Sad Times

Well, if you have ever popped by to visit my little blog, you will know that I grew up in what would be called "Hick town, B.C.". A very small town that was pretty much isolated from the rest of the world for most of my growing years..very small town, no way out, was our postal code. Yes..there were ways out, by plane or by boat, but no road, so we were as isolated as they come..just like remote Alaska.
My town was resource based. That means, it boomed or busted depending on the price of metals, or wood. And, during my growing years, it did indeed boom and bust. When I first entered this town, it was a whopping maybe 400 people, but in a 5 year old eyes, population numbers did not matter. When I became a teenager that number rose dramatically when the mine brought in barge load after barge load of homes and cleared a ginormous (well in my eyes)town site which they set up for their employees and their families. This increase created schools, an ice arena and an olympic size swimming pool. That folks, is a "Boom". A Boom means the whole town's economy goes way up. Grocery stores enjoy an increase in profit, restaurants thrive, and town taxes enjoy a terrific boost, allowing more services for the community. 
Now, keep in mind, this "boom" created massive changes in our little town. A whole town site..can you imagine this going on now? Oh, all holy hell would break lose, folks would whine about their special hiking places been destroyed, or their enjoyment of peace and quiet being lost. They would moan about noise and pollution, and traffic, because a boom changes everything. But, in a town that survived solely on mining and logging, we welcomed this change, because it allowed our community to continue on, and grow.
O.K. those days have been gone a very long time. Resource based economies are no longer tolerated in many places. I for one can remember when our NDP government assured us that tourism was going to save the day.
Tourism may indeed assist big cities, with large ports and airports, and massive populations. But, truth is, tourism in many parts of this province is a short season. Not a whole lot of folks survive on tourist dollars when they are sitting in 5-6 feet of snow, and continual grey skies. and truth be told, even in the summer season, tourists do not bring many towns enough money to provide employment for more than a few folks. Not everyplace is Whistler , nor are they Victoria. Most simply offer .5 of a days interest for tourists, and then they move along. That does not allow much more than a few bucks spent in the local grocery store and restaurant, certainly not enough to pay Joe Blows rent. So, excuse me if I offend, but tourism is not and never will be the saving grace of many small towns.
Mining and logging, though never something that one will see in the middle of vacation heaven, can still allow Hick town B.C. to survive. They are NOT pretty, but strangely enough, the places these industries usually occur, are often incredibly beautiful, because they are often in the middle of no where. The people who live in the middle of no where do so without so many of the benefits those living in large places take for granted. Schools often have few teachers, hospitals (well since NDP, medical clinics) are generally just stop gap places with few services, and health is something that doesn't get near the same service as large communities. Discount stores, and malls are things that folks do without. They do not have the ability to "shop around" and look for the cheapest grapes, or a special on case lot bread. Their utilities are often far more expensive than large places, because seasons hit much harder.
That said, when a resource based economy is strong, workers can provide a pretty decent life for their families. They can ensure their family gets out of Hick town once in awhile to enjoy the bright city lights, because they are making a good living. 
Growing up, along with the massive town site, days began very early in the summer, with the sounds of bush planes flying at the crack of dawn. Log trucks would go through main street on a steady basis, dumping their loads off the side of the road on the way to Alaska, right near the boat dock. Mine buses would roar through the town site bright and early, and in the middle of the night, hauling workers back and forth up the road. Arrow trucks would haul day and night to the barge landing from Cassiar Asbestos. As a small note, back in those days, many of the town streets were gravel, and in the summer all that traffic would indeed cause dust. But, dust was a sign of a booming economy, and we thought it was good.Traffic and movement were blessings after years of bust, far more smiles when folks had a regular pay cheque coming in and could live life, instead of existing.
Those times have totally disappeared. Suddenly we now live in a world where the majority have no clue what physical labour is all about. Blue collar workers are frowned upon, because they have become "dirty" ,"noisy", and unacceptable, especially when the picture one wants to share with the economic boon tourists bring for the split second, does not include workers! No, we want to show the world a pristine community, with lovely painted buildings (trust me, I grew up when all of those buildings were actual retail places, and no one was worried if the outside paint was peeling). 
