ok.
Here’s another example. A television newscaster a few nights ago read out the following on the evening news: “The tribe have for generations been living in a deserted valley, isolated from the main population by dense rainforest.” There was not even a blink in his eye when he read it. How can he read such an absurdity? Obviously a valley in which a population has been living for generations is NOT deserted. What was meant, I think, was that the main population of this tribe left that valley generations ago and migrated through thick rainforest to an upland plateau leaving the impression to outside observers that the valley no longer supported human habitation and thus was “deserted”. The point is, the statement was made and broadcast, unchallenged.
I sometimes wonder if I am slow to recognize that this is the new idiolect. In the world of texting shorthand and twitter tweets, maybe the abuse of simple English is idiomatic for modern Canadians. I hope not because it causes more serious problems than being an irritant. Nonsensical verbiage is the medium for modern marketing, and through that process becomes an accepted way of communicating even for the brightest minds.
A company selling an ammonia-based cleaning product will convince you that the smell associated with their product is “fresh”. Make your house smell fresh with product X. Spray this chemical cocktail around the room and your friends will remark at how “fresh” your house smells. At some level we all know that is a ridiculous statement. What does “fresh” smell like? Fresh what? Fresh skunk? At best we will accept that it might mask other smells that are more offensive to some noses, but it’s not “fresh” that you smell.
The term “organic” is more often than not used to mislead consumers because of the perceptions that are associated with its use. “To be healthy you should only buy organic vegetables.” All vegetables are organic! Still, I think we all know what is really meant. “Don’t eat vegetables that have been exposed to synthetic or chemical fertilizers and pesticides.” No argument from me, but that is a completely different statement from promoting organic food.
Just because a plum or an ear of corn is not stamped “organic” does not mean that it has been exposed to a practice of farming with synthetic or chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Two farmers living side by side may grow exactly the same crop of corn in exactly the same manner and yet one will have obtained “organic certification” from a regulatory authority while the other has not. The corn with the organic certification will sell for a higher price and be labelled “organic” even though the cheaper corn in the next bin may well be exactly the same product.
Where language usage becomes really toxic is when it is deliberately used to promote hatred, and to mislead the public. “Weapons of mass destruction”, the phrase used to launch the war on Iraq, should really have been termed “weapons that may cause mass destruction”. As it turns out, they didn’t exist in Iraq yet 655,000 lives were lost in the war to find and eradicate them. What do you suppose killed all those people? We are quickly told that only “conventional weapons” were used. In other words, they were killed by weapons that can cause only limited destruction, so that was ok. I guess to be mass destruction you have to exceed 655,000 deaths.
The problem for me is that we cannot think clearly about solutions to problems happening on a global scale if we cannot even have a have meaningful dialogue on the most simple issues. We cannot afford to turn a deaf ear to the stupid or uniformed. We did that in the 1970’s when we had defined and clear strategies toward “limits to growth economic models” with tangible, clear goals and measurable results. We let the ignorant, some with personal vested interests, co-opt sound strategy into one of “sustainable development”, a complete oxymoron that became the mantra and the rhetoric of the “greens” and kept us on our current course toward global destruction.
So the next time a young person tells you that they know you like black coffee but still wants to know if you wish to add milk and sugar to your black coffee, buy them a cup, sit them down, and tell them about the fate of the world.

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We are on the brink of the next global migration

Gordon — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:51:05 +0000

We are on the brink of the next global migration. People looking for liveable space free from persecution by state-sanctioned thugs who, faced with rising domestic population, and limits created by global climate change, will enslave those who produce the food they need. They will covet potable water, and run off, starve, or worse kill those whom they consider nothing more than competing mouths to feed. Canada, one of the largest, least densely populated countries on earth can expect many more to arrive upon our shores. We will take them in. Why? Because we are Canadian and the majority of us know that we should not fear those who run from persecution, famine, natural disaster or civil war. No, we should fear only state-sanctioned persecution, and the devastation caused through natural disaster. We should see those in need and know that “there but for the grace of God go I”. And, above all we must be vigilant not to let those who live amongst us who harbour enough ignorance, vitriol and hatred for those unlike themselves, to whip up sufficient dark emotion to cause some of us to loosen our grip on humanity and join the ranks of the thugs. For now, we can enjoy our wealth. But let us never forget; these are the good old days.

