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ECA news and supporting local papers

The Elphinstone Community Association (ECA) February Zoom meeting featured Tracy Green, field operations supervisor for the Sunshine Coast for Census 2021, as guest speaker.
gibsons
A “slow down” sign on Pratt Road. Some drivers forget it’s a residential street.

The Elphinstone Community Association (ECA) February Zoom meeting featured Tracy Green, field operations supervisor for the Sunshine Coast for Census 2021, as guest speaker. Although occurring every five years, the census takes seven years to prepare for and provides important information for all kinds of planning. The census impacts how we view our country, and the information gathered is totally confidential, so Canadians have confidence in supplying accurate information. Census-taking has been around in most countries for centuries so when we participate, we’re part of a long lineage of humans being counted, stretching back in some cases thousands of years! Enumerators are being recruited, so if interested contact: census.gc.ca or you can contact Tracy directly at tracy.green@canada.ca or 236-331-6304.

SCRD director Donna McMahon’s report included budget meetings, transit and as always, water. There were many questions and she listened as those attending expressed frustrations about the state of our roads (have you ever driven along Gower Point Road between Chaster and Bonniebrook? Scary!). The idea of building our own bus shelters was floated (again), since we’re never likely to get any from MOTI (Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure) and those in attendance warmed to the idea. It will take a group of people getting together to develop a plan. Anyone game to spearhead this?

A resident representing the Woodcreek Park Neighbourhood Association was welcomed to the meeting and a Bonniebrook Heights resident talked about trail ideas she and a small group of residents developed, along with photos and maps. People on the Zoom call were impressed. A Cedar Grove Elementary PAC member presented concerns about drivers going too fast in the playground zone there and also advocated for the Chaster/Pratt corner to have a four-way-stop. People flying down Pratt don’t seem to consider that this is a residential street and often ignore the 50 km/h speed limits. If you’ve ever had occasion to walk down Pratt, you know how scary that is.

ECA board member Rene Mandigo is in charge of the association’s membership drive and will be calling past and present members, asking them to rejoin the association and even bring new members. Pandemic concerns have changed our monthly meeting to Zoom so there has been no opportunity for people to pay their membership dues in person – still only $10 per year after all these years! The ECA has now set up direct deposits or e-transfers that can be made to Elphinstonemembership@gmail.com at the Sunshine Coast Credit Union.

A recent discussion at the ECA board was about urging people to support our two local papers. What would it be like if we had no paper to turn to for local news? There’s a saying that everything is local, and indeed everything going on in the world does affect us at a local level – the COVID-19 pandemic a good case in point.

Recently the Vancouver Sun ran an issue with a completely blank front page except for this small text at the bottom: “Imagine if the news wasn’t there. Google and Facebook use their monopoly to pocket 80% of online advertising revenues. These corporate giants benefit from the news content produced by Canadian journalists and publishers without paying for it.” They go on to urge Ottawa to protect the future of local news and gave this link: www.levellingthedigitalplayingfield.ca/. Good journalism is fundamental to civil society and needs to be supported.

Send me your Elphinstone news at: author.ggneilson@gmail.com