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For earlier materials see
Table of Contents

July 8th

Council Meeting

Fair?? – Increasing bus fares

 

 

While increased bus fares passed almost as an after thought – compare it with the heated debates that Feral Cats issue provoked

 

See discussion (part one) of Annual Review

And the earlier synopsis of July 8th Council meeting

 

Bus fares will be going up in September

The rationale for this was that while ridership up 11% (based upon surveys in November of 2007 and 2006) – still the increase of fuel and wages means should increase fares too

 

 

In 2006 I argued (incorrectly) each person subsidized airport ferry by 72$ (should have been more like 100$)

Fares for buses and Airport Ferry compared

Looking at these numbers taken from Annual audits looks like 2005 and 2006 were lowest (paying) ridership of the series – the last fare increase was 2003

According to the material given council City pays into transit (‘net cost’) 219T$ in 2005 and 243T$ in 2007 --- thus while revenue has increased, so have the costs (fuel, etc) ---- note in 2005 the city subsidized the airport ferry for 1.1M$+ and in 2007 subsidy was 950T$ ----

I suggest raising bus fares while not raising Airport Ferry fees is typical case of wealthy offloading their expenses upon poorer (and less powerful)

 

Trap Neuter and Return? – How will that address the problem?? Still feral Cats has a website that advocates release etc

Feral Cats

One might ask what the Chief Financial Officer is doing presenting legislative recommendations to council on feral cats--- presumably he summarized the previous research done by Doug Jay (before he ‘disappeared’)

 

 

Only Joy Thorkelson would openly broach topic of killing the feral cats – which seemed strongly opposed by Ken Cote

The Problem – Kid getting sick

While Cote & Gordon-Payne seemed to pooh pooh the need to address feral cat problem – and Joy did not go into details – one family living on 11th east has seen their eldest son lose over 5 weeks of school last year because of ‘reactions’ to either urine or ‘spray’ of feral cats that frequent that neighbourhood --- other people complain of their gardens being ruined for food production because of cats urine etc --- Presumably the problem arose when so many people moved from PR leaving the family pets behind

 

There were two versions about what would happen to someone that kills cats on their property – Presumably could be euthanized by SPCA or a Vet – but some held it would be a criminal offence for the property owner to kill the cat --- Others hold that so long as done ‘humanely’ there is no criminal offence ---- Driving a father to kill cats to protect his children does not seem like the most humane alternative to me  --- doing nothing ‘as Cote and Gordon Payne voted for was not accepted by others – we’ll see if anything ever comes back to Council again on this issue – I doubt if it will

Created by LG on 14/7/2008

Last updated on Wednesday, July 16, 2008