Mar
31
A Cautionary Tale
Mar 2011
Your Two-Bits Worth
Never before have we had such easy access to information. i-pads, i-pods, Google, cell phones, radio, television and newspapers, all help to keep us up-to-date in personal as well as in private matters. Of all of the abovementioned (not all at my disposal), it is the press that I find the most useful. That I can put aside for leisurely reading or clip and file--impossible with other media. Because I am keenly interested in the development of the James Bay-of-the-future, I ponder on the best ways to trigger the interests of its residents to help make the good things happen day by day as we proceed inexorably towards the mid-century mark. We all need to see the "big picture". Positive, local newspaper editorials, pictures, stories and letters, I think, could stimulate a move in that direction. An inventory of our amenities (and values), promoted, could make a compelling statement of our true worth.
James Bay, as an entity, needs to educate newcomers and our younger generation to see themselves not only as taxpayers but as caretakers helping to work towards the building of the community of their choice (no denigration intended, towards commercial developers).
We know the past but we need to look to the future more demonstratively. Days of the potato patch are long gone. Just look at us now! But we can do a little better. Although we are all grown up, we're still not sassy enough to make City Hall sit up and pay closer attention. We need to do that. For starters, it is not impossible to categorize an array of positive aspects that can be altered or improved for the enjoyment of both residents and tourists, alike. Then, call on senior governments for funding to get the job done. The future reality is that with changed zoning our future skyline is bound to become very tall and very dense. There will be much more traffic. Like it or not, a smaller version of Vancouver's West End will be ours. Unfortunately, at most of James Bay Neighbourhood Association's monthly meetings, there usually is a diminished audience remaining seated to discuss other matters once developers have departed after having made grandiose proposals (for their benefit, not ours). It is my observation that the JBNA is somewhat more reactive than proactive to what happens on our turf. Osmosis works but, generally speaking, well-thought-out ideas originating from the board seldom are offered for consideration. With the tail so customarily wagging the dog, so to speak, a certain expertise lies nascent. That is our loss; too bad. Which brings me back to the importance of newspapers, specifically, the James Bay Beacon. It is delivered monthly free to every household, the Laundromat, some local cafes, and a couple of boxes at Five Corners (that soon get emptied). Every month it prints a recap of the previous JBNA gathering and gives notice of the next date to come. Therein lies the challenge for the James Bay Beacon's consideration: to consider how best it might probe a little more broadly, as seen through a prism (for everyone's benefit), insights that might provide a useful editorial path of light on James Bay's long-term development. Your newspaper, surely, would gain a welcomed spin-off of energized readers and advertisers.
A beacon is a cautionary illumination, right?
Redner Jones