Dear editor,
Thanks to Francois Lepine (Record, Jan. 27), I don't feel I am the only voice in the wilderness decrying the ever-growing number of people and non-profit societies lining up for our tax dollars. Everyone wants more. Now we have a group of people who had an idea and went to our federal and provincial governments with their hands out asking for our tax dollars to build another empire.
They received $3.3 million, then they approached our local politicians and asked for another $50,000, at which time they stated they had not received any local money.
Who in the name of all that's holy do they think pays their taxes to the federal and provincial governments so they can hand out their largess while taking the opportunity for another photo op?
I was amazed when I read your editorial praising the "hard-working visionaries" who raised the $3.3 million. I beg to differ, they didn't raise the money, as let's say the Rotary or other service groups would do, they went with their hands out to our MP and MLA and got their money. If they were such visionaries they might have thought about how they would fund the operation of the facility.
They could either raise the rates to make it self-sustaining, which I would think would be the best option or have all the visionaries work for a dollar a year to cut down on costs.
My questions to the directors of VIMSS: How many paid directors do you have on your board, how many employees do you have, do you need all these people to carry out the operation? Maybe you could tell me how a non-profit society works. Who gets paid to ensure their are no profits?
I would like to end by saying that all of us have to curtail our spending to just get by. The city will be sending out our property tax bill with no doubt showing a three-per-cent increase from last year and then an increase in service rates.
The City is going out for a loan for money for much-needed repair on our streets. The City needs $470,000 for flood control after allowing people to build on a floodplain.
I think all our local politicians need to give their collective heads a shake and say NO to any more requests for grants until the economy starts moving forward again.
Bernie Guyader,
Courtenay
Editor's note: Of the $3.3 million total, $750,000 came from corporate and individual donations solicited by the Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society.
