Growing up in South Bar, wedged between the larger centers of Sydney and New Waterford, you quickly learn that to get anything done for “The Bar” you have to work hard, organize and make a lot of noise to get any kind of action from local politicians who focus on the more populated communities that surround us.
Having said that, I was really happy to see Lori Maclean and Tracy Tucker speak up about the smell of sulfur that has been plaguing our community for close to two years. As indicated by MacLean & Tucker in Ian Nathanson’s November 4 article in the Post, all the ladies want is “…a firm answer as to the cause of the stench.” Now, is that too much to ask?
Photo of grass mowed by Rod (the self-described “Squeakiest Wheel”) Gale on path to Polar Beach in South Bar, 2016. (Photo by Rod Gale via CBC )
It would seem that it is, because as shown in Nathanson’s article, not one of our elected representatives cared enough to comment on an issue that has directly affected the quality of life of so many South Bar residents (their constituents). Unfortunately, it’s been my experience this lack of attention from our elected officials is the norm rather than the exception.
What is the difference between a citizen/constituent living in New Waterford or Sydney and one in South Bar? Aren’t the concerns of the people of South Bar just as valid as anyone else’s? Aren’t the people of South Bar taxpayers and voters?
In a democracy, everyone is supposedly equal; but in politics, equality is dependent on population and voting power. For smaller communities to overcome a politician’s natural bias to cater to the larger population centers, the people of smaller communities must become the proverbial squeaky wheels.
I encourage the people of South Bar to become the loudest, squeakiest wheels of all! Make our elected officials earn the money we are paying them! Continuously phone, write and email “our” provincial and federal politicians and their staff. If we have to live with the stench, make our political class live with it as well until we receive a definitive answer as to its cause.
