Opinion

Life is full of unintended consequences, but it is no excuse for failing to take action and fix mistakes once they come to light. Take the situation the Canadian Rockies Public School division currently finds itself in.

Niccolo Machiavellii is famed for coining the term "the ends justify the means" in his 16th century treatise The Prince. When it comes to those who covet power and control over our country, its message that results matter more than playing by the rules is a cautionary tale for our times. 

There are only two people in this world that on a regular basis are written formal letters – Santa Claus and the editors of every newspaper that accepts and publishes Letters to the Editor.

You may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with the Bow Valley? Since in this part of the province we do not have a supervised consumption site for those struggling with the disease of addiction, and neither is one proposed. But as human beings, and residents of this province, we shouldn’t be so arrogant as to assume this issue does not affect us all and very likely someone we know and love.

On the same day that Greta Thunberg stepped on a high-tech sailing vessel in Plymouth England, I entered a bookstore in Fernie. I picked up a copy of No One is too Small to Make a Difference .

With two local representatives of the tourism sector on the provincial panel exploring the issue of red tape, we are curious where this is going to lead us, not just as Albertans, but as residents of an area that is swallowed whole by tourism each summer. The government has set its aim quite high for tourism. Currently the industry results in just under $10 billion in visitor spending a year. Premier Jason Kenney and his government wants to double that to the tune of $20 billion.