To the editor,
I have appreciated The Coast’s perseverance in keeping city hall’s
feet to the fire around its recent sewage debacle. Keep up the good
work.
However, last week The Coast included in your tall ships issue a map
of the Halifax wharf (News, July 16), which pictured tall ship
anchorages and their proximity to sewage outflows. Each sewage outflow
was marked with a brown cartoon image of a stinking turd.
Given that this was tall ships week, I found this turd-laden map
incredibly inhospitable and in poor taste. Halifax’s sewage problems
are real and a concern for all of us who live here, but I can’t see how
sharing these facts with tourists functions to move that agenda
ahead.
I’d like to think that part of The Coast’s mandate is to be an
ambassador for our great city. That means using some tact now and
then.
Running that map in The Coast was kind of like having guests to your
home and then inviting them upstairs to check out the skid marks in the
toilet bowl. Some things need to be dealt with by the household—spare
the guests. —Roy Ellis, Dartmouth
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Where the shit flows out
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2009.
You make an excellent point, Roy. I hope the Coast will learn to hold back on some of the political harassment when appropriate. I mean sure, the issue is an embarrassment to the city, but being uncouth about it during tallships is a bit like the bully mocking the fat kid when all the other children are around. C’mon guys… be responsible.
Why hide our shit? It’s not as if the ppl on the Tall Ships wouldn’t have smelled it or seen some floaters in the harbour on their way in to dock. We’re only as guilty as the secrets we keep.
Not only was the map funny, but I think it was perfectly timed. The sewage issue is indeed “real and a concern”, and there’s nothing like a good dose of public embarrassment to stir some action.
To continue with the analogies: where would a child learn a lesson about shitting their pants faster – at home school, where their nurturing mother is the only witness, or at a public elementary school, where dozens of cruel kids will ridicule them for years?
good point, well made freind!! i live in belfast and these tall shits are invading our port in 3 days time, and are being hailed as “a tremendous tourist opportunity” and “boost to belfast’s global image”. I’m afraid to say, that the reality of these floating nuisance’s is that they will be pumping out a terrifying amount of raw sewage and other pollution into our already rancid and dangerously toxic waters. can we cope with more foulness unleashed on our wildlife? I think not. the council should view this event as an eco-disaster not a money-spinner. Ban these tall shits now. thank you for all your help in this matter.