Perspectives

Much has been said about the privatization of public services in the past Provincial and Municipal elections. With new councils about to begin budget reviews, it may be timely to look again at contracting.

The frightening acrid stench of mustard gas has almost dissipated from Granddad’s foggy mind. He is one of the few old men who remain of those who struggled stupidly for King and Country through the boot-sucking mud of the Great War.

The recent ‘meet the candidates night’ with mayoralty hopefuls, Bennett, Fedeli, Marceau and Wright, left me with as many questions as answers.

In the past month I’ve heard “Fraught with Danger” three times. Fraught is a word that we seldom use anymore, so to hear it so often roused my curiosity.

The Road Worriers are citizens (mostly retirees) who are worried about the continual deterioration of our roads. They are tired of the bumps and holes. They are also, I suspect, the kids who played with Tonka toys in their formative years.

Hans Blix couldn’t find them. The US military couldn’t find them. But George Dubyah knew what he was looking for all along. The Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) were right under the noses of the CIA and MI6, cleverly disguised in a code word.

One of our mayoralty candidates recently referred to our fine city as a ‘hockey town’ as an excuse not to fund the arts. The funding would have to wait until we attracted more people and jobs to our city that is Just North Enough to be Perfect.

It may be time to bring back the spring black squirrel hunt in North Bay. Cousin to our native red and grey (fox) squirrels, the black squirrel moved north some 25 years ago, escaping from their popular environs of Queen's Park in Toronto.