Dear Halifax/Darmouth/Nova Scotia,
As a foreigner who has lived here for around three years without a personal beef with the city/region/or province today, I reach my wits’ end. What the fuck is going on here? You are a beautiful city, with a hub for investment, a gateway airport which airlines avoid (explain to me why it’s cheaper for me to fly to Toronto or New York to then fly to Europe. Halifax is closer) and a “maritime attitude” that Canadians all over admire. Well here it is Halifax. You are a beautiful place with huge potential. None of which will ever be reached because everyone is too busy fucking complaining about a transit strike, a mayor’s financial follies, the weather or the height of a building which crosses a century old “Sight Line” for a cannon that will never again be fired in anger. The streets are dirty, you want a stadium which no one will visit. Bands avoid you on tours, etc etc etc, you know why? Because everyone seems to be living in the past. This city has more potential than anywhere I have ever lived in the world. And that is a lot of places. It pains me to see a perfectly good group of individuals too busy fighting to be individuals than uniting as a group for the better of your city. Get some forward thinking and move forward as a community. Stop fighting about how hard it is and realise the potential in your own backyard. I don’t write this because I hate it here or I want you to fail. I write so you can hopefully all take stock of your surroundings and reap the benefits your city has to offer and STOP arguing anytime somebody might have a suggestion that will move this city into the future. While the immediate reaction to me may be “if you don’t like it go home”. The reality is I don’t want to. I like it here but I just want to see this city succeed and be a major part of Canada. Instead of a historic city petrified of moving forward.
Good luck HRM. You’re going to need it with this current attitude towards growth. —Seethelight
This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2012.
Finally, a Come From Away speech I can get behind.
Good post, OB, and thank you.
I <3 you for posting this ........ the part of the airline, while not exactly a "city" issue does reflect the mindset by not attracting international flights at an INTERNATIONAL airport ....... as a person who travels to Europe and beyond four to five times a year ... I travel to NY to get my connection ..... refuse to back track out of Tarawna ........
Anyway, I get where you are coming from ….. wanna have a coffee date?
Yes, well the reason everyone complains is so we can start the process of change. If no one ever complained there would be no reason to start changing. It’d be much worse if we didn’t care enough to bicker and fight over important issues, and instead continued living in a boring, monotonous, past generation’s city. I say fight! And the victor decides the future course.
And what bands are missing us? I’ve been to some pretty sweet shows in recent years; Rolling Stones, Kiss, Metallica, Alice Cooper, Paul McCartney, David Francey, and there’s certainly more coming.
Of course all you see in the media is the problems, and if you spend too much time on LTWWB you’re going to think the city is falling apart at the seams. But there is a lot of good going on behind the scenes. Halifax has some great entrepreneurial minds and small businesses kicking around, and you’re right, A LOT of potential. We’re just slow to change, but the city is changing. Once my generation takes over the council seats and governments positions then more noticeable changes will come about(hopefully at a faster pace).
Also, the sight line issue is total B.S. The cities development guidelines are outdated by a couple decades at this point.
small business owner here, i have a love/hate relationship with halifax. 18 years a resident but still a dreaded cfa
Current bands, Captain, current “relevant” acts avoid this place like the plague. They only ever come after they’re washed up, no offense to Kiss or the Stones *rolls eyes and clears throat*
If you don’t like it, go home.
No op i’m totally fucking with you. Good post.
Great.
The tipping bitches are back…
NO, I’m just joking.
We had Black Eyed Peas. What more could you want?!
Wp
Ouch Tommy, ouch. How about we try and get some hip new band to play Halifax? I hear Nickleback isn’t busy this time of year. Anyone?
I actually agree with most of what OB stated, but I also think it’s too much of a generalization. I become frustrated when I know better solutions for the city and try to make changes where I can, and there’s an abundance of people like me in that regard. Not everyone is bitching fighting.
The more people we have complaining about Halifax the less people we have praising Halifax. That shit spreads like wildfire. You say something bad about the city to 5 people, and at least one of those people will tell more people. Everyone needs to start making changes that we can really talk and get excited about. Soon everyone will want to know why everyone’s talking about us.
Like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcskckuosxQ
Slash keeps snubbing us…. 🙁
after the last year or so, he’s the only pressing act I definitely need to attend…
I think the point is that we ‘need new forward thinkers…”
but are filled with such an aged population that by the time 2035 rolls around, we’ll only be getting to the ‘new’ ideas of today.
crazy idea… dig into citadel hill’s underbelly and build a HUGE parkade for enough cars for the next 40 years…
not to mention we could lift it above ground and heighten the citadel so line of sight remains even with the 40 story buildings that get turned down every year.
