Like many of my fellow Capers, I read the article that the mayor is calling on the Province to act because CBRM's future is doubtful. If things do not change there is no future here - there's no doubt about that!

Healthcare in dire straits. doctor shortages, potholes making our roads look like Swiss cheese, unemployment rates through the roof, rent going up so we can't even afford a roof over our heads, the cost of food going up, gas and heating oil keeps rising but hey...

Let's ask the gov't to build an 18 million dollar airport so golfers don't have to drive for 45 minutes. That's a great idea.
Let's build a new library for what? 30 million? Sure, we need a pretty new library.
Let's build a new college costing millions of dollars even though too many residents can't afford to attend the one we already have so they can get a trade instead of joining the ranks of the unemployed.
Hell, let's spend a quarter million on a study to tell us what most people already know... we're up shits creek without a boat, let alone without a paddle. What most islanders already know is Nova Scotia stops at the Causeway and the island is left to fend for itself.

We need to reassess our priorities. Let's stop pretending that some of these projects are needed to "improve" life on the island when the reality is, people are leaving the island because there's no damn work! 
People have to leave the island because they need medical attention that they can't get here.
People who dreamed of retiring and coming back to the island are changing their minds because of things like the health care crisis.
Why would anyone want to move here when you cannot get a family doctor and the wait times at the outpatients are outrageous? If the ER is even opened in some communities. Never mind moving here, why would anyone want to stay?

It's time for the province to act? It's time we get our act together! We don't need a new building to house books, we need housing for the people.
We need doctors and medical staff. We need more accessible education. We don't need golf holes played, we need potholes fixed or people will need to be airlifted just to get to the hospitals because the roads will be too dangerous to drive on. We need a lot of things, but first, we need to change our way of thinking on every level - from the residents all the way up to politicians who are supposed to be fighting for us.

To quote Bob Dylan: The Times They Are a-Changin' - it's time to change our way of thinking and what we've always done because clearly, it's not working. When it comes to investing in our island we need to start using common sense, my favorite oxymoron, instead of... I'm not sure what you would call it, but whatever "it" is, it needs to change!

Insanity can be described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It's time we stop the insanity and start doing things differently. Our future depends on it!

That's my two cents for what it's worth.

Kenn Crawford is an indie author, filmmaker and online course creator from Glace Bay. 

This article was originally posted to his Facebook page, August 14, 2019

Other Articles by Kenn:

Is Our School System Bullying Kids into Staying Victims? 

Dear Glace Bay Drivers... You Suck! 

Are Messaging Apps and Emojis Making our Youth Dumb? 

Glace Bay is Not Cottonland… Is It?

Some Millennials Just Don't Understand Reality

Online Courses by Kenn:

The Fundamentals of Screenwriting & Story Structure

Sell New & Used Items Online Without Paid Ads