Happy Birthday Rockwood Park!

[Doug James]

One hundred years ago, in 1907, Rockwood Park first opened its gates to the public – pristine parkland that a generous family had set aside for the enjoyment of Saint John residents for eternity. Today we learn eternity is only as long as our politicians say it is.

You can read more about my reaction to the National Energy Board's approval of the Rockwood Park gas pipeline on my blog at www.portcitypolitics.com (http://www.portcitypolitics.com). I know that many of you do not see the big deal here -- the pipeline through the park I mean, but I hope you can see that it is just one more part of a bigger plan that the Irvings have for Saint John.

Do you think the day will ever come when we the people get to decide the city's future?

[kaj27]

Do you think the day will ever come when we the people get to decide the city's future?

I did decide. I voted.

[Doug James]

kaj 27...I hope you aren't one of those people who believes democracy begins and ends on voting day. Citizens are generally much wiser than polititians and have a responsibility to ensure the latter are held accountable throughout their term of office, not just once every four years. If you agree with the direction Norm McFarlane is taking the city, that is one thing, but to suggest that he can do anything he wishes simply because a certain percentage of the people voted for him last time around is a classic cop out.

[kaj27]

You clearly don't believe in our current governmental system. I vote to have people represent me.

Would you rather have a proposition to vote on every week? Vote yes on 242?

I'm happy with the way things are going. The city seems to be FINALLY growing again. Instead we have people like you who want to hang onto pointless things. Like Rockwood park. I can't even recall the last time I went there. YUCK! Nothing like litter and dirty water. YUM!

[The_Dave]

Vote all you want, of which I do, but whomever gets voted in, never represents you or I or any other voter for that matter. Politicians always have and always will look out for their OWN agendas and nothing else.

[Cherry Pop]

Nice, real nice! I love Rockwood Park and actually it's pretty clean there compared to other places in this city. I take my daughter there alot. The playground is great! Rockwood Park is not a pointless thing, it's a beautiful place!

[The_Dave]

You are right cherrypop.

[Doug James]

My earlier comment elicited what I consider to be a very dangerous suggestion from kaj27 – the notion that, in a democracy, the participation of a citizen starts and stops at the ballot box.

“You clearly don’t believe in our current governmental system”, said this reader. “I vote to have people represent me”.

In other words, if I don’t like where Mayor Norm McFarlane is taking the city, I should just be quiet and mind my own business until voting day 2008 when I get to cast my ballot for or against his re-election. As that judge on Boston Legal is prone to say from time to time, ‘poppy ****’! John Stuart Mill put it more delicately when he said, healthy democracies need active citizens.

This reader is not an active citizen but rather a passive one. Passive citizens do not hold governments accountable for their actions in between elections. They just go along with whatever the politicians think best because, after all, “I vote to have people represent me”.

The people of Germany voted, in 1932, to have Adolph Hitler represent them. And then, for the most part, they remained silent until he poisoned and shot himself in the Fuhrer bunker 13 years later (pardon my oversimplification of a very complex period in German history). My point is simply to say that yes, we vote for people to represent us but we MUST be vigilant to ensure that they do so in our interest – not in their own self-interest or in the interests of powerful forces within society that care only for themselves and their corporate profits.

“I'm happy with the way things are going. The city seems to be FINALLY growing again”, says this reader. That’s fine. That’s your opinion and you have every right to hang on to it. Clearly your values are different than mine. You measure progress differently than do I. That is your right in a democracy, just as it is mine to disagree; to harp; to complain; even to whine in between elections when I see a Mayor who is more interested in self-preservation than natural preservation, more interested in re-election than revitalization; more interested in corporate cronyism than citizen involvement.

Finally, you accuse me of “hanging onto pointless things”, like the notion of Rockwood Park as an idyllic natural setting in the midst of a city of pitted concrete; scarred by decades of industrial abuse and decay.

“I can't even recall the last time I went there. YUCK! Nothing like litter and dirty water. YUM!”

If that is true, just who do you think is responsible?

[dan j]

I object to your use of the word pristine. Rockwood Park hasn't been pristine for a long time. Several of the lakes are manmade. To call them pristine is an oxymoron. The golf course is far from pristine and the lake used for the driving range is also far from it too. The campground, also not pristine. The zoo, the petting zoo, shall I go on?

For the record, pristine should be used to describe something in its original condition. Rockwood Park, by its nature is not pristine without even getting into all the manmade locations in the park.

Also, Rockwood Park was open before 1907 but the 100 year mark makes for a better argument.

For the record, I am not against the pipeline going through the park. I am against the methods that were used to have it put there.

[Doug James]

Hey Dan, the folks at City Hall think ALL the parks in Saint John are pristine -- not my word -- theirs. Check out the Tourism Saint John website:

There's a world of wonder waiting for you in Saint John "The Fundy City". Pristine parks, steep history-lined streets, quality dining and shopping.


I'm well aware that Rockwood Park was available to the public before 1907 but that was the year it was officially opened, so 2007 is the official 100th birthday.

If you check out my previous blogs and posts you'll see that we actually both object to the methods used to ram the pipeline through the park and that is really the only issue.

[AreWeThereYetMom]

In my books Rockwood Park is Pristine... although dictionaries will list that as 'immaculate, perfect, unspoiled, untouched, like new, faultless, spotless and pure'.

the words that stand out in my many moons of enjoyment at the park lean more toward perfect and faultless!!! and now I enjoy it more and more each season with my children.

My hubby once struggled on a question recently from someone on how we met as teenagers... my response was an 'eye rolling nod' ... after he paused for a few moments - then looking over at me in embarrassment - all I had to do was say the word 'Lake'.

We will celebrate over 20 years of marriage this summer :D after meeting by chance as teenagers at Rockwood park.

Thank you Doug for your injections of vigilance... your work is very commendable.

[skallywag]

Isn't the pipeline supposed to follow the same route as existing powerlines? So what the impact not be minimal?