That's it

"There are probably a couple of hundred," I said to B, when we were guessing at how many people get 'The Globe and Mail' here in Cochrane.  I was actually guessing lower because this town now has a population of 35,000 -- many of whom commute to Calgary -- so I thought more people might be trying to broaden their horizons a tad.

Nope.  There are only 16 households that get the country's national newspaper.

16 in a population of 35,000!  That's it!!

"And I deliver 22 Calgary Herald's and 24 Sun's," Robert, our carrier told me. 

One of the 16 somewhat-informed in Cochrane

Are you kidding me??!!!!  I was truly shocked, but recalling a few conversations I've had over the years here, not really.  People are soooooo uninformed and as I have said, I now refuse to have a serious discussion with anyone who does not follow national and international media -- plus YouTube, where the real truth is found.

When people say, "I don't follow politics," what they are actually saying is, "I don't give a sh-t about how the country is run and what's being done to my children's future."  They don't realize this, but that's what they are saying.

In truth, the only political party out here is the "I Hate Trudeau" party.  And man, do they hate him!  That's the reason he sneaks into Alberta once a year to flip a few pancakes at Stampede and then dashes out, skulking to his plane.  If anyone knew he was coming, he'd be dead.  I'm serious!

Speaking of politics, there's Lytton, the B.C. town levelled by a wildfire three years ago.  Of course, all the politicians rushed into town after the devastation to grab a microphone and promise to re-build!  Don't worry, we're committed to re-building this beautiful town.

Since then, only 15 residential building permits have been issued.  Jasper, are you listening?  

One of the outrageous obstacles is the requirement of the province's Heritage Committee Act (HCA), which mandates a full archeological dig of every site to recover 'Precious' Indigenous artifacts before shovel hits dirt.

I am not kidding!  And what does this cost every homeowner?  Between $45,000 and $85,000!!!!!  Something called 'The A.E.W. Limited Partnership' is behind all this nonsense.  And who is this?  The Nlaka'pamux Nation Tribal Council, which employs monitors (that the taxpayer pays for) to ensure debris is carefully sifted for items of archeological significance.  

Looking for native treasures in Lytton.

OMG!  "What we don't understand is why, when we have already spent $5 million on archeology, do we have to do all this over again," said Mayor Denise O'Connor incredulously.  "If the government mandates this, they should be paying for it -- not ordinary citizens."

Exactly.  But that won't happen.  So the village of Lytton will just sit empty and desolate forever.  Hope the natives have fun digging up junk for the rest of time.