Comments on: Vancouver City Budget Woes: Are the Cuts Really Necessary?

By: Iglika Ivanova

Iglika Ivanova — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:41:37 +0000

Just after I criticized the Vancouver Sun's coverage of the city's budget debate, they turned around and published two op-eds today (Dec. 9), representing the two major sides of the story: Vancouver City Council's and Think City's. A bit late in the game, considering that the final vote is next Friday, Dec. 18 and most opportunities for the public to provide feedback have passed, but hey, at least they did it. On the flip side, there are still 1o more days for you to call or write to Mayor Robertson with comments on the proposed budget. And there are also two more public hearings at City Council on the budget: tonight, Dec. 9 at 6:30 pm and tomorrow, Dec. 10 at 7:30pm.

By: Diane McNally

Diane McNally — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:15:45 +0000

This is a good opportunity to look closely at the ‘children’s petting Zoo”. These facilities put animals are on display for entertainment, for many hours every day. Petting zoos reinforce the idea that animals are objects for our amusement and that they have no thoughts or feelings of their own. The picture they present of bucolic “farm” life for animals is a lie. Children will eventually figure out the betrayal: the cute baby animals they were encouraged to pet and be kind to are now on their plates, one of 170 animals minute moved along the slaughter house conveyor belt, confused and afraid, up to the captive bolt to the head. Keep the Bloedel Conservatory, and stop the Petting Zoo.

By: Dr. C. Mader

Dr. C. Mader — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:05:42 +0000

With respect to the Olympics: I have no interest in supporting anything except the young athletes.

If I need Olympic trinkets for overseas visitors, I’ll wait a year and get them at a thrift shop.

By: Iglika Ivanova

Iglika Ivanova — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:09 +0000

Annie, you make a good observation. In fact, the controversy around the Vancouver city budget and Think City’s alternative proposals got disappointingly little coverage in the Sun.

There was one article the day after I posted here, 2% tax hike not enough, speakers say, but it focused almost exclusively on reporting citizens’ opposition to the cuts without providing much of an alternative. Think City’s proposal to defer the property tax shift for a year was not covered at all. In fact, the last mention of Think City on the Sun’s website is from July and pertains to the Burrard bike lane trial (try searching for “think city” on the Vancouver Sun website).

For a newspaper that carries the name of this city, I consider this kind of sparse reporting to be a major oversight.

The two articles I linked in the post above, in the Globe and Mail and in the Georgia Straight, provided considerably better reporting on the issue, along with thoughtful commentary.

By: Annie

Annie — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:28:55 +0000

Thanks for this information – I definitely don’t get this from the Vancouver Sun. I moved to Vancouver, attracted by many of the things that the city government seem so willing to compromise on now. I don’t understand why there’s not more concern about the city’s vitality after the Olympics.

By: Jonathan Chapnick

Jonathan Chapnick — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:39:35 +0000

Good post. Your digression and final paragraph go to the most frustrating element of the City’s budget issues.