While we in Greater Victoria have many things to be thankful for year-round, now is, of course, the best time to express our thanks. We would like to start with the weather.
Oh, are we grateful for our weather. While we are still basking in double-digit delight, our neighbours to the north are seeing the first few flakes of winter fall. Now, we realize that sooner rather than later our weather will take a more decidedly liquid form, but as we say in Victoria: at least we don’t have to shovel it.
Next would be our quality of life.
While this is difficult to quantify, we know we’ve got it good. Around the region we can bike to work, run through forested trails on the weekends, enjoy parks with up-to-date equipment and buy farm-fresh fruit and veggies almost any time of year. We can kayak in November, golf in December, ski in April, and those of us with leathery hides can swim in the ocean just about any darn day we please.
As far as transportation goes, we’re pretty happy with our choices. B.C. Transit keeps us cruising around town on schedule for the most part. And while B.C. Ferries may take a lot of heat for giving high bonuses and raises to its top executives all the while asking for more subsidies, cutting services and increasing fares … wait, where were we going with this one? Thankful, right, thankful … clam chowder! Yum.
Speaking of food. We can’t fail to mention our local restaurants. Whether it’s burgers, sushi, Thai, Indian, Korean, pizza, homemade doughnuts or ice cream you crave, you can find it here and it’s delicious.
What would a Thanksgiving editorial be without thanking our municipal politicians? (We’ll let you ponder that for a minute …) No, really. These guys and gals aren’t in it for the money or fame. They work hard on our behalf far beyond one council meeting a week, with very little financial remuneration. They listen to residents’ complaints, take phone calls at home and respond to problems, both big and small, at the drop of a hat.
And while our mayors may be low key and perhaps just a little bit dull, at least they’re not Rob Ford. For this we are truly grateful.