<OT> To all New Zealand SxS members

[Tom Marinis]

Ted Ozolins wrote:
> burns wrote:
> 
>> I've also just heard from my sister-in-law that they are under
>> evacuation notice as part of the forest fires in Kelowna, British
>> Columbia (western Canada). The mountain behind their house is ablaze and
>> ash is dropping on their front garden. Last night 25 houses further out
>> were burned, although it's got a way to go yet to reach my in-laws.
>> Their bags are packed in the front hallway. Guess people everywhere are
>> coping with these things that get dropped on us.
> 
> 
> I'm across the lake from Kelowna and believe me its one heck of a scary 
> sight. A large part of Kelown is under evacuation notice. Quite a few 
> homes have been lost and more anticipated. This is one fire that should 
> have been stopped dead in its track, but as always too little too late 
> has created one heck of a mess here. At the begining the Forestry had 
> four golden opertunities to stop the advance of this fire but they chose 
> not to act. Its been a jurisdictional pissing match from the start and 
> now a lot of good people are losing their homes. These homes are not 
> ones in the interface but in the town itself. If there was any justice 
> on earth, then only bureaucrats would perish in natural desasters. Here 
> I go dreaming again<sigh>
> 

Well TED, you *could* make the recommendation to your
friends that they file a claim in court.

Make Premier Gordon Campbell and Minister De Jong
personally and financially responsible for cutting 740
jobs out of the Forestry Ministry back in Jan 2002,
and the 600 from WAter Land Air Protection services
the year befor that,

[ the argument: despite the advice against such actions,
   as recommended by the Auditor General's report 2001

   http://bcauditor.com/PUBS/2001-02/Report1/sec1.htm ]