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Mark Bonokoski-Cottage Country Commentary



Withdrawal

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Here we are, one week later, and I am still suffering from Olympic withdrawal.

How about you?

While the post-mortem is still underway, the criticism of Canada's Own The Podium slogan has been noticeably muted — with Canada having set a winter Olympic record for the most gold medals by a host country, all thankfully capped by that nail-biter victory over the U.S.A. by our men's hockey team.

Most of the criticism — early on — came from the CBC, perhaps out of the sour-grape whine of not being the host television network.

No surprise there.

The CTV-Rogers consortium came out of the gate strong, and did a wonderful job — both in covering the games and in putting Vancouver on the world map as never before.

It deserves huge kudos.

But, looking back, what was wrong with the positive message of Own the Podium? What should it have been — Hoping for the Podium?

In the eyes of the CBC, and others, Own the Podium was somehow un-Canadian. Too arrogant. Too American, perhaps. Too in your face.

Well, I loved it.

Why water down a goal?

One thing is certain, though.

Russia has an almost insurmountable task if it hopes to best Vancouver in 2014.

Vancouver, in fact, deserves its own gold medal. 

 

Fancy Municipal Digs

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Sitting in the Eagle's Nest diner the other day, one of the morning regulars asked me if I had seen the front page of the Bancroft Times where, above the fold, was an architect's rendition of the new Hastings-Highlands community complex.

“Your tax bill's going to be a honey,” he said.

To which I replied, “What else is new?”

If you live on a lake in Hastings-Highlands, whether it be a modest cabin or a posh home, you get no mercy from the local tax man.

You are its cash cow — with or without an extraordinary community centre flaunting itself on the front page of the local newspaper.

That's always been the case, even as that case worsens with a spending frenzy that councilors argue  is a one-off chance to grab recession-buffering money from higher governments.

If you don't like it, and feel like your protests fall on deaf ears, there's a highway heading out of town.

Me? I hope it all works out, and that I am not saddled to my death with property taxes that become more and more debilitating. Time will tell.

One thing, though, is certain. Gone is the day that Hastings-Highlands would ever consider an amalgamation with Bancroft — not with the jewel of Bird's Creek being the prime locale for future development, all which Bancroft covets.

There is, after all, a new facility to pay off.

Commercial taxpayers are therefore in dire need.

And the time has come to woe them.

 


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