LMT September 10 2018

4 Last Mountain Times • Monday, September 10, 2018 • lmtimes.ca
We’re
paying too
much
The Regina bypass is a flawed
project. It is built within the
east end of the city, it only
goes around 75 per cent of
the city, and it is ridiculously
overpriced.
A lot of Saskatchewan people have driven
the Coquihalla highway in British Columbia,
and the ones who haven’t certainly are aware
of it. Everybody knows that British Columbia
has mountainous terrain, and we can all
imagine that building a highway there would
be no small feat. By comparison, building
a highway here would be quite simple and
would most certainly cost substantially less
money. At least that is what I would think. I
was very surprised to find out that the three
phases of the Coquihalla only cost $848
million to build.
So here are some facts I found on the Internet.
The last phase of the Coquihalla highway
was completed in 1990, at a total cost for
all three phases of $848 million. This was
324 kilometres of roadways through mountainous
terrain with many bridges, overpasses
etc. Adjusting this cost for inflation using
an online calculator, the cost today would be
$1.63 billion. This project included: 18 highway
interchanges, 38 bridge and overpass
structures, 19 vehicle underpasses, eight avalanche
dams, 19 containment basins, two diversion
trenches and three sets of avalanche
benches, one massive Great Bear Snowshed,
50 pipeline crossings and 324 kilometres of
four or more lanes of highway.
In comparison, the Regina bypass will cost
approximately $1.88 billion and the project
will include: 12 overpasses, 40 km of new
four-lane highway, 20 km of resurfaced fourlane
highway, 55 km of new service roads,
and twinning of about five km of Highway 6.
The Regina bypass is built on flat land with
no rock blasting, mountains to move and
valleys to fill in. This is a substantially easier
project to build but it will cost more than the
Coquihalla’s three phases?
Are the Saskatchewan taxpayers getting
good value for their dollar? Looking at the
comparison to the three phases of the 324
kilometres of the Coquihalla highway and all
the rest of the infrastructure that had to be
built, it is pretty easy to see that we are really
paying way too much for our little flatland
project!
-Terry Leigh, Regina
Disclaimer: opinions expressed
are those of the writer
Diversity in Canada has the
capacity to inspire the world
It’s imperative for our
political leaders to continue
being strong custodians of
Canada’s pluralistic identity
It’s a time of reckoning for Canada’s
commitment to diversity and inclusion.
A new poll shows that many among us
want to see the number of immigrants
coming into our country lowered. According
to the Angus Reid Institute, 49
per cent of surveyed Canadians want to
see the federal government’s 2018 target
of 310,000 immigrants reduced.
This statistic is both startling and
revealing because this is the first time
since Justin Trudeau became prime
minister that such a large number of
Canadians are saying there should be
fewer immigrants to Canada.
The Liberal government under
Trudeau has raised the target for new
permanent residents from approximately
250,000 under the former Conservative
government of then-prime minister
Stephen Harper. The target for 2017
was 300,000, rising to 310,000 for this
year and increasing incrementally in the
coming years to 340,000 in 2020.
Extrapolate this poll finding and you’ll
discover a troubling consensus building
across the political spectrum. Past
Conservative voters are most critical
of immigration levels, and past Liberal
Public health must become a priority
But across Canada a system that can help ensure a healthy population is being denied
funding and support
In 2010, Canada’s ministers of Health stated in a Declaration
on Prevention and Promotion that “the promotion of
health and the prevention of disease, disability and injury
are a priority and necessary to the sustainability of the health
system.”
So you would think that public health would be a clear
priority in Canada’s health-care system. However, Canada’s
governments have not acted in accordance with those fine
words.
Public health is the only part of the health-care system
that’s wholly concerned with preventing death, disease and
injury. While most apparent in infectious disease control, it
plays a leading role in the fight against tobacco, chronic diseases,
obesity, injury, substance abuse, addictions and mental
disorders.
Not only does public health improve the health of the population,
it’s one of the best ways to sustain our publicly-funded
health-care system.
supporters are four times more likely to
prefer a reduction to an increase, as are
past NDP voters.
What’s even more of a concern is that
Canadians seem to be shying away from
providing hope and a safe haven for
the world’s most vulnerable. While the
global refugee crisis exacerbates and the
need for humanitarian aid increases, a
significant number want to see Canada’s
helping hand pulled back. Conversely
and encouragingly, the other half of
Canadians say we should accept more
refugees and humanitarian-class immigrants,
or at least maintain the current
levels.
While the politics of hate and division
continue to be fuelled by the current
leadership of our southern neighbour
and by the far-right movements in
Europe, it’s imperative for our political
leaders to continue being strong custodians
of Canada’s pluralistic identity.
This new poll shows a fraying of our
commitment to diversity and inclusion.
It’s also a clarion call that we can’t take
diversity and inclusion for granted. If
we want to continue to stand out as a
beacon of pluralistic values, we need
to find out why an increasing number
of Canadians want to shut the door on
newcomers.
At the same time, we need to empower
the other half of Canadians whose
thoughts, words and actions personify
EDITORIALS, LETTERS & OPINIONS
that diversity is Canada’s main strength.
If we help Canadians consider perspectives
other than their own and encourage
civil debate, it will broaden the
basis for critical thought and promote
cultural understanding.
It will also bring attention to Canadian
competencies that have helped
remove racial tensions and barriers to
entry into the job market, and the development
of policies on integration, immigration
and acceptance of refugees.
Our pluralistic values didn’t happen
by accident. And they won’t continue
without concerted and increased efforts
to showcase civility over divisiveness,
compassion over tolerance, and love
over hatred.
That will illustrate that Canadians
cherish the fact that the strength of any
majority is how it treats its established
minorities and newcomers.
And it will ultimately show that
diversity in Canada has the capacity to
inspire the world.
-Olga Stachova is the chief executive
officer of the Multi-lingual Orientation
Service Association for Immigrant
Communities (MOSAIC), which has served
immigrant, newcomer and refugee
communities in Metro Vancouver for the
past 42 years. www.troymedia.com
Disclaimer: opinions expressed
are those of the writer
On average in 2015, the health-care system consumed
37 per cent of provincial program expenditures, a proportion
that all provinces are struggling to contain. Because as
health-care funding’s share of the budget increases, it squeezes
other sectors whose contributions to health and well-being
are just as important: housing, education, social services and
others.
There’s only so much the provinces can do to reduce the
cost of health care through efficiencies before they have to
reduce services and access.
But there’s a better way: reduce the burden of disease,
which is the work of public health.
In addition, there are significant economic benefits from
prevention, not only from avoided health-care costs but in
avoided loss of production, income and tax revenue.
Public health is being weakened across Canada. It receives
only three to four per cent of health-care funding, and in
some provinces and health authorities, much less. Public
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