Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark
A few random thoughts come to mind:
- This ship is deteriorating and needs a permanent structure in which to store it.
- Rather than mothball it in some drydock somewhere, it would best serve the public as a museum, a learning experience about Canadian history and the unfortunate realities of war.
- Its significance envelops all of Canada as part of our national history, rather than being important only to Halifax.
- Funds for this would be coming from many sources, including the private sector, so therefore it is not reasonable to compare it to other "more important" needs for Halifax. Therefore it seems silly to think that we shouldn't get a stadium if this project goes through - there's no reason to believe that both projects cannot coexist independently of one another.
- Whether you are pro-military or not, you can't ignore the fact that Halifax was founded to serve a military purpose for the British Empire, and ever since the military has been intertwined with Halifax, often supporting and sometimes suppressing it, but always part of it.
- I think an iconic (yeah, there's that word) project such as this will be very positive for Halifax and help to enhance our image to the rest of the world.
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Thoughtful. Lucid. Well argued.
Why does it seem that we're always fighting over table scraps down here in Nova Scotia?
It's true that we're a have-not province, so we have to be prudent with the money we have. And I'm certainly sympathetic to the point-- made by Keith and xaxaxaxa-- that there are other more important priorities than this.
That is probably true, but why must we merely settle for one thing over another? Look around, guys. Take a look at the money being promised to other provinces for other projects.
For example, how about potentially
SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS in federal dollars that the Prime Minister has promised to help out his crack adled, thuggish, drunken, clueless, frat boy mayor over in Toronto with his generous promise to build a Scarborough subway link:
Quote:
Ottawa will help pay for Scarborough subway
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Ottawa will help foot the multi-billion-dollar bill for a subway extension in Scarborough.
[...]
Mr. Flaherty and I, subject of course to the normal approval process, have set aside funds to ensure the financing of Toronto’s plan for the Scarborough subway extension,” Harper said at a photo session with Ford at a hotel near Pearson International Airport.
“I think this is good news for Toronto commuters who obviously continue to face the challenges of gridlock.”
It’s unclear whether Harper has come up with new money or if the federal dollars have been reallocated from the $1.8-billion light rail project, which was halted in August.
See: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013...gh_subway.html
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Read that again. The feds have *already* promised $1.8 billion for a light rail project in Toronto. It may be that this money will be re-allocated for the subway OR that several more billion will come to help out Ford's subway.
With $1.8 billion, we could build a (much to Tim Bousquet's chagrin) world class LRT system, Center for Performance Arts, a stadium, the Battle of the Atlantic, and maybe throw in the Battle of the Pacific and Battle of Midway memorials for good measure.
Tell me why we have to settle for one or the other? Tell me why we must sacrifice a national monument to Canadian forces while money is being dolled out, hand over fist, to a useless drunk who happened to wake up one day and find himself sitting in a Mayor's Chair?
IMHO, Mike Savage should head to Ottawa with a cap in one hand and a print out of that Toronto Star story in the other, and every time someone says "not sure if there's money..." he says: you're giving $2 billion to a crack mayor for a subway extension, and won't give $2 billion to Halifax to commemorate veterans and build a LRT?