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It may well be that the real price of the Faustian deal cut between Harper and Campbell over the HST is the Campbell government itself.

Gordon — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:37:53 +0000

I listened with interest CBC radio Early Edition this morning, while Finance Minister Colin Hansen tried to defend his government’s continued support for the HST in the face of the successful initiative led by former Social Credit Premier, Bill Vander Zalm.
In the course of the interview Mr. Hansen asserted that the introduction of the HST was never discussed prior to the provincial election and that he would show chapter and verse when the idea was first presented by finance ministry staff, and when that idea was advanced through Treasury Board and passed by Cabinet.
I for one, having been a Finance Minister in BC, sat on Treasury Board and been a member of Cabinet in several Ministerial capacities, would like to see that documentation. Such a fundamental change in taxation policy generally takes months of study and debate. This decision was, by comparison, taken with lightning speed.
One has to wonder to what extent the $1.6 billion bribe by the Harper government played a deciding part in the decision to harmonize the tax. It did, after all, come at a time when the province was looking at a looming deficit, $1.5 billion beyond the $495 million promised in the just finished election. It may well be that the real price of the Faustian deal cut between Harper and Campbell over the HST is the Campbell government itself.

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New law may save Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite’s backside, if she is even charged.

Gordon — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:43:55 +0000

How convenient is this? The new drunk driving law may remove a first time offense from a criminal charge just in time to save Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite’s backside having been caught driving drunk in February of this year. Under this law she may not face a criminal conviction if she is charged and found guilty.
No charges were laid at the time, and it took weeks before the government appointed a special prosecutor to determine if charges should be laid. As far as I know she still has not been charged, and we still don’t know how much over the limit her blood alcohol level was at the time.
Now the government introduces a law that gives the police unprecedented powers to issue roadside suspensions, vehicle impoundment and fines before a charge is laid and the driver being found guilty in court.
Of course, the Campbell government has NO moral authority when it comes to the matter of driving drunk. It was ok for the Premier to drive “shitfaced” to use the vernacular, and simply cry a bit and say sorry. It is ok for his MLA to admit her drunken driving was unacceptable, because for Campbell and his gang there are never any consequences. Life goes on. As for the rest of us, Campbell sees nothing wrong with giving the police the power to revoked our license, impound our car, and issue us a fine before we are even charged.
The worst part of this announcement is that it is couched in terms of ‘hey everyone look how strict and responsible we’re being on the question of driving drunk. Then we read the fine print and find out that by ‘strict’ they mean potentially ‘downgrading’ the penalty for first timers like their own MLA.
What absolute hypocrisy!

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The B.C. Ferry Corporation estimates that the HST will require roughly $6 million annually to be passed on as a cost to the ferry users.

