I do not think the city has a "secret agenda" concerning rural areas; however, it is no secret that in Beaver Lake, service could be much better.
For example, my husband lost three days' work this winter due to extremely slow or inadequate road maintenance. On days when we find a foot of snow at 7 a.m., it will stay there until 7 p.m. On days of freezing rain, only homeopathic quantities of sand are applied (and often missing critical areas on hills).
Many of the roads here in Beaver Lake are extremely hilly and curvy and are readily rendered dangerous if not virtually impassable by only a few inches of snow. It is always a terrifying experience to try to make it to Highway 17 without knowing when a garbage truck or other vehicles may be approaching.
It is hard not to notice, however, that in the city proper every short and flat little side street is cleared hours before a plow shows up out here.
In non-winter months we wait an inordinately long time for a grader to take care of the washboard and potholes. If we want a police officer, that will take at least 45 minutes. We do not have water or sewer service. We DO have hunters who trespass, blast their shotguns within as little as 40 feet of our house, and others who insist on murdering the semi-tame local geese. (What about that prohibition of shooting in city limits?)
And yet, for what little we do get, and the aggravation we must endure, we still pay a considerable amount in taxes. I wonder how Beaver Lake residents became second class?
Finally, in my many years of reading NL, I have never before seen an editorial making such a nasty personal attack on a city councillor. It was excessive — Michael Vagnini surely is no more deserving of such singling out than any other councillor I have heard or read about lately!
While Greater Sudbury is probably not trying to "deliberately endanger" our lives, it's record on road maintenance clearly points to "non-deliberate" endangerment.
No conspiracy here folks, just poor service.
Beth Luopa
Worthington