Totally agree. As another CFA of 14 years and still wandering in the opposite direction from the rest of the herd, I wonder what the heritage society will be protecting in 250 years? The crumbling artefacts they want preserved now (with no money mind you), were probably not everybody’s favorite when they were first built either. I just hope that something new will replace the relics that were built in 1967 with the last infusion of federal cash. Those things won’t last that long!
That’s the problem with career politicians, they’re more worried about the “old people votes”, and let’s face it, change scares old people. Until the younger generations figures out that they actually can make a difference by voting, we’re destined to have these old, outdated politicians in every aspect of political life. With no new blood in office, the same tired old philosophies and policies will continue to rule.
and are you planning on running for the mayoship, or premiership? didn’t fucking think so. so do like the rest of the good little fools do, sit back and lick your nuts, or cunt. whatever you say here is no good, bitch to the ones that really matter.councillors, mayor, m.p.’s, or god. maybe then, someone will take notice. kelly reads this bitch board, so start putting some sane ideas out there people.
lol Nickelback, captain? Try again. Actually, don’t.
OB…the Citadel never fired a shot in anger ! ever.
I’d like to see them flatten that hill & turn it into one large level parking lot.
THE UNCONSCIOUS IRONY
Well, here we have it again. Some bright spark wants to move Halifax into the future! “Get some forward thinking,” he crows, “and move forward as a community.” But, one asks, “Forward to what?”
The poster, of course, doesn’t know. He stupidly equates “forward” as being some sort of “little Toronto.” He is some sort of mindless booster who just wants to go, well, forward. He is a phillistine, a mindless mouth-breather. A dogsbody.
The “unconscious irony” of course – it must be unconscious since no one can be that stupid – is that all the things he praises Halifax for he then wants to smother in his knee-jerk adoration of “moving forward.” He “loves” Halifax, but all it needs. in this fool’s view, is more pavement.
Someone should drown him.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
You know, I agree with Monsieur. What “forward thinking” are we talking about here? Aside from Nickelback. Stadium? A bigger airport? Aquarium? I’m all for change if it means progress and not just change. Let’s hear some specifics people.
..too much haddock too 🙂
i guess you mean live bands here, not the zombies that have been showing up, for the mostly undead crowd. but then again, most shit today is well, just shit. so you get what you pay for, in most cases, overpay.
I agree with the point of view of this post. Our city can be world class again but our point of view needs to be redirected, but that’s one thing where I have some troubles. I personally have no idea with what to do with our city. I hear options from street and academic levels. But on a twenty year plan I can’t see what our city plans to evolve into.
I see this desire from big business to stay the same when everything I feel tells us that we have to shift. I see the spitting the fighting and the over indulgence into anything we choose (but this is Halifax so that is the status quo).
I love our freedoms, but I also think some personal restraint is in order from us, and that goes the world round. Though there are a lot of people in and out of this country that are showing it.
What do we want as a province and a country and more over the world and what do we want to leave to ourselves in twenty years, heck even five years from now?
Our community I believe is the key to a prosperous society. But when I think about a community, hurting each other in a way can push us to achieve greater things but that’s a different conversation.
THE UNCONSCIOUS IRONY (II)
RSVPs
: troondon formosus (March 23, 9:59PM)
Right on, Troon! Ask these mindless mouthbreathers like “Seethelight” the breaker question: “Let’s have some specifics, people.” But don’t hold your breath, Troon, because they don’t have any. They just want to, well, “move forward.” That’s what it MEANS to be mindless, right Troon?
Oh look, Troon, here’s another one (“wabsey,” March 24, 1:35AMM). Let’s listen to Wabsey’s specifics. “I agree with the point of view of this post (but) I personally have no idea with (sic) what to do with our city.” Did you like that, Troon? Of course Wabsey isn’t aware that his two sentences are self-contradictory. How can he, simultanously, agree with Seethelight’s point of view yet have no idea what to do with “our city?” You see, Troon, Wabsey is like Seethelight. While criticizing Haligonians for their bickering both, in the absence of those “specifics,” those ideas, proceed to engage in the practice of bickering themselves! In a nutshell, Troon, they don’t know what they want or why they want it because – wait for it – they have no conception of the purposes and goals of human activity. In other words, Troon, they are without philosopy.