Gordon — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Colin Hansen boasts that he and his wife ran a small business prior to his entry into politics in 1995. Perhaps his absence from business for so long has warped his view of the negative impact the HST will have on a host of small businesses.
One would think that the Finance Minister, who held “private” meetings with various stakeholders, would have a better idea. Perhaps he has given concessions to the important political supporters such as the home builders where he agreed to raise the threshold for new homes subject to additional tax to those priced at $525,000. Clearly he knows that the HST will negatively impact home construction projects. That is why he tried to cut a deal with builders to get their support.
Similarly, the Victoria Chamber of Commerce advocated on behalf of the Council of Tourism Associations to bring in mitigation strategies to off-set negative impacts from the HST for tourist operators on Vancouver Island. A strong representation to the Minister of Finance was made along with recommendations such as a change in the transitional rules allowing that fixed-price contracts in the tourism industry not be subject to self assessment in the 2010 calendar year to provide relief for the hundreds of tourism related businesses who managed to stave off bankruptcy in the wake of the 2008/09 economic meltdown. Clearly, such a request would not be necessary if the HST was as good for business as Mr. Hansen contends it is.
Further, the HST will increase the cost of Ferry service to ferry dependent communities. While the fares themselves are HST exempt, B.C. Ferries is unable to claim back their increased HST expenses through input tax credits.
The B.C. Ferry Corporation estimates that the HST will require roughly $6 million annually to be passed on as a cost to the ferry users. That will have to be recovered through additional increases to ferry fares. They have already gone up by over 100% on some routes since the Campbell government has come to office.
Ferry fares directly impact the cost of doing business in every community that is dependent upon them. I suppose that Mr. Hansen’s response will be to look to private barge operators who are able to recover those costs to transport commodities, which is typical of the short sighted, poor economics practiced by this government. By removing commercial users from the BC Ferry service, it will further reduce revenues to the Corporation which will require it to recover the loss through higher fees for those consumers who have no choice in terms of their travel options.
Maybe, our Finance Minister who continues to insist that the HST is a positive tax for business will make yet another concession and allow the Corporation to qualify. Either way it makes the introduction of this tax not only unfair in its application, but also a sham in terms of the stated neutral impact.
Finance Minister Hansen is quick to say that small business will benefit as a result of the input tax credits, and that he “expects those savings will be passed along to the consumer” rather than go into the pocket of the business in question. To think that hard pressed business owners coming off one of the worst years in memory won’t pocket any savings is like expecting a monkey not to climb a tree.
There is so much dishonesty surrounding the introduction of this HST. Not only were the voters not told that this would be a major initiative by this government, but the government’s message is steeped in rhetoric and served to the people like a weak, and bitter tea. If the HST is so good for business, then why have so many lobbied so hard for exemption or concessions, and why has the government been so willing to hear the concerns, and in some cases given them?

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am I alone in feeling outrage at the misguided economic policies of the current provincial government?

Gordon — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:17:02 +0000

It’s a fine day to storm watch. The breakers are huge, the tide high, the wind howling, and I am safe inside dry and warm, enjoying coffee with Judi. Each morning we make time to enjoy a cup together, to share our dreams, reflect upon all of our blessings, and prepare ourselves for the challenges that the day will bring.
Of course we are both keenly interested in the affairs of the body politic at all levels, and share similar views. Perhaps that comes with having the same birthday, I am not sure. While we share the same day, we don’t share the same year, which might account for the fact that Judi is a bit more conservative than I am. Judi, after all, didn’t have the benefit of university in America during the latter part of the 1960s.
Having both been elected Members of the Legislature in British Columbia, and actively engaged in the political debate at the federal level during the 1980s and 1990s, we are now content, for the time being anyway, to be “informed voyeurs”. We are still passionate on the issues, some issues more than others.
There are days, and this is one of them, when I wonder if I am alone in feeling outrage at the misguided economic policies of the current provincial government. Where is the protest from the public? What’s worse, where are the Official Opposition, Carole James and the NDP, who are elected to oppose government policies that harm the people?
Take the last two weeks as an example. We learned that kindergarten-aged children in Prince George are going to be forced to spend three hours a day on a bus to get to and from school because the local school board does not have a budget sufficient to provide for the needs of the kids in that community. We have heard nothing on this from the NDP.
In Vancouver, the premier pats himself on the back while announcing a new Vegas-style Casino in an area of Vancouver that, recently gentrified, is in desperate need of schools and parks for the many young families that have been encouraged to move into the neighbourhood. Reports in the media would suggest that the NDP don’t really have a problem with this proposal.
In the Legislature, we witnessed the introduction of the HST, a harmonized tax that is going to cause every single one of us to pay more for goods and services than we pay now, and at a time when many of us are still trying to recover from one of the worst recessions in history.
On this issue the Opposition is going to take a stand, taking the unusual step of requiring a standing vote on First Reading of the Bill in the House as a shot across the bow. But it is former Social Credit Premier Bill Vander Zalm who has taken leadership on the monumental ‘Initiative’ campaign, stumping around the province to try to get enough signatures to make a legal move to stop the bill from proceeding.
On top of that, April 1 made fools of us all as we peacefully sat back and watched the government approve rate increases in everything from the electricity in our homes to the campsites we love in the summer months. And let’s not forget the BC ferries.
April 1, also brought significant fare increases on the BC Ferries.
While this may not seem like a big deal to those who live in Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley or the interior of the province, these rate increases will have a critical impact on the lives of all those who live in ferry-dependent communities. There was a time when such a fare increase would cause people to rise up in protest until the government responded to their demand to be heard.
Here is a compilation of three articles taken from the Island Tides publication in 1997. Check it out:

