Building blocks
Tim Bousquet is a great reporter, and I understand the importance of outing the ways in which council is letting developer Joe Ramia off the hook in small but numerous ways ("Design review farce continues," Reality Bites, October 17). But it's getting a bit over-the-top---every little thing is exploited as an opportunity to decry the convention centre as a "farce." It's obviously some personal grievance and it's interfering with editorial objectivity.
Also: "Heritage groups are objecting to increased massing." Gee, I wonder who these "heritage groups" are. I would love for our city's heritage activists to stop getting their granny-panties in a knot obsessing over tall buildings, and start actually WORKING to protect our dwindling stock of beautiful old buildings, which they seem entirely un-concerned with.
One notices they have nothing to say about the endangered Dennis Building, or Westwood Development's long-simmering plans to demolish the Brunswick-Doyle block on Spring Garden Road (including Tom's Little Havana, Fireside Restaurant and the rest of the block). Instead it's all view corridors and height restrictions. No one takes them seriously, and they're turning the general public against heritage advocacy, doing more harm than good.
In fact, I'd like to see the Heritage Trust disappear altogether, and an effective, useful heritage-advocacy group take their place. —posted by pigeon at thecoast.ca'
I'm glad to see they'll be allowing bicycles to travel west on Sackville Street again---let's hope they can at least accomplish that much. —posted by Roger Nelson
A buried concrete parking garage doesn't change if different glass finishes or other aesthetics change above grade. The building is limited by view planes---the structure below ground will have to support something that will maximize usable space out of the view plane, so even if what is above ground changes, the foundations will be able to hold it up either way. —posted by Timothy Buckets
I don't think Tim's concern is that the design of the parking garage will prevent meaningful adjustments to the building's design. I think his concern is that because the garage exists, there is going to be immense pressure on the Design Review Committee and city council to not request significant and meaningful changes to the design lest it delays construction or we get stuck with an unfished hole in the ground.—posted by hipp5
Cheer up Halifax
Halifax is awesome. Haligonians are mostly shit. Apathetic behaviour is like an after-school activity in this town. And why do you all get so angry at each other for driving around the city just like everybody else? Foolishness. You actually have laws that force you to stop for pedestrians to cross the street because you haven't got enough sense to just make sure someone gets to where they are going safely (see Voice of the Ciy, page 6, for more). You have to be forced to be kind. How sad is that?
And what's with the shitty attitude towards people who come here from other provinces. What? Not enough stories of "how my life sucks and will always suck"? I've never met so many people who get off on sadness.
Brighten up and lighten up, Haligonians. Your city is awesome and the province too. Wicked pubs and music and endless things to do for fun and relaxation. Life is good on the east coast, but you have to have a job, optimism and a sense of camaraderie with your fellow man. —posted by JC
"Speech! Speech!
We elected a majority Liberal government. I'm waiting for the traditional speech: "We've checked the books and those lying Socialist bastards screwed us/you over worse than we were led to believe, so you can go get blowed for all the things we promised to get elected." It's a tradition that must be upheld. —BJ
