Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Greg Blanchette in Globe and Mail

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/in-tofino-you-must-suffer-for-yourhousing/article38029441/

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not one word about possible solutions to the problem.....NOT ONE WORD. Just whining and finger pointing and more whining. And this is what gets elected. Sad.

Anonymous said...

When you are really tough you don’t need to advertise it ! Everybody knows
The hippie\ Hicks’s haven’t read yet that tuff city monikers was given by the natives it means bunch of snob!!
Such a fake community, Fakefino! Bahahaha
Say no
Say no
Say no
No no no

Anonymous said...

Tuffy donuts, Tuffy yoga, Tuffy gardens, Tuffy radio, Tuffy resort
Lord give us more Tuffy ness
Tuffy Tuffy Tuffy noooooooooo

Make sure you say No No No
to everything unless it rhymes with

Anonymous said...

Gordo was still spouting off about affordable housing as he sold his dump for 800 grand. Greg should learn that lesson.

Ralph Tieleman said...

I applaud Mr Johns’ success as a capitalist.

Bob Denver said...

Ralph as Oscar Madison and Greg as Felix Unger in the new “Odd Couple” . Hilarity ensues
as they debate housing in each new episode.

Ralph Tieleman said...

A new low in blog comments.

Anonymous said...

This guy pisses me off. Mr. Blanchette writes, in good measure, as if someone else is responsible. He takes no ownership of his wasted time on council spent tilting at green windmills. We in Tofino know that these housing problems exist but he is not writing to, or for, us. He is writing to the larger world to display, his wit, his insight, his sensitivity and to show he is on the right side of things.
This is a look at me moment, aren't I good and things are bad, very bad indeed. By writing an editorial he elevates himself into the heroic role of activist or whistle blower. A role he seems more comfortable and familiar with than Councillor. Such is the life of the virtuous, living out a drama. Coucillors are there to make law and solve problems in the real world
And, as has already been noted, no solutions, just the dreary tale of woe and his moral musings. No doubt he will be a champion to his supporters and to newspaperland.

On a factual matter. In the mid 2000's lots of money was committed to a housing initiative and it was spent. Ralph knows the sad facts on this one. Blanchette makes it sound like the project was curtailed on account of changing political winds. I guess he is correct in a way. The project was stopped because of mismanagement and incompetence, the money was gone. Not that housing was no longer considered an issue
Tuff was named Tuff by our native brothers who used to come for a bit of frontier drinking at the bar and sometimes got beat up. It was a kind of sick sport for some of the local boys. Ironically the bar was named for the Titled Chief of the local native people. Times have changed for the better. Mr Blanchette will never know how tough Tuff used to be.

There was a time just a few decades ago when we were a pretty place with adequate housing.
In my opinion housing went wrong at two critical points in our history. It reflects the changes in "thinking" and "understanding" of who was representing us. One "progressive" Council decided to change the rules to enshrine VR's in the zoning bylaw and then didn't enforce the rules. Almost all secondary suites previously available for monthly rentals became VR's. A massive loss of housing for a small town. Now, no one constructs a monthly rental suite, its all VR's.

The other is when councils became more concerned about style and atmosphere and were full of dread about approving development as it would ruin the town. They slowly stopped improvements to the water system and stopped approving development. They made speeches about ambiance, water conservation, Jane Jacobs, overdevelopment, the blight of urban development, environmental impacts, the evils of capitalism and climate change. Now we still have a pretty enough place without enough water or enough housing. I believe the solution is all a matter of priorities and taking away some emphasis placed on the perceived needs of future generations and giving more emphasis back to the needs of those that are actually living in the here and now.

Ralph Tieleman said...

Council still continues to squander the taxpayers dollar with yet another study/consultant on affordable housing.
With the money they have wasted they could have waived the development cost charges on a substantial housing project.

Anonymous said...


Successful capitalist, my ass. Do you actually write these things to create controversy?

What a bunch of bullshit.

Every business he tried, he went bankrupt. The only money he ever made is when he started to rent out that old shack that came from the airport years ago, as a VR. Money started rolling in and his head swelled. Then he sold it for huge coin, the likes he had never seen or could have dreamed of having. That in of itself doesn't bug me. The fellow encountered a windfall. Good for him, HOWEVER, what almost made me lose my cookies is when I read that when he was running for his current political position, he had the gaul to self-promote himself to the BC public as a successful entrepreneur in the hospitality industry! What a lie! What a farce. Bullshitting people as a short-cut to the top! Zero f***ing personal integrity.

I guess he learned long ago that he could really manipulate and polarize people by stirring up EMOTION! So he found a soapbox where he could vent and get paid. In this case, paid big bucks. Politics.

Currently he receives, 167 K per annum with perks. If he rants and raves and gets elected for one more term, he is guaranteed the golden parachute pension for the rest of his life, which we will be stuck paying for the rest of our lives.

He talks the big talk about sustainability. I say the very idea that bums like this can siphon the money out of the average person's pocket is no longer sustainable. It is false economy based on a false sense of entitlement. How after a couple of years of unproductive service to society, is someone worthy of having the rest of their life financially padded? Beyond me. Who's actually serving who here? This I do not applaud.