http://www.islandtides.com/assets/reprint/Ferries_FareIncrease_97.pdf

That was a time when, with the NDP in power, people took action. There is no such appetite to do so now, even though the successive rate hikes in ferry fares have almost doubled what we have to pay since Campbell’s government was elected. Where are the community leaders, business people, and other protestors now?
As I sip my morning coffee and watch the white foam of the waves bubble like champagne over the rocky shore, I speculate on an answer.
Perhaps the people took action then because they believed that they would be heard by those in elected office, and through that process, the people could actually affect positive change. Certainly they achieved some success. When I became the Minister for BC Ferries, we paid off the corporate debt, went after and finally secured the federal government contribution that was owed to the province for the ‘highway’ portion of the ferry service, dedicated a portion of the gas tax to ferries, froze fares, and treated all of the ferries as an essential part of the highway system. Of course that has all changed now with the Campbell government offloading responsibility to a ‘private company’ with one shareholder: the provincial government.
So, perhaps the people sit silent now because they know that this government doesn’t listen, and no amount of protest will cause it to alter the policies that are set by elites in a very private and wealthy club. Still, no protest at all will ensure the concerns are never heard and the silence from the mayors, advocates, and opponents to these rates hikes gives everyone the impression that people support them.

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“the world is run by those who show up” – judi tyabji

Gordon — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:52:19 +0000

Conversation over this morning’s coffee prompts me to write this short bit on our democratic system. My wife, Judi, says that the world is run by those who show up, and there’s a great deal of truth in that.
The annual general meeting of the local agricultural society was held last evening. Despite being an active farmer I chose not to go, but Judi felt a duty to the incumbent board to attend. There had been a great deal of questionable management of funds by the previous board, and last year a group were elected to sort out the serious abuses of both executive authority and breaches of the governing Societies Act.
The new board started to clean up the mess, much to the chagrin of those who had been running the society like a private club for private profit. As you might imagine, the AGM afforded an election of officers, and the disgruntled bunch who had previously helped themselves to society proceeds were out in force, bringing with them locals who knew little or nothing about what had been going on, and managed to get themselves voted back in.
Frankly I don’t really care too much about this little society which I am sure will return to its past ways. I saw an increasing number of vacant stalls at the weekend farmer’s market the last time this group took it over, and many local musicians who liked to play and sing at the market on the weekend stopped going altogether. I am quite sure that will happen again and in the scheme of things it’s not that big a deal. Chances are fairly high that another market will establish elsewhere in the area and that will be properly run.
What is rather comical and at the same time alarming, is the fact that the people who demand that they run the show aren’t capable of doing so. The amount of ignorance demonstrated and downright falsehoods provided in leaflets handed out to those cajoled to attend the meeting and vote out the incumbents is alarming. The fact that so many of these people accepted the information without question was even more telling.
My cousin was the incumbent society president, and she is a sheep farmer with a small local hobby farm. She is dedicated to heritage breeds, saved a small flock from near extinction, and her whole operation is non-GMO, natural, and old-fashioned in its methods. The information circulated against her is that she is a secret advocate of factory farming, shilling for corporate agendas from the big city that will destroy the small local farmer. Unlike many of those who replaced her on the board, she IS the small local farmer!
In a small way the events last night demonstrated how easily our democratic process can be manipulated by those with a personal agenda. Bullies and the unscrupulous will prevail in all walks of life unless the majority who prefer honesty and adherence to due process step forward. I have experienced this myself first hand during my fourteen years in elected office at both local and provincial government levels.
I guess I have to take some responsibility, as I was one of the guilty who didn’t show up to keep the operation in the hands of those who will manage the society for the members and not themselves. Ah democracy is a great institution, but I think that Judi is right; the world is run by those who show up!

