Well, it looks like Campbell River’s boat launch situation will see improvements after the city has decided to go it alone on fixing up Big Rock Boat Ramp.
This is a long overdue manoeuvre, particularly to boat owners who have hung their head in shame over the purported Salmon Capital of the World not having a decent place to launch a boat.
But somehow this debate has escaped the scrutiny that any other city spending gets, namely, what a waste of public money it is.
From Old Island Highway upgrades to artificial turf athletic fields, people are usually quick to decry to wasting of taxpayers dollars on supposedly select portions of the population.
Why is the same outcry not being applied to the boat ramp? The city is going to spend $1.1 million of Campbell River taxpayers’ money on a facility for boaters. Isn’t that something private interests could build and operate? Rotary and Campbell River Youth Soccer are building a fieldhouse to go with the Robron turf field.
Don’t get us wrong, we support the improvements to the boat ramp. It is a sorely-needed facility and it is the role of the city to build infrastructure for the recreational needs of its citizens, whatever demographic they occupy.
It’s just interesting how there’s little complaint about the idea compared to facilities built for adult and youth athletic recreationalists.