59 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

Well its not a cattle trail and because the highway goes through a provincial park and borders a watershed, you arent going to see a bypass anytime soon. Building a bypass would be devastating to the local environment. The current highway works, its just the morons that cant drive that are causing the issues.

 

20 years ago, we had active logging in the watershed with no problems.  I'm sure engineers can make a road through it.

[Bingo]

- Container port in Port Alberni

 

How about extending the Trans-Mountain Pipeline from Port Moody to Vancouver Island and out to Port Alberni?

That should be popular. 

[lanforod]

How about extending the Trans-Mountain Pipeline from Port Moody to Vancouver Island and out to Port Alberni?

That should be popular. 

Add a refinery in Nanaimo instead and drive our gas prices down 50%. That would be popular.

[UrbanRail]

Build a statue of Christy Clarke on Mt Arrowsmith and call it "Site C"

[Nparker]

Build a statue of Christy Clarke on Mt Arrowsmith and call it "Site C"

That's guaranteed to make a lot of people say "damn".

[Awaiting Juno]

I keep hearing this lament coupled with how expensive it is.

 

Why aren't more people opening day care centers up, it can obviously be terrifically profitable?

 

Why drive into work during rush hour when you could stay home and make big cash?

 

If you have kids and can't find or afford day care, stay home and look after them and one or two or more. 

 

The high care-provider to child ratio coupled with wages in this sector (notoriously low) are what makes it so expensive.  At $1200 a month per child, with a 3:1 ratio for a licensed infant spot, you only have $3600 to work with, from which you must pay wages and overhead (of which $2600 per month or more is wages alone).  It's not a gold mine from the care provider side of the equation - and lets face it, its not a job you want people doing just because they can't afford to do what they really want to. It takes a special kind of person to put up with a toddler (or three) day in and day out.

[Awaiting Juno]

 - Note I've assumed wages of $15 per hour - and ask yourself if you'd be willing to work with 1-3 year olds, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for $2600 a month.  Most wouldn't.

[rjag]

20 years ago, we had active logging in the watershed with no problems.  I'm sure engineers can make a road through it.

 

But we live in the 'Land of No', its not complicated to build a bypass, look at Nanaimo, what is complicated is the type of vocal opposition from the folks that only know how to say No

[VicHockeyFan]

 - Note I've assumed wages of $15 per hour - and ask yourself if you'd be willing to work with 1-3 year olds, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for $2600 a month.  Most wouldn't.

 

But a daycare can charge whatever they want.  They can charge $10,000 per child if they want.  Where are you getting the $1,200 from?

[Awaiting Juno]

But a daycare can charge whatever they want.  They can charge $10,000 per child if they want.  Where are you getting the $1,200 from?

 

LOL - that's hilarious $1200 is the going rate for an infant spot (6 months to 20 months), toddlers are about about $1,000 - with a care provider to child ratio of 4:1, and then preschoolers are about $850 per month, but the provider to child ratio is about 7 to 1.  Still no gold mine.  I'm getting the rates from very recent experience of being a parent and having children in daycare.

[Awaiting Juno]

Some daycares charge more (Kids Club comes to mind) - and some less (unlicensed or license not required day homes)..

[VicHockeyFan]

It's too bad that all these places drive for the bottom line in $$$$.  That's why they can not pay much to employees.

[nagel]

But we live in the 'Land of No', its not complicated to build a bypass, look at Nanaimo, what is complicated is the type of vocal opposition from the folks that only know how to say No

Then change the conversation from Y or nothing to X or Y.  I'd rather widen to 4 lanes the whole way (even in the provincial park) than totally redo the highway in our watershed.

[VicHockeyFan]

Then change the conversation from Y or nothing to X or Y.  I'd rather widen to 4 lanes the whole way (even in the provincial park) than totally redo the highway in our watershed.

 

I think you might be right nagel.  4 lanes, all divided/medianed and then soon self-driving cars.  Seems we will have a lot less reason for a bypass in 10 years.

[UrbanRail]

Then change the conversation from Y or nothing to X or Y.  I'd rather widen to 4 lanes the whole way (even in the provincial park) than totally redo the highway in our watershed.

The highway follows a salmon spawning river, which is protected under federal law. It would require hundreds of millions of dollars of blasting work which would adversely the Goldstream River. Its bad enough with the current highway.

[UrbanRail]

I think you might be right nagel.  4 lanes, all divided/medianed and then soon self-driving cars.  Seems we will have a lot less reason for a bypass in 10 years.

I agree, I was thinking of more self flying monkeys that would carry commuters over the Malahat and drop them off in Oak Bay while carrying deer the other way.

[nagel]

The highway follows a salmon spawning river, which is protected under federal law. It would require hundreds of millions of dollars of blasting work which would adversely the Goldstream River. Its bad enough with the current highway.

And that's why my preferred "solution" is 4 lanes everywhere else on the highway but 2 lanes in the park.   But if you forced me to choose between an entirely new highway and 4 lanes in Goldstream I think the latter does the least amount of environmental and fiscal damage.

[UrbanRail]

That's guaranteed to make a lot of people say "damn".

But it would require many studies, environmental reviews, would it affect the views of people in Oak Bay and James Bay, would prevailing winds create a wormhole effect. Would it reduce the number of alien abductions in Sooke, etc etc.

[UrbanRail]

Back to reality, any suggestions on how to get more government attention to the island, without a lot of butt kissing to the Liberals? Remember all of us voting Liberal isnt going to guarantee that we will be listened to and its unlikely all ridings will go Liberal. 

[jonny]

It's too bad that all these places drive for the bottom line in $$$$. That's why they can not pay much to employees.

It's also a two or three year program by law to become an early childhood educator. Who wants to do that much school to only get paid $12/hr?