I took a drive around what was once the booming community I grew up in. I remember when all the town site homes were brand new. I remember when the schools were filled with students. I remember when the amazing Olympic sized swimming pool was brought into our tiny town by the dirty old mine. My recent drive, as maybe a "tourist" shocked the sh*t out of me!! Sure Main street was lovely....big boardwalk out into the Tide flats we used to wander about losing a rubber boot or two..lovely signs, and flowers. But, dead!! I say dead, because all it is is facade. It is not a bustling community. It is a pretty tourist picture, in a small section of town, the reality is shown when one leaves that tourist mecca. 
 Whole building that used to house large numbers of workers, falling to ruin. Townhouses, row upon row, that once were filled with families, now hidden behind years of brush. Homes boarded up, many in disrepair, yards overgrown, memories of trips up to the old Premier mine site long ago abandoned,came back, when I viewed what I remembered as a whole new town, filled with workers and wives, and children. It was, in truth, a painful experience. To see what happens so quickly when a town loses it's major employer, and nothing comes in quickly enough to keep it going. I find it difficult to believe those living there now do not remember these times, instead they appear to believe they are doing fine. 
Now, my husband and son are working back in this town. They are indeed Blue collar...because...I was raised by one who got dirty when he provided for our home, my husband was raised by one who drove truck for a living, and..my son sat next to his Dad in a log truck, before he even walked. So, now they have returned to the place it all began, to try and make a living.
Yesterday, my son was confronted by the local RCMP in that very town. He was told that he could no longer park his log truck outside of the hotel they were staying at. Log trucks were NOT allowed to park on any street in town, including side streets! If they were parked on property, it had to be 15 meters from the center of any road. They were not allowed to be in town with their trailers down. There is a parking lot close to the hotel, however there is also a sign stating no long term parking, no large trucks until after 10 PM, etc etc. The hotel has a parking lot, but clearly with two log trucks in it, there would not be room for other guests. The RCMP stated this was geared to any commercial vehicle over a specific GVW, and that he was giving warning for 2 days and then he would be handing out tickets. WTF??? So, my son and husband are working in this community, they are paying hotel rates and eating at local restaurants, all putting into the community economy, but now they will have to find some place acceptable to the District Bylaws, they can park and make their way to the hotel on foot. 
You have a whole section of a town that is falling to pieces, and since they are not the only log trucks from out of town, or, for that matter in town, you have a number of folks putting into the economy, but..they are not welcome. We will bend over backwards to kiss the a$$ of a tourist pulling into town for .5 of a day, someone who will hopefully at least buy fuel, and maybe a meal, but more likely they just want to get over the border for a quick visit and maybe glimpse a bear or two, and then head back the way they came in. You have a school now that covers all the grades, the elementary school sits boarded up, and 1/2 the classes are done by correspondence. In fact I believe this year you had one student graduate...Some restaurants close up for the winter. But, you spent time and money making sure that nasty dirty trucks did not offend your streets. Your water sucks..when it used to be the world's absolute best water...Your community moral sucks, no matter how hard one tries to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, it just won't work. Your goal is to make this town something it will never be, you cannot survive on a seasonal economy like tourism in a Hick town.When you take time and effort to put up road blocks to resource in a town that will only survive with resource (you have got to see that is fact by now) you will be the first to destroy what little you still have. 
I admit..I am old!! I am shocked at who I have become.I am that old B*tch that goes on and on about the "old days". But in today's world, I live confused. I am confused that the whining of a few, can affect the majority. I am confused when laws are set in place to make work difficult. I am confused when some accept so little, and assume that is good enough. I am confused when some can pay property taxes for a lifetime in a community, and suddenly someone new shows up, and calls the shots.
 It is no secret I have social issues, mostly because I can't stand things that don't make sense. I admit I am not always right, but I was taught that common sense would allow me to survive..now I wonder if this was the proper lesson, because it is blatantly clear common sense does NOT prevail.
 I have once again had my world turned upside down by things way beyond my control, even though I try very hard to stay in my own little bubble. This time, I am going to try and get as far away from people as possible..because when a community of hard working resource based folks turns into a Bylaw spewing, slowly but surely dying town, nothing makes sense to me, common or uncommon! BTW..No matter what I ranted on about..there are still some in that small town, those who were there back in the "old days" who remember what brings that town to life, I was just visiting..I respect those "oldtimers", who stayed, and wonder if they shake their heads at what has become of their town.