Official sod turning ceremony to launch construction of new care facility in Tisdale
Tisdale - Tuesday, September 6, 2011
There was a large crowd at Tisdale’s Newmarket Manor this morning as both senior citizens and people who have advocated the replacement of Sasko Park Lodge for more than a decade saw their efforts finally rewarded with the beginning of construction of a facility that has definitely been long over due.
In the preliminary event to the sod turning the local member of the legislature, the mayor and the provincial minister of health each made short speeches. The sound system was simply not up to the task and my poor hearing prevented me from hearing anything that was said. I really question the whole process of making speeches that no one can hear. Personally I find it insulting and down right inconsiderate. If a politician or a person has something to say that is important, they really should forget the whole process if they are not prepared to make themselves heard. The Chairperson of this event when he began his opening statement was not audible. His unamplified voice was just below the level where you could make out was he was saying and the microphone he was using was not louder than his voice. I expressed my concern and he responded with some smart alex comment of some kind which I took to be an insult to me. The speechmaking was totally pointless if what was being said was not being heard. I was able to make out some of what the mayor said because he has a clear speaking voice as did the minister of health but the rest of the speeches might just as well have been in Italian or Greek.
When the mumbling stopped about half of the large crowd made their way out to the field north of the hospital for the official sod turning. The elaborate shovel with a fine looking Saskatchewan logo was not up to the task and bent as the minister attempted to dig up a bit of sod. So, like the unheard speeches, the sod suffered only a little cut, but was definitely not turned.
With almost more than twenty minutes of mumbling to consider what was taking place I think there is a role for politicians to play in moving a society and its needs along. The provincial government’s change in funding formula, the approval of this project by the minister and the lobbying by the local MLA all are worthy contributions to the efforts by the mayor and council who attempt to manage the community’s tax contributions to the greater good, but that is the bottom line. The people who pay for a project like this are the tax payers, not the politicians. It is we, through our income tax and sales tax dollars, who make it possible for universal medical care, pot holed highways and roads and all the other services that we commonly provide for each other. But, we still need people to offer up their time and effort to run for public office to focus the priorities of a society and manage those tax dollars. I guess its worth a few minutes of mumbling and mutual back slapping. perhaps, even a bent shovel.
With this story you can look over the pictures taken of the event and have a look at the video clip. In the video clip the Minister of Health can be heard as he wound up his short speech. The provincial government issued a news release today about this project. The department of health put together a background document explaining the project so you can check that over for the details.