The Provincial Budget has

been released, and the Conservatives are telling us to take a hike -- literally. The budget allows for no money to be spent on a tran- sit system for the greater Charlottetown area. According to a ten month study done in 2002, Charlottetown could have three buses connecting _ Stratford, Cornwall, and Charlottetown. A two dollar fare was proposed for this service. A total of $100,000, and a promise, was put away in the 2003 budget to set a plan in motion that would connect the three towns. The most it ever became was a service that targeted the disabled and the elderly. It was not widely known about or used by the general public.

So where is our transit sys- tem? What happened to the project that was supposed to take off last September? It didn't fly obviously,

and nobody knows it better than Mitch Tweel. His $400, 000 propos- al to establish.a public transit sys- tem was rejected this year. Currently, Charlottetown is the only capital city in Canada lacking a public transit system.

So where is the money? This’ year. “the provincial _rev- enues totalled $1.032 __ billion. From that money, $72.4 million (6.8%) goes to

public works, 25% goes to education, and 40% to health- care. Nudging out transportation for the number three spot is paying interest on our debt. Does this sound stingy to you? There is a freeze on spending across all gov- ernment programs, and some are experiencing the sharp edge of this budget more so than others, includ-

“With a popula- tion approaching 60 thousand people, Charlottetown is transporta-tionand very near due for a transit system of ite own,”

ing Holland College programs in Summerside, the processing plants up west, and a cut in University funding from $1 million to $750,000. There is no doubt that this Conservative government is being just that -- conservative.

You could also say the fed- eral budget has a definite impact on our spending, and this is true, but there will always be cuts. Sooner or later they won't be able to put it off any more. The new budget has a new gas tax which will raise our trip to the pumps by 3 cents a litre. We are also paying higher rates on average gas rates now that pricing boards have approved increases of a possible 3.2 cents. All in all, this summer we will be paying the highest prices the island has ever payed. With

increased insurance rates on top of that, the transit system has never looked better. You would think that a city with so much interest in the tourism industry would be jumping at the chance to install a transit sys- tem. If applied correctly to the tourism industry, it could generate revenue, and provide visitors with easy access to and from town. And lets not forget the environment either. PEI is making strong com- mitments to the environment with farming, waste, and energy initia- tives. A bus system would only coincide with this new outlook. With a_ population

approaching 60 thousand people, Charlottetown is very near due for a transit system of its own. Don't be surprised to be seeing this as yet another big promise in the next election campaign for all parties.

PS: If you are looking to support a student initiative to get us a bus, keep your ear to the ground and in touch with the SU.

Maybe you hear this all too often: Save the whales children / trees / world. And there is a lot of saving to do. More than this brief listing. Well, do I have a deal for you! You can save it all sublimi- nally through reduction of consumption and exercising choice. Choosing ethically responsible products gives you an amazing ability to aid all these commendable

Product

Coffee Vegetables Everyday goods, appliances Pre-packaged food, individually wrapped

Commonly used wasteful items Paper towel Coffee filters and cups Shopping bags _~

Cars

Be Aware- Shop With Carel

by Aleida Tweden

humanitarian and environmental efforts. I believe, truly, everyone is good and wants to do good. We, the consumer, do not think “Gee, where can I get my hands on the lat- est product made from a sweat shop?” or “Hook me up with that cup of coffee that

ripped off the farmer who made it.” No,

we don’t say it literally, but essentially we are saying it each time we shop. And no

Current place shopped at...

Tims, Grocery store, other Grocery store

New: right from the store Grocery store

Use instead....

Dishcloth, towel Permanent filter, coffee mug/thermos Backpacks, cotton bags, any bag sitting around not used anyway Walk-is anything really that far in Charlottetown?

one talks about something he or she cannot see a solution for. But what if there is a solution? Feel empowered? Good! Get the ball rolling and free yourself from the corner that we, the consumer, have been pushed into. The corner known as “no choice” when it-comes to the where and how your goods are made. This is a little solution manual to change:

Switch to ...

Fairly traded coffee found at Timothy's International Coffee downtown- if you need the coffee ground they can do so for free.

Farmers market; supports local growers and ensures organic produce

Old: yard, garage sales, bargain traders. By reducing the energy cost with producing new you are helping out the environment. Bulk Barn- saves on wasteful packaging, and you usually get more for less. (10% off for students and seniors on Wed)

UPEI Cadre April 5, 2004 page 10

Maybe this is an over simplistic guide, but is also far from complete. By no means should one walk when it is -38 degrees! Bt, when you can, exercise your decisions that help; choices you are proud of. Be aware, shop with care. Don't just be a passive activist, one who is actively aware but passively acting: I think change really starts with I and solutions, not they and problems. Take the challenge, try and be an active consumer and educate the industry. Demonstrate that we are not pas- sive, buying only what the industry pro- duces. Show that they must only sell what we will buy.

Any comments/ suggestions? E mail me at aleidatweten@hotmail.com