Grant77
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City scrambles to reign in projected deficit as high as $3.45M
SooToday
57Who could have anticipated a winter with a lot of snow in Sault Ste. Marie? Certainly not city council.Perhaps we could have put some money away for a situation like this instead of spending 12 million dollars on a downtown plaza or a proposed 17 million dollars on an artificial beach.
4- Grant77
The snow just keeps coming! City provides update on snow clearing efforts
SooToday 39Getting every street plowed at least once should be a priority over getting the main arteries done several times. If there were a fire or medical emergency on my street that has not been plowed at all, someone would probably die. The snow is over my waist and I'm 6'6.
12- Grant77
VIDEO: Giving YMCA taxpayer cash is ‘the only path forward,’ mayor says
SooToday 22The people who use the facilities should be paying, rather than having it subsidized by their neighbours. I've never set foot in the building.
1- Grant77
Helicopters will drop weed killer on North Shore forests this summer
SooToday 12They don't clear cut all of our forests. They cut specific species like red pine and Jack pine that rely on fires in order to regenerate. Instead of fire, they use clear cuts to manage these areas. In more mixed areas, they use select cuts or shelterwood cuts to manage that kind of forest.I understand and share the aversion to herbicides, but the cutting of these particular forests are an effective management strategy for animals, humans, and the forest itself.
1- Grant77
City urging patience as it deals with snowmageddon
SooToday 3There are still roads that have not been plowed at all yet and are not passable in any vehicle. I commend the workers and the great job that they have done. I think there can be improvements regarding instances where residential streets of the same importance are done multiple times in some instances and not at all in other instances. I notice places like River Road and Cody Point were plowed right down to the pavement.I was also a little troubled to see an army of plows in the downtown area for the Greyhounds game, while some streets would not be accessible to emergency vehicles. People's lives should take precedence over a sporting event. I say that as a huge Hounds fan that goes to most of the games.
1- Grant77
Most city staff are already in the office
SooToday 3Most of these comments ignore the elephant in the room. Working from home is far less productive on the whole and multiple studies prove that. This fact essentially overrules all other arguments.I believe the individuals that say they can maintain their productivity at home, but that just isn't the case for everyone else. I think that private businesses should be free to offer hybrid hours, but we're talking about public tax dollars here. Our money should be spent efficiently and effectively, which means being at the office 100% of the time.
1- Grant77
Snow, snow and more snow: Another 60 cm is expected in Sault overnight
SooToday 294 centimeters have fallen in my yard since midnight on November 29th. These people with the weather stations were lucky to get so little.
- Grant77
New report says homelessness in the Sault is getting worse
SooTodayA minimum wage job gets you a little over $2800 per month and you listed $2095 in expenses. Immigrants make it work with no help from the government, but it takes a good work ethic and good money management. Certainly not ideal, but possible.It's overstating it a bit to say that people making under $100,000 are all struggling as well. Most of my family and friends make in the $50-80K range and own homes. All from different situations and financial backgrounds, but they aren't struggling more than your average person.
1- Grant77
City transit put on ice for the remainder of the evening
SooToday 1Turns out the roads weren't slippery at all as I drove from Great Northern to the East end. Credit to the city workers getting salt out
- Grant77
Councillors push to eliminate driver befuddlement in school zones
SooTodayHave incidents in school zones actually increased? Where is the data? Have there been any instances of children being struck by vehicles at all?We shouldn't be wasting resources, spending money, and inconveniencing citizens based on an informal survey of a few parents.
- Grant77
The snow just keeps coming! City provides update on snow clearing efforts
SooTodayTo be clear, I'm not saying that the main arteries shouldn't be plowed, but a plow truck going down an already clear Trunk Road would be more effective on some of these side streets with 3-4 feet of snow on them. It only takes about 5 minutes to clear a single lane for an ambulance or fire truck.
- Grant77
