Editor:
Re: “B.C. needs Putin’s free land scheme,” Coast Reporter, June 17.
We may need leaders with some character, vision and heart, but I think we also need journalists with some logical sense. Our beloved editor has compared B.C. and Canada, a place which offers one of the best social assistance systems in the world, to Russia, a country where a great number of poor people are indeed “dirt poor.” In Russia, Putin’s free land scheme might attract many Russians who have the choice between the constant risk of starvation and that option, but in Canada, where everyone with a fixed address has a minimum income high enough to manage to remain within the boundaries of civilization, I doubt very much that you would find enough people in the whole country to establish a small village in a remote and cold Canadian location. I believe you would have to up the incentives quite drastically.
Of course, the Canadian southern West Coast is a very attractive place to live, and it’s no surprise that it attracts so many rich Canadians and foreigners. For those people who believe in the capitalism system, the increasing divide between homeowners and those who can’t afford a home here is part of the game. For the others who want to improve the system, they might need to be consequent with themselves to achieve their legitimate goal. For example, how can you wish to eliminate the divide between the rich and the poor when you encourage indecently rich professional entertainers (like hockey players) to become ever richer?
Marc Theriault, Sechelt
