That's one of the names Vancouver's been called before, but now I see that the title is probably going to have to move further south. Driving through Surrey this morning, I noticed a group of skaters with hockey sticks swirling over a frozen pond. To most Canadians, this wouldn't be worthy of note, but out here in supposed 'Lotus Land' the ponds don't usually freeze. I was glad I had my camera along, and planned to pull over to take the shot on my way home, when I'd be on the safer side of the highway.
Only when I came back that way, the ice stood vacant as you see in the shot above. I can only guess that the skaters had been shooed off, as there was a sign asking me
to call my MLA if I wanted to 'free the ice'. It's difficult to accept this as any kind of safety issue, as the site is a fen -- basically a marsh, and I can't imagine any part of it is deep enough for anyone to drown in. Besides, it's been cold for a week now and the water is most definitely frozen.
Off to phone my MLA, who's used to hearing from me, though not over anything as ridiculous as this.
PostScript: Today's local paper has a story on this, explaining that the issue isn't safety but 'concern for the environment' -- especially litter -- that sees the pond decreed off-limits. Considering that 'they' spent $2,000 erecting a fence to keep family skates from occurring, I am baffled. Didn't putting posts into the ground cause more disturbance to the site than skaters would have? And couldn't they have installed a litter bin for a tenth of that amount?
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