Are you there Seethelight? Come on out from under your rock and engage me in open debate! Don’t be chicken! Do it now!
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Truth OP, but truth in what others have said too.
This ain’t London or New York. Not even Vancouver, Toronto, or Calgary. HRM has a total population of 390,000, and only about 290,000 in the urban core. That puts us on par with such stunning global centres as Manchester, New Hampshire; Toledo, Ohio; Shreveport, Louisiana; Salem, Oregon; and Oshawa or St. Catherine’s, Ontario. So, despite being a regional centre and the only city east of Montreal most Canadians remember, we’re not actually that big. Just for comparison, how many amazing bands does Toledo get? How many planes fly into Oshawa’s international airport?
And what city doesn’t have transit issues? Unless they’ve been bribed with massive amounts of taxpayer dollars (Miller approach) or declared essential services (Ford approach), I’ve heard that even the TTC goes on strike from time to time. And on heritage? Have you ever lived in England, my friend? Between English Heritage, the National Trust, the building listing system and planning processes seemingly designed by Soviet commissars, I think it’s lucky they’re still not re-building from the blitz. In comparison, this place is the wild west.
Now–all that said, I’m not saying Halifax doesn’t have a problem with forward thinking. It does. But too often, when people say that, they aren’t really advocating anything. As a start, how do we fix the problem of developers not building? There are plenty of approved projects ready to go in downtown Halifax–but they’re not happening. Why? Cause the developers aren’t sure they’re going to make money. Second, whenever someone says Halifax isn’t progressive, the next thing out of their mouth is usually something from the left’s ‘flavour of the month’ grab bag: plastic bag bans! alternate day driving! commuter rail! greenbelts! urban farms! electric car charging posts! green building codes! Those ideas aren’t any stupider than a useless stadium or empty convention centre.
It’s time for some constructive thoughts–not just more unfair comparisons and ‘why can’t it be different’ wailing.
My thoughts on this city are very complicated and hard to express in person or on a computer.
There is a lot going on in this city and an excellent energy that I’ve always felt ever since I moved here in 93. This city has been really good to me but as I was saying in my post, I’m having trouble with seeing the direction of our city. And yes the positives of this city are way greater then the negatives,
My idea of what I was talking about is that I can see where seethelight is coming from. Sometimes when I go for one of my walks downtown, which might be at three in the afternoon or three at night and every hour in between. I feel ashamed by what I see, things said and done that there is no need of.
But to flip the coin I feel a lot more joy for this city by what I see. Stuff that always makes me laugh and privileged to be among those people and for allowing me to see such things.
But sometimes when I look in at the city from another angle and see the progression of where it’s going, and yes I’m going to say it, the municipal and provincial governments. I feel a little afraid because I don’t think they have a plan. There are great arguments against that last sentence, but I’m not convinced by them. I know, “this magic plan that will save us from all the evils of the earth”, but it’s a magic bullet theory in my mind, the more I hear it the more I question it.
We have a great city under our feet and I hope we treat it with a little more respect. (a lot of us do and I thank you for that) but as for the specifics of my post and there lack of, I don’t know them yet.
But just to let you know, I can see many points of view at the same time and that’s one reason why I’m great at my job. A little respect, empathy, and an understanding for people’s point of views but also an ability to keep your morals in mind will serve me well, and they have so far.
And also to let you know, I know why I want what I want. My reasons for what I want are my own, but I’m not hiding anything, if you know who I am then you know what I am trying to achieve. Take care eh.
THE UNCONSCIOUS IRONY (III): A NEW JERASULEM?
“The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of.” (Blaise Pascal)
With Beancounter (March 24, 10:46AM) and Wabsey’s (7:17PM) latest we pass out of Seethelight’s empty commercial bosterism and into the realm of the heart, the realm of Ideological Romanticism. In its public manifestation (not the girl-boy variety) Romanticism can take many forms, from an ineffable murky Poetic variety (think of the inscription on Keat’s tombstone in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome: “Here lies one whose name was writ in water”) to the totalitarian Political variety (think of the German “Volk,” the 19th. century Romantic inspiration of 20th. century Nazism). In all cases, however, Ideological Romanticism seeks to overturn present-day society which it sees as lacking, in one way or another, in order to establish a “purer” society. It seeks to erect a “New Jerusalem,” that “shining city on the hill.”
