AHEM.

Apparently some of the concerns which I surlishly raised in my last post were construed as, shall we say, "a fine whine". Allow me to underline their genuineness.

Firstly, I want to make it clear that I'm not going to completely ignore personal responsibility in this matter. I'd very much like to get some snow tires. I simply don't know where I'm going to PUT my regular tires in the meantime since, y'know, I don't have a garage. I have avoided driving, as per the city's advice (It's times like this that I really miss my Sidekick and its fuel-efficient 4x4). Nevertheless, I still need to be able to get around via transit.

As for chains, anyone who puts chains on their tires in an urban area is a complete idiot. The chains will help you get out of your unplowed side-street, but once you're on the cleared main roads, you are damaging not only your chains but a public street. And no, I don't think I'll be trying to pull over to yank them off or string them back on in the muck every time I go from main road to side-street.

Next, a very important point needs to be addressed. It may have been implied by a commenter that, since it doesn't snow that often in Vancouver, we shouldn't bother being prepared. An interesting notion! Maybe I can tell that to my boss: "Sorry, can't come to work AGAIN today, car's showed under, transit barely running." Well, I'm sure I'd stay employed with that attitude. Unless we're prepared to throw up our hands, shrug, and shutdown all of Metro Vancouver every time we get more than a few inches of snow, we should be better prepared as a city. I might remind readers that Vancouver is very much a service-based economy. In this world, clients worldwide who can't get their work done by the chaps in Vancouver on the day they need it done are very likely to send it to the chaps in India instead.

And yes, it DOES snow in Vancouver. Last year, we got a several fairly significant dumps of snow, which were largely washed away from the roads (and apparently your memory as well) by big dumps of rain a few days later. However, in that period before the rain, we were paralyzed by the snow. Cars were sliding down hills and transit was hooped. So, do not tell me it does not snow in Vancouver.

Another important point! I grew up in Ontario: I know what a "REAL CANADIAN WINTER" is like *thumps chest impressively*. The difference is, in Ontario, they actually do a good job of keeping their roads clear, and I'm pretty such they aren't suffering under the load of repressively huge municipal taxes. Part of that good job is not just resources, but knowing how/when to use them. An example: here in Vancouver, the city wasted all of its precious salt reserves just before the snowfall and just after, then plowed all of that salt aside. When it rained a bit and froze, turning our roads into ice rinks, the city complained that it was out of salt! Can anyone spot the problem?

So, does anyone actually care about this issue except for spoiled, whiny, F-list bloggers? Why yes! VANOC, the Vancouver Olympic Committee, is actually fuming mad with the city. You see, exactly a year from now, Olympic athletes from around the world will be visiting Vancouver to train on our courses, facilities, and equipment. VANOC is obligated to guarantee to the Olympic committees of many, many different nations that those athletes will all have their equal turn training on site. Unfortunately, it's going to be a little hard to do that if it snows. "What's that?" says the Norwegian OC chair, "You're the winter Olympic host, and you're having a problem with the snow? No, I'm still here, you just need to give me a few minutes to finish laughing at you." VANOC is convinced that the city is heading towards a major embarrassment, and if anyone is going to convince the city that improvements are needed, it's VANOC.

Now, just to prove I'm not some endless complainer who's full of shit, allow me to provide some positive feedback and propose how this issue might be addressed. Currently, the way city budgets work is on a use-it-or-lose it basis. If your department is budgeted a million dollars per year, and you only use $100,000, that's all you get. This is kind of a silly model for weather-mitigating services: we could have no snow one winter and a GOD-DAMN SHITLOAD the next. What do to? How about this: if the City of Vancouver budgets $1,000,000 a year for snowfall control, and it only uses $100,000 that year, take an extra $500,000 anyway and bank it. That way, you build up a buffer of funds that you can use in case of a major snowfall. Put rules in place to allow for the funds to be used as a tax break in case the buffer account gets too high.

Maybe some of you are content standing outside in your shorts chanting "It doesn't snow in the Lower Mainland", hoping that if you wish hard enough, it will become true. I am not one of those people. I believe that if you prepare for the worst, you can usually expect the best.

I mean damn, I don't think we can expect an earthquake in Vancouver every year, but I sure hope to GOD that we're fucking prepared for it.