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Who will lead us to this “Promised Land”

Gordon — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:34:02 +0000

For those who followed the Canada 150 conference in Montreal last weekend, it will not come as a surprise that the event closed with a call to expand Canada’s role as a leader in world affairs and to improve the lot of Canadians at home.
The Montreal conference, which was set up as a “non-partisan” think tank, became a forum for those of us who would like to return to the Lester B. Pearson approach to foreign affairs, where Canada is an independent, compassionate voice dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights and freedoms of people around the world, rather than an appendage to NATO that marches to the drum of U.S. foreign policy.
The conference also heard from those concerned with the domestic economy, collared by a record $54 billion annual deficit that has been racked up by the Harper government and in desperate need of expenditures in the fields of health, education, and social services.
The conference painted a picture of a nation that I certainly could embrace. A nation where the rights of individuals are protected without subverting the collective interests of Canadians in terms of the equality that we enjoy under the law, regardless of our race, colour, creed, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation.
The question left unanswered was where is the leader with the passion, the vision, the ability to articulate a plan of action that is progressive and achievable? Who will ignite the tinder within the hearts of the young and old alike and start a movement toward fundamental change that will take us to this “Promised Land”?
The implication we were left with was that the answer is Michael Ignatieff, the only national leader attending this “non-partisan” gathering, so with expectations high the crowd gathered to hear his closing speech.
“Everything I heard this weekend says we need a new kind of federal leadership,” Ignatieff said, and then proceeded to tell the crowd what he would do if elected Prime Minister. The highlights were the introduction of an all-inclusive pan-Canadian approach to learning, pension reform for fiscal security for our aging population, and a freeze of the planned corporate income tax reductions to restore balanced budgets. All are worthy goals, but they are hardly new or innovative.
We can all applaud a greater commitment to education and learning, but what is it that we will be teaching our children? We can all applaud a greater emphasis on skills development and training, but what skills and what training will we advance that will prepare the next generation of Canadians to participate in the new economy? There was no vision put forward on these critical questions.
To be sure there were good ideas advanced and progressive policy on wellness as a means to reducing health care costs was discussed, but there was very little said in the way of specifics that would lead an observer to believe that tangible change is ahead.
Pension reform to provide greater financial stability for our aging population is laudable. Why not start by no longer taxing our most senior citizens. My aged, 89 year old mother, who thankfully has not put any burden upon the health care system, still has to pay income tax out of her shrinking pension!
It will come as no surprise that the media decided that the top story of the weekend was Ignatieff’s commitment to freeze further corporate income tax reductions. Having corporations pay their fare share is an old slogan, one that usually fits with the NDP, which is probably why the Liberal leader, trolling for free-swimming center-left votes, made it the highlight of his closing remarks, much to the surprise of those gathered.
Let me be clear, from my perspective Ignatieff is the best choice amongst the current crop of national leaders, but that said, I wonder where the leader is who has both the wisdom to recognize the need, and the vision to direct us to the path that will bring about the needed paradigm shift. It will take such a leader if Canada is to survive and evolve as a nation that will provide the prosperity, social justice, and happiness for our children as it has done for us.

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profit from losers to fund the lost in our society

