Editorial

Put the 'rest' back in rest stop

Last month Premier Ralph announced he and his Tories had slain the dragon that we’ve come to know as the provincial debt. And shortly thereafter, the premier began telling Albertans that it’d be up to them when it was time to fashion the new beast known as would be the Alberta Advantage.
We’ve been faithfully checking the mail, but haven’t yet received the questionnaire that we’re sure is on its way to ask our esteemed opinion on what this wildly successful government should do with all that extra cash that it’s going to have at its disposal in coming weeks and months.
We got thinking about that the other day as we were driving past a roadside pull-out – those places along the highway that formerly had garbage receptacles and biffies – or outdoor Water Closets, if you will.
Since the infamous cost-cutting measures that you, Mr. Premier, instituted many years ago as you began dismantling that nasty dragon of debt, those rest areas have become just lunch eating, snooze-grabbing and garbage dumping areas. And the rest areas have become a little rest-less because they’re now minus the restrooms.
Word had it the biffies had become more of a pain in the neck for the people who had to clean them than they were a boon for others. That might well be true, but as we watch more and more people exiting the bushes next to those rest stops, we’re betting folding money that they didn’t head to the bushes to find the wild berries that may or may not be there.
And we couldn’t help but think about what a nice bonus it would be for tourists who are heading to the great wild north to have a chance to stop by the side of the road every hour or so, get out, stretch their legs and have a chance to answer the call of nature without having to head to the bushes – and run the chance of coming face to face with whatever nature might lurk within.
In short, since we have a little extra cash in the provincial coffers, and we can’t in our wildest dreams envision receiving a regular ‘thanks for the help’ cheque in the mail, our vote would be to start with the little things – like returning the restrooms to the rest stops on our northern highways.
We know many aging Martha and Henrys that would appreciate it, and can’t imagine any tourist that would pass up the chance to take a break here and there, enjoy some Alberta countryside and fresh air – and relieve their bladders without having to head to the bushes. And at the same time, you’d be creating some employment opportunities for some Albertans who aren’t afraid of a little work.
Just our two cents worth – since we knew you were going to ask.

World class athletes
Congrats to all our hardworking athletes – the ones who will bring home medals this week from Athens, and to those who didn’t climb the medal podium, but have nonetheless given up countless years of their lives to training and commitment in their attempts to make their country and fellow Canadians proud.
Sure it would have been nice to see dozens more medals. But rather than moaning about the medal famine of the first week and blaming the federal government for everything that didn’t happen, we applaud the athletes who showed their grit and did their part in reversing the situation in week two.