"I don't know about you, but I will be 41 when this court is supposed to be built," Norrie King, 16, told councillors at Monday's Public Works Committee meeting.

"And I'm just speaking from seeing my parents that I will probably be more focused on back pain than playing recreational basketball," she added, causing councillors to laugh inside council chambers.

King and her friend Julia Neven, also 16, spoke to councillors on Monday asking the city that the court, which was supposed to be built by 2051, be done and ready to play on next year.

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[–] veeesix@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 week ago

25 years to build a basketball court, 250 to build a 1,000km high-speed rail network.

[–] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

If that basketball court were a parking lot it would have been completed long ago, and probably would be being re-paved right now.

Kind of similar to how sidewalks get closed or torn up for months on end without a pedestrian detour, but a roadway get closed for a day because of construction and reopened the next day as if nothing ever happened.

[–] Reannlegge@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Hey kiddos welcome to the world of bureaucracy

[–] cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 35 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

We have to stop accepting this as a fact of life. It’s only going to change if we force it to. The more people who start asking questions like this and being politically active in their lives, the more things actually will eventually begin to change. Pursue reason and rationality, demand it from our government. It isn’t fun and it feels impossible so we treat it like a joke. Our mockery and nihilism is comfortable but ineffective, our complacency serves no one. It isn’t impossible, we’ve just decided it is because we’ve never really tried to fight for it and we are constantly reminded of the times we failed, any times we succeed are quickly normalized while any influence the people might’ve had on the outcome is minimized and dismissed. We are much more powerful