Gordon — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:20:22 +0000

There are three things about the announcement of a $500 million dollar Casino to be built onto BC Place stadium that causes me concern. First, where is the due diligence and its proper planning process? Are we now going to grant the premier of the province the same latitude in his approach to planning that we gave over the last few years to VANOC: basically whatever you decide to do will be done?
This project was announced as a done deal despite the fact that there has been no due process in terms of local government rezoning requirements that will include proper consultation with property and business owners, as well as local residents in the area who have all been promised a more family oriented development plan.
The second issue of concern is a question that seems obvious to me, but apparently wasn’t asked by any of the media in the top story billing to this announcement, namely, what are the details regarding the financing this project?
Premier Campbell and David Podmore, President of the BC Pavilion Corporation PavCo, a Crown corporation that manages BC Place, stood shoulder to shoulder making the announcement without giving any substantive details about how this project is to be financed, other than throwing out the predictable rhetoric about the number of construction jobs during the construction phase, and assurance that the province will be the beneficiary of $130 million from the gambling revenues.
Paragon Development Ltd currently runs the Edgewater Casino on False Creek just across from the proposed new casino. They confirmed that the Edgewater license is to be moved as part of the project to the new 100,000-square-foot casino operation, which will also be operated by Paragon. What we have not been told and the question that no one seemed prepared to ask Paragon is why we should expect that the stated revenues from this development would materialize, since the revenues from the existing Edgewater Casino are less than half of what they had promised during the licensing process. The ‘parking’ excuse just doesn’t add up.
When Edgewater opened in 2005, it promised to support Planet Bingo, a charitable Bingo operation on Main Street that contributes to nearly 100 charities including the Downtown Eastside Women’s Shelter and the Vancouver Rape Relief Society, but these organizations continue to be challenged by lack of funding. Indeed Campbell has just cut funding to a host of non-profits that previously depended upon redistributed gaming revenue.
The Campbell government ran and was elected on a no gambling expansion platform. Now they clearly believe that is acceptable to make profit from losers to fund the lost in our society. That is shameful public policy.
Standing next to the Premier was Housing Minister Rich Coleman and Tourism Minister Kevin Krueger. Based on the news stories, it seems no member of the media asked Coleman how this development jives with his stated goal of making downtown Vancouver more family-friendly through the promotion of affordable housing, and schools along with parks and recreation space.
When False Creek and Yaletown were transformed from industrial and warehousing areas, the community plan called for the introduction of residential space. People literally bought into the vision and moved their families into the newly renovated areas. They were promised that vital amenities such as pre-school and public schools would be built, and green space would be included for parks and family oriented recreation sites. These developments have not been built leaving families without community services. Why was Coleman not pressed on that issue?
Neither did anyone bother to press Krueger on what affect this hotel development might have on the existing hotels, given that post- Winter Olympics, the hotel vacancy rate in Vancouver is high. Nor did they ask him how restaurant owners, fresh from the smack in the face this government has just given them with the introduction of the HST might feel about government promoted competition.
Lastly, does anyone know where Carole James and the Official Opposition stand on this announcement? Or even where Carole James is these days? I have scoured the print media, listened to radio and watched television coverage to try to find reaction from Carole James or the NDP without any success. The silence is deafening.
PavCo is a Crown corporation and the land under development is owned by the Province. PavCo should be required to make full disclosure on all expenditures, acquisitions, lease agreements and business relationships. Without quick and concise analysis of this announcement and its impact on your pocketbook, not to mention the downtown area, the media are left with only the comments of the Campbell government to define the province’s position. The Official Opposition needs to speak up and let the people know where they stand on this major decision.
This announcement is a serious departure from previously promised public policy to keep gambling to a minimum in British Columbia. Carole James needs to ask the premier what he was doing on stage for this announcement and why it’s such a priority that he broke a major election promise to stand against expanding gambling.
Premier Gordon Campbell said, “During the Olympic Winter Games the streets of Vancouver were alive with the Olympic spirit – and we hope this entertainment complex will help recapture some of that excitement.”
I thought that the spirit on the streets had to do with showing our national pride in support of those Canadians who trained hard and competed for Canada. I thought it had to do with Canadians opening up their country to visitors from around the world to show off our natural beauty, hospitality and a peaceful, inclusive and family oriented community.
I guess Premier Campbell saw it differently. Maybe he saw it as a time to party, to drink, eat, gamble and take advantage of the other vices that go along with Las Vegas-style Casinos.
Vancouver has come a long way since the days of industrial use of False Creek, we have shown world class planning in the gentrification of warehousing districts, such as Yaletown. In short, we have planned for a city that encourages family living. This decision will go a long way to undoing the good that has been done. We can only hope that those who sit on Vancouver’s City Council will have the wisdom to see that it does not fit into the community vision for Vancouver, despite what the Premier may say.

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The hydrology of a river is like a human fingerprint.

