Upgrades to Front St. are nearly complete, but one reader says using the new layout is like doing a puzzle or navigating an obstacle course. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Water Cooler: Front St. ‘puzzle’, cost of vet care in Nanaimo & Westwood Lake

Jul 24, 2021 | 10:14 AM

NANAIMO — The Water Cooler is NanaimoNewsNOW’s letters to the editor-style segment, featuring conversations about the news in Nanaimo and Oceanside.

This week’s feature discusses nearly-complete upgrades to Front St. in downtown Nanaimo, the rising cost of vet care and parking plans for Westwood Lake.

P. Walton, Nanaimo: The story about Front Street “upgrades” – using that term loosely – states the following: “The largest piece of the puzzle still missing are new traffic control systems at the Front St. and Church St. intersection.” Puzzle is an excellent metaphor for this situation.

For anyone now trying to navigate Front Street, on foot, by bicycle, or motorized vehicle, it is like doing a puzzle. Or perhaps running an obstacle course. As well, it’s puzzling as to why this “upgrade” was done. It’s yet another classic case of technocrats who just have to fix things that ain’t broke. While the rest us of find our use and enjoyment of Front Street now decreased (as our annual tax bill is increased), someone at city hall thinks they’ve made some sort of improvement.

For regular users of Front Street trying to figure out these alterations (that can only be data-driven, being so disconnected from real-world experience) it’s the opposite – just puzzling.

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NanaimoNewsNOW: The upgrades to Front St. were certainly some of the most discussed, argued about and contentious ones in recent memory.

Residents and even city councillors fell into two very opposing camps about whether they should go ahead and what value there was in spending $1.4 million (nearly half of which was covered by federal government cash) for the approximately 900 metre stretch of road.

Supporters for the project pointed to Front St.’s role in an overall active transportation plan which would ultimately link several areas of the city to the E&N Trail which is considered the spine of a future cycling network.

““Eventually [Front St.] would connect to the sea wall which will eventually connect you to Departure Bay,” coun. Tyler Brown previously told NanaimoNewsNOW. “Now you can imagine that loop connecting with Albert St. to VIU and some of the other routes that start to come into the downtown.”

Opponents pointed to the commercial use of the road and increased traffic from condos.

“We’ve got a new condo development that’s going to be happening…already the new Pacifica building and hopefully a nice, new hotel on the water side as well, it’s going to be…very busy,” coun. Ian Thorpe said.

Front St. won’t be the last active transportation project discussed and debated at length. A similarly-priced project on Albert St. is one of the next ones to begin which will help connect VIU with the downtown.

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A. Abney, Nanaimo: I love my pets (2 small dogs and 2 cats) just the cost of vet care for them has at least doubled if not tripled in the last few years- about the time that various big vet companies began buying out all the independent vet owned practices. I love my vet but cringe every time I have to take one of my “kidz” to see him. For a wellness check I never get out of the clinic for under $200!! No wonder no one wants to spay or neuter their pets! Spay your cat or feed your kids for a week!! I am sure that my husband and I have spent approximately $6000.00 for vet bills in the last 3 years!! And we are not wealthy. We just love our pets!

NanaimoNewsNOW: The availability of vets in not only the Nanaimo area, but B.C. and Canada overall is a growing problem. There are five listed schools in the entire country which offer veterinary medicine, each of which are extremely competitive and only take a certain number of students.

The pre-requisite to get into those schools is also extremely high. Without more vets and vet technicians, the issue will only continue to compound as people leave the profession or retire.

We are somewhat fortunate in Nanaimo have to have access to a 24/7 emergency clinic, one which came in handy for one of our news team recently when their dog woke up, unable to walk. While he paid a price premium to get care right away when their regular vet was unable to see them, care was provided and the dog is doing better now.

The issue is hardly a ‘Nanaimo’ or even ‘Vancouver Island’ one and it will take a deliberate effort to outweigh supply and demand effects on pricing and availability moving forward.

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D. Brown: I understand there may be a suggestion to hack down trees to expand the parking lot at Westwood Lake. That lame thinking has already been properly addressed by Joni Mitchel years ago.
It is a dinosauric decision that would be made by dinosaurs.

Taking down trees is a proven step toward assisting global warming and it is time other solutions are discovered. Has anybody not noticed what is happening to our climate? It won’t magically go away! Show some able leadership and leave the trees alone.

NanaimoNewsNOW: Westwood Lake’s future will come back before Council at some point, along with opportunities for public consultation. It is clear by the popularity of the area, more parking is needed, however at what cost to the surrounding trees remains to be seen. Both proposed parking lot layouts involve removing some trees to create more space for cars.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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