Rants & Raves
Stormageddon, all-star Eagles, snowplow review and more make our list
Rant: Stormageddon! As if the weather this winter wasn't bad enough, we get pounded by a storm last Tuesday locals are describing as the worst in decades. More than 30 centimetres of snow, 60 millimetres of freezing rain and power outages that left more than 16,000 households in the dark at its peak. Warming stations even had to be set up in some areas. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Mother Nature's wrath occurred in early April, a time when our attention normally is turning to traditional spring pursuits like golf and gardening. Downright depressing if you asked us. We trust, however, that the really crappy weather is over and some semblance of spring is on its way.
Rave: Great to see Cape Breton Screaming Eagles forward Cameron Darcy and defence man Justin Haché, named as Quebec Major Junior Hockey League second-team all-stars last week. After two years of missing the playoffs (not an easy accomplishment in the Q where virtually every team makes the post-season), Darcy and Haché helped sparked an impressive Eagles revival in 2013-14. Yes, getting swept in the playoffs was a disappointment but if these two return next year (Haché could turn pro) the future looks even brighter.
Rave: Despite low expectations, we welcome Liberal MLA Geoff MacLellan's plan to conduct a full review on plowing procedures and equipment across the province in the wake of complaints from local residents and CBRM councillor Kevin Saccary after last week's storm. That's not to say that the work done by snowplow crews, who were out in brutal weather conditions for 12-hour shifts last week, wasn't amazing. But fact is some roads were missed due to internal miscommunications and that could mean the difference between life and death for someone some day.
Rant: OK, the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board is now dealing with 15 region-wide school cancellations (and counting) this year and the scramble is on to ensure the remaining school days are used as effectively as possible (aren't they always?) to ensure students are as prepared as possible for the next school year. Word to the wise. No matter what, some of the remaining curriculum is going to be glossed over or omitted. That said, we believe the real long-term answer here is for curriculums to always include assignments that can be done at home on storm days, and offer classes that could be conducted online (if there is power). The technology is already available and it's only a matter of time when every student has access to either a laptop, iPhone or iPad. Most beyond Grade 6 probably already do. Anything, we say, is better than 15 lost education days.