Don’t waste money on outdoor waterpark

The City should build the proposed water-themed amusement centre indoors, and replace the previous pool in Wascana Park with a 50-meter outdoor swimming pool. Check a good waterpark project in here vinalandgroup.vn.

The proposed amusement centre is inappropriate for outdoors since it would be available for only three months of the year. This tax-funded facility with its high price tag only makes sense as an indoor facility so it can be used year round, gather revenue year round and employ people year round.

Also, the proposed water-themed facility, with water slide, zip line, lazy river, and spray pad would severely diminish the level of physical activity required by users, compared to the more athletic options of swimming or other water sports that a 50-metre swimming pool would offer.

Also worth noting is the design of the citizen survey for this project. It was skewed to favour the options proposed by the city. All the options offered less swimming and the more passive alternatives mentioned above. It also did not allow respondents to vote for the 50-metre swimming pool option without first having to select one of the city-offered options. It was almost impossible to simply choose the 50-metre pool option.

Council, please stop throwing good money after a misguided, mislocated project. Build the water slide et al indoors, and save the trees that have been earmarked for destruction. Each of these trees were handed planted and are no saplings. Rather they are decades old and provide so much to us. And not just to people. These trees are habitats, protection and food sources for a myriad of birds, insects and park wildlife. Do the right thing!

There are no standards of care and the guidelines for LTC, as pointed out, are so vague that no one, including the province, can be held to account for any perceived shortcoming.

Underfunding results in caregiver contact hours with residents getting less than half the four hours per day recommended by professional groups. The precise numbers are unknown because the province does not collect those figures, an example of the general lack of transparency on LTC.

Continuous care assistants provide most of the caregiving and are excellent. However, because of understaffing they have little job satisfaction, constantly worrying about corner cutting. This, in addition to their poor remuneration.

The lack of resources reflects the fact that LTC is not included under the Canada Health Act. The proportion of seniors will continue to increase, so the current dire situation must worsen in the absence of prompt action.

Our seniors helped build the society of which we are justly proud but after retirement they become undervalued and victims of ageism. We should use the example of First Nations in which Elders are respected.

We have a humanitarian crisis. Our provincial and federal governments must cease their turf wars and urgently come to an agreement regarding increased funding.