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Big ideas means there are more big risks

Someone thought big and erected the money-losing Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney in such a way that it cannot physically expand

Lessee now, someone thought big and erected the money-losing Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney in such a way that it cannot physically expand.

So they want to try something different — in reality just more bigness, in the form of some organization using the cutesy Salish Sea buzzword but lacking a solid mission. But hey! It’ll keep some people occupied, perhaps even providing a salary, especially if they can suck money out of others to cover their losses.

One source being their collective business funding scheme, which will not help businesses who aren’t unique — grocery stores for example. They’d be better off marketing themselves to residents on the big city side of Sidney, though they might try advertising on the ferries: “Wheel into that big Safeway parking lot to shop instead of dealing with the mad rush on the freeway.”

I will note the Sidney conference centre, which deserves promotion.

Why are even aviation-oriented conferences held in costly downtown Victoria? Perhaps because that’s all the expense account crowd think of, but Sidney has ocean water too.

Of course conference centres are a favourite money-waster for politicians (does Nanaimo yet have its desired centre and enough hotels for it?).

People get grand ideas when they do not have to take the risk themselves.

Keith Sketchley

Saanich