Gordon — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:12:08 +0000

A scientist conducted an experiment using flies. He put an equal number of flies into two jars and closed the lid to contain them. Then he loudly clapped his hands. The flies in both jars flew in response to the clap of his hands. He repeated this action ten times with the same result each time. He then removed all of the wings from the flies in one jar, leaving those in the second jar intact. Again he clapped his hands, noting that the de-winged flies did not respond. He repeated this action ten times and noted the same result. Thus the scientist concluded that if you remove the wings from a fly it becomes deaf.
I don’t offer this as a joke, neither can I claim authorship, but I offer it as an analogy for what is wrong with our current approach to the looming environmental and economic crisis. So many of the primary assumptions that drive public policy are flawed, and the resulting conclusions wrong.
Once these assumptions become accepted, intellectual inertia sets in and we seem to go to exceptional length to advance and defend faulty conclusions that cause more problems than they solve. What’s more, we create a language with buzz words and catch phrases that are used to give us comfort that these false assumptions are actually correct and that by acting on them we are solving problems.
Take as an example the newly minted “green energy” approach to power production in British Columbia: run-of-river electrical generation. In this case we are told that run-of-river generators operate on water that is surplus to demand. There is no such thing as surplus water.
The hydrology of a river is like a human fingerprint. It is what makes the particular water course unique, and also very complex with seasonal changes. These seasonal changes support a wide variety of living things from bacteria, fungi and plants, to insects and animals. Each of these are dependent upon the other, and thus to the health of our environment.
The Campbell government tells us that climate change is real, that global warming is a result of carbon emissions, so therefore we have to move away from carbon-based fuels. I have no argument with the thesis, but the conclusions and the choices made on the basis of these conclusions defy rational thought.
What are the principal consequences of global warming through climate change? The hint comes with the word warming. The planet is getting warmer, and we are seeing accelerated glacial melt and less snow pack. The consequence of this over time will be significant changes to river flows, affecting the magnitude, frequency, duration, timing and rate of change of water within a river. In other words the hydrology will change.
How smart is it to build a dependency upon electrical production that requires a relatively consistent flow of water when all the data we are receiving from observing our rivers tells us that climate change is going to reduce flows over time? If we are trying to minimize ongoing environmental destruction, this is the wrong move.
It seems to me we are creating yet another environmental problem by developing a new energy dependency on the assumption that water flow will be constant. Once built and dependency established, it will be the generators that will be given priority in times of water scarcity.
Having sold us on the mistaken assumption that we are using surplus water, we will all be too concerned about falling electrical supply and rising costs to be worried about it when flows diminish. But, the negative impact will be just the same.
You may have missed a recent announcement by the BC Government about the Water Act. The BC Government has authority over our provincial waterways including ground water, and has undertaken to completely overhaul the Water Act. You can find more information here: http://www.livingwatersmart.ca/water-act/
Under the call for ‘modernization’ of an act written in 1909 and amended many times since, the government is asking for input from British Columbians.
I urge you to get involved, and when you do look at the primary assumptions made evident by the language used, such as anthropomorphising nature as in this comment. “A certain amount of water flow is required in a stream so it can function like nature intended…”
“Nature”, doesn’t set out a plan with specific intentions and outcomes, and it is very dangerous for us to try to suggest what those intentions might be. For example, the same documentation from the government goes on to admit that “Although the Water Act does not consider flow needs for ecosystems and species a water use purpose, decision-makers use their discretion to include stream health.”
In using their discretion decision-makers look to other pieces of legislation, some of which are federal in jurisdiction such as the federal Fisheries Act. Beyond that, the decision makers look toward recent history in determining stream health, and that history in many areas comes from “experience gained from activities, such as BC Hydro water use planning”. Like the scientist’s conclusions about the relationship of wings to deafness in flies, planning for the health of our river systems by measuring the hydro-electric power generation potential is not only flawed but poses a serious threat to the overall hydrology of our river systems, the riparian vegetation and fish, insect and animal populations.
Today oil is our focus, carbon is our enemy and fossil fuel the cause of the carbon emissions, and yet we still fight wars over oil. Tomorrow we will realize that our focus should be water, since it is water and not oil that holds the key to our future.

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