Editor’s note: Four of the following letters, including one by Trish Elliott, are in response to a June 13 letter by Prairie Dog reader Jo Katera, who criticized Elliott’s May 30 article on the demolition of Regina’s indoor skatepark. Katera weighs in after the letters with an additional and surprise-filled response to my comments on Katera’s original letter. Sincere thanks to everyone who wrote in for contributing to both constructive dialogue and entertaining squawking.  /Stephen Whitworth [hr]

DO NOT LIKE!

Jo Katera’s letter regarding the article about the skatepark closing is such a load of shit, in my opinion. First of all, don’t read Prairie Dog if you don’t like it — it’s that simple.

Second, the complaint wasn’t about the loss of a building. It was about the loss of a place for us skaters to go. Sure, we have two outdoor skateparks, but what about the six-plus months of winter? What about the rainy days? You may not know this, but we can’t skate in the rain or snow! We are perfectly happy skating in parkades, but they’re dangerous, and we’re always told to leave any place that isn’t “designated” for skating anyway.

Do you realize how boring it is to skate the same two parks day-in and day-out for four to five months out of the year? It certainly doesn’t affect you in any way, but it affects us greatly. Skateboarding is pretty much all about breaking boundaries, and keeping us caged up in two itty-bitty parks will only result in us trying to get out and skate wherever, whenever and on whatever we can. Give us a place to go and we won’t be on the streets, or bothering you in your precious public areas.

Which, if you ask me, is another load of shit. Why can’t we skate in the new plaza downtown? Oh, that’s right — skateboarding is a crime. I mean, it’s a little ridiculous when a person can’t even skate home through downtown without getting hassled by the cops, and now we have one less place to go, when we already have extremely limited options.

So yes, we will complain about it. Just because the “majority” of Regina doesn’t give a crap about us doesn’t make us any less important, our opinions any less valid or our desire for a place to go any less real.

As for Prairie Dog itself, I think you’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work!!

Natalie Desruisseaux, Regina[hr]

MISINFORMED, MISGUIDED

What a misguided joke! Jo Katera’s June 13 letter to the editor states: “The stadium is a multi-million-dollar legacy project. It will create hundreds, even thousands of jobs. It will increase Regina‘s stature, profile, and ability to host world-class events. It will free up the land around Mosaic Stadium for hundreds of affordable housing units, something this city desperately needs. It’s a sound economic investment in the future of the city and the province on every level… housing, job creation, retail investment, image enhancement, etc, etc.”

In fact, the real legacy here will be the 20 years of 4.5 per cent property tax increases. And jobs? Try exacerbating an overheated construction industry! We already can’t fill the current positions.

As for the profile: what, Grey Cup and Paul McCartney not enough? Will we now qualify to host the World Cup? Get real.

And affordable housing? Have you read the way City Council defines it? Utter nonsense.

Your arguments are misinformed on every level.

Marc Spooner, Regina[hr]

EIGHT THINGS THAT ARE GREAT ABOUT THE STADIUM

Jo, In your letter, you ask if there is ONE positive thing that could be said about the development of this magnitude (i.e. the stadium). Here’s my attempt to suggest a few positives.

1.) It will free up the land for hundreds of affordable housing units…Wait, no: affordable “market-rent” units — which anyone can tell you is an oxymoron, because affordable is not market rent and vice versa. And when was this housing going to be made? Oh, right: AFTER the existing stadium is torn down, everything is re-zoned, and then they can start building — so 10-15 years?

2.) It will have more seating capacity…Oh, wait, no: same amount of seats.

3.) It will have a roof — wait, NO, “roof ready” was the term. We live in Saskatchewan, where winter is six to eight months long, but we can only use this stadium when the weather is nice.

4.) It will be a green building leveraging renewable resources like solar, wind… Wait, what’s that? Wind howling around the building, but not being harnessed. Blind eye to climate change.

5.) It will have more parking…Whoops, sorry. It’s removing parking because it’s being built on the parking lot of Evraz Place.

6.) It will reduce the noise/parking/crime in an already plagued community…Oh, but we’re only moving it a block or so.

7.) It will “increase Regina’s stature, profile and ability to host world-class events” — how so, exactly? See previous statements.

8.) It will create jobs…But for who? The last article I saw regarding the City’s RFP process has three multi-national conglomerates bidding on the job. No jobs for local people. By the way, where will these imported people live? In the housing we haven’t made yet?

I commend Prairie Dog not only for its articles and news but for reporting on what people actually want to hear, instead of going blindly where so many have gone before.

Dawn Thomas, Regina[hr]

 THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY TOLD ME

Thanks to the many youngsters and a few oldsters for their handshakes, tweets, texts and social media sharing of my skatepark article around North America. I guess it struck a chord. As for the letter writer who objected, perhaps you couldn’t follow the key themes because you lack a soul and compassion for others with less power in society, such as youth. But enjoy your football game!

Trish Elliott, Regina[hr]

KATERA RESPONDS

Editor Stephen Whitworth’s response to my letter make me laugh. You take exception in print, and deny that your writers and your magazine bashes Christians… And after a comma, you begin a rant bashing Christians. How can you legitimately deny such a thing, when your so-called “Christmas“ issue was all about ways to eradicate Jesus Christ and Christmas from the holiday that bears His name?

I find it utterly hilarious that you find “creationism“ a strange topic. Can anything exist that was not created? I‘d be hard pressed to find something that exists and is made of matter that was not created. I‘d like to challenge you and your “newspaper“ to a little fun thing. I will put a closed package of Kool-Aid, a jug, a closed pitcher of water, some sugar, and a wooden spoon in your office.

Then, we will let it sit for 60 billion years, or whatever ridiculous number atheists claim, and see if it evolves into a drinkable jug of Kool-Aid. Ain’t gonna happen, but according to y‘all, it could, it would, and it miraculously has. And the chair you sit on to type your funny rants just kind of evolved into a chair too. LMAO.

That big ol‘ tree in Wascana Park just kinda fell over, splintered, and decided on its own merit:“I think I‘ll evolve into a chair to help those humans out.“ Sound ridiculous yet? That‘s what I thought.

AND, well, you call it “reproductive choice”. Those of us who care about LIFE call it what it is: murder, or slaughtering defenceless children. Take your pick. Your type of people are SO outraged about cruelty to animals, and you attempt to legitimize and make murdering children an acceptable lifestyle choice.

Bottom line: EVERYONE knows God exists. We are born knowing that. Even demons and Satanists know God exists. It is whether you choose to accept His free and wondrous gift of eternal life. You choose not to.

I do pray for you and your staff. Prayer is powerful and the “magic dude in the sky“, a.k.a. God, works his power in mysterious ways. I can‘t wait for the day when you resign from your bigoted, closed-minded, hate-filled newspaper because you finally believe truth!

Jo Katera, Regina[hr]

DON’T DRINK THE KOOL-AID IT’S TRYING TO EVOLVE Send letters by e-mail to feedback@prairiedogmag.com or snail mail to #201-1836 Scarth St., Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 2G3. Letters will be edited for grammar, spelling, style and length (300 words maximum). Please include your full name, city of residence and a daytime phone number. This page isn’t an open forum — we only print signed letters about Prairie Dog articles and other editorial content (if you have an enlightening anonymous rant, send it to Queen City Confidential). Letters sent to Prairie Dog may also be printed in Planet S, our sister publication in Saskatoon. Next letters deadline is Wednesday, July 3.

2013-06-27