I love living in Canada. Perhaps what I love the most about it is the freedom, especially the freedom to vote, to vote in a very competent mayor and council members who will watch over this quaint little town of Qualicum Beach.
I further love the fact that we, the citizens of Qualicum Beach, have the opportunity to go to meetings, bringing with us a wealth of information on how to make our town a wonderful place to live.
I now read that we are planning to hire a communications director costing us, the taxpayers, $80,000 a year. Why?
May I offer another suggestion for this money.
During the 40 years that my husband Fred and I lived in Montreal, our contribution toward youth was such that we were actually recognized by the National Assembly and a lovely maple tree was planted in one of the parks in Montreal in our honor.
When we retired to Qualicum Beach, as regards youth, we found housing very expensive and job availability mostly in the “service” positions.
It was then that we decided that we would rent the home that we had bought for rental purposes, as part of our retirement to four young working boys. When our friends heard of our plans they said, “Look you two, don’t walk, but run to the nearest psychiatrist.”
What an adventure this has been. It has been over five years since the first boys moved in. They have never missed paying their rent and it is with pure pride that they show us the blisters on their young hands from driving fence posts into the ground to build a new fence for a Qualicum resident. We delight when a boy moves out and joins his brother in buying a house of their own and it saddens us when they tell us that they will probably be leaving for Saskatchewan or Alberta saying that if they ever hope to get married and buy a home of their own it will have to be away from here.
I truly believe that our youth is the driving force of this lovely little town and will be all the more so as we all age, therefore, if we have an extra $80,000 a year to spend please be it on our youth.
Gladys Weidlich
Qualicum Beach