Beancounter’s New Jerusalem hints at Political Romanticism, possibly in the form of a soft fascism. He’s against what he calls “the left’s ‘flavour of the month’ grab bag,” hinting that he might go for the right’s flavour of the month grab bag. But what is on the right? It depends how far right he goes. Out there on the extreme right, of course, is fascism. Is Beancounter a fascist? It’s hard to say. Beancounter himself doesn’t appear to know either as he weakly concludes, “It’s time for constructive thought.” Unfortunatly, Beancounter appears unable to provide any.
There’s no difficuty in spotting Wasby’s New Jerusalem, his version of Ideological Romantcism. His first sentence – “My thoughts on this city are very complicated and hard to express in person or on a computer” – immediately marks him as a Poetic Romantic. He does not claim any special knowledge – there is “no ‘master plan’ that will save us from all the evils on earth” but he has looked into his heart and what he has found there is good. However, don’t ask him what that might be because it is ineffable, it is private and incommunicable. “I know why I want what I want” he proclaims. “My reasons for what I want are my own, but I’m not hiding anything, if you know who I am then you know what I am trying to achieve.” Well, there you go. If you want to know what Wasby wants, why he wants it, and what he is trying to achieve then you’ll have to know who Wasby is. But does Wasby realize that his reasoning is, um, a bit circular? But it doesn’t matter. Reasoning itself doesn’t matter for Wasby because – wait for it – his heart has its reasons which reason knows not of.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
HAS ANYONE SEEN “SEETHELIGHT”?
Well, I guess that was it for “Beancounter” and “Wasby”. Anyone seen “Seethelight”?
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Thrilled about the amount of agreement and disagreement alike on this post. The aim wasn’t to upset Halifax but to engage it.
@koda….. In for the date.
@the unconscious irony. You would like a debate? I am all for debate. However I don’t think I have either the time or the intelligence (I am sure that’s what you think) to have a public debate with someone in your league. More so, I don’t think the people who read this and expressed their opinion without abusing, talking down or wasting their minutes reading your posts care?
However if they do. Lets do it. Where would you like to start? Your obvious abundance of spare time or an actual inoffensive conversation?
RSVPs
: seethelight (March 26, 4:40PM)
“Forward to what?”
Seethelight deplores my bad manners – I abuse people, talk down to them and even waste their minutes reading my posts – but, and not unexpectedly, he then proceeds to launch an “ad hominem” attack on me. He can do this because he is in possession of certain knowledge not only in respect to what I think about him (I don’t think he’s intelligent) but also in respect to what the people who read this think as well (they don’t care). I guess such certain knowledge has enabled seethelight to, um, see the light.
Seethelight, always the gentleman, then proclaims in respect to a debate with Montrealman, “However if they do. (sic) Let’s do it. Where would you like to start?” I assume seethelight has determined by some unannounced means that in spite of his prior certainty that the people who read this don’t care, that they do after all.
So let’s start. I know a good place. Let’s start with my initial question in the first “The Unconscious Irony” – “Forward to what?” Be specific. Don’t blow any smoke. Don’t assume your conclusions. Give reasons for your assertions. I’ll be waiting.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
WHERE’S SEETHELIGHT?
It’s been a day since our debate over the specific content of “Forward to what?”
was declared and, so far anyway, not a peep from seethelight. I guess he’s still working on his answer. However, just to be sporting, I’m going to reveal my strategy. I’m just that sort of guy. It comes in two parts:
(1) The first part – call it the substantive part – was indicated at the end of my last post: Don’t try blowing any smoke, be specific, don’t assume your conclusions, give reasons in support of your assertions, and so on. No mystery there.
(2) The second part – call it the formal or philosophical part – goes like this: “John said that Halifax would be a better place if its people were happier.” But what does John mean by “better?” Well, he means happier. Therefore, John’s assertion reduces to the claim, “Halifax would be a happier place if its people were happier.” This is not just an empty platitude but, in philosophical parlance, is a tautology, i.e. an assertion whose truth rests on the relation between the terms of that assertion. Tautologies, as a consequence, contain and can contain no truth about the world.
Now, replace “John” with “seethelight” and “happier” with “moving forward.” Do we have an empty tautology? What do YOU think?
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
WHERE’S SEETHELIGHT? (II)
Well, so much for “The Great Debate.” It looks like seethelight saw the light and took a runner. Time to move on.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!