One thing for sure, he'll never have to worry about finding a place to live or missing a rent payment. In the new dystopian world, he like many other parasites will be doing just fine. And it's all legal.

Ralph Tieleman said...

I was referring to the the capital gain achieved when he sold his house at Chesterman’s Beach.

Anonymous said...

everyone seems to have missed this on last week's agenda.
Where is the water?
https://tofino.civicweb.net/filepro/document/76450/Regular%20Council%20-%2013%20Feb%202018%20Agenda.html?splitscreen=true&notes=true&widget=true

No water, no development yet we had a council reject the idea of rainwater collection and usage.

Anonymous said...

7:43 Bravo, couldn't agree more. That person is a weasel. Sorry, I shouldn't insult an innocent furry creature with the comparison.

Back to housing. My estimate is, over the last 15 years, Tofino has given over half a million to consultants/studies/ planners and other itinerant vandals, related to the housing issue. Enough for dozens of CMHC insured mortgage down payments. They could have just left bags of cash, say twenty thousand a pop, around town to be found by the citizens. That would likely have produced better results. Certainly they have spent enough, to cover the servicing, ground work and foundations of Hacketts latest thirty odd unit proposal. Seems to me they don't have the right people involved. They need doers not talkers. There is enough experience and expertise right here in Tofino. Strike a committee of local doers with experience and stop wasting Taxpayers money. No real developer in his right mind would piss away money like this. Find a piece of already existent municipal property and build an fourplex or eightplex and go from there.....Better yet, just get out of the way, and let the private sector do what it knows how to do. This is painful to watch.

Anonymous said...

Who can forget what delight Greg Ble took in the fire that destroyed Ft Mac ? Is it any wonder that he is hated ?

Anonymous said...

That was a true "Come to Jesus " moment for Mr Ble. Like it was the fulfillment of divine prophesy and historic justice all in one. His own version of the "burning bush", and "smote thine enemies".
Weird shit man. Didn't kown those progressives were so full of that ol' time religion. Just goes to show. Ya never knows what's inside o' folks.

I say keep him on. He's a God fearin' man. Least ways when it comes to that there climate change stuff.

Anonymous said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLprrfOdlCo

10:28

I went back and read the Facebook page regarding Mr. Blanchette's comment about the tar sands. Sounds like he was sounding an alarm that should have ben sounded decades ago, and now he is being lambasted for caring ands speaking the truth.

You say he is "hated". That's a pretty strong word. It says more about the "hater" than the "hatee". Of course it easy to hate, to take the low road which quite perversely is the high road in your opinion. Try closing your mouth for a second an do some research on what normalcy bias and cognitive dissonance are. You may see yourself amongst the ignorant of this world who are too afraid to examine the evidence which leads to the truth that this planet is in sad shape.

Also, if you have the balls to admit you may be wrong, try looking into something called "ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE", as reported by Dr. Guy McPherson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLprrfOdlCo
This short video should bring you up to speed on what that term means and how it affects you directly.

Buddy, the evidence is clear. There will not be a human being alive on this planet as of 2026. This gives you roughly eight years or less to get your affairs in order.

In closing, I ask you now, "of what value is hate, to anything, at this late hour"?



Anonymous said...

Yikes, I'm feeling so triggered right now. Could we get an extension on that time line. Mr. Rogers in Psych says we can always get an extension if something important comes up.

Anonymous said...

Only 8 years left? That's sad. I won't even get to draw my full old age pension benefits. Tomorrow, I'm cancelling all of my extended warranty coverages. I might start smoking again, too.

Anonymous said...

With comments like 4:36 how can anyone take Global Warming seriously ?

Anonymous said...

To 4:36. This is fantastic. Three quarters of the way through your speil, you had me. Had me convinced you were just another nutbar, spewing. Then you drop the 2026 bit and I do a double take. I got to hand it to you. One of the best pieces of satire ever posted on Tofino news....Had me right to the end. The way you mocked the alarmist rap was... was just excellent.

Anonymous said...

Surf now. Apocalypse later

Anonymous said...

8:27

I agree. Wholeheartedly. Surf now.
There's nothing we really can do to stop Abrupt Climate Change. We're already through the guardrail. Once the self-reinforcing feedback loops start kicking in, it won't be long.

So... enjoy!


4:36

Anonymous said...

7:00 P.M.

I wish we could too..get an extension on that timeline, but that time has come and gone unfortunately.


Mr. Rogers


Anonymous said...

8:26

Those who want to know, know.

• Average working people generally break down into two camps:
• Those who know that everything teeters on the edge but who aren’t emotionally prepared to face it. They hope it will all go away and grasp for reasons to believe.
• Those who trust their own minds and raise an alarm. (And who suffer in varying degrees for the crimes of seeing and caring.)

4:36

Anonymous said...

7:08


But man, proud man,

Dressed in a little brief authority,

Most ignorant of what he’s most assured,


His glassy essence, like an angry ape

Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven

As makes the angels weep.

Shakespeare

4:36

Anonymous said...

And then there's this completely lunacy ... so much good could be gained with this expenditure !
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/22/587840868/installation-progresses-on-bezos-backed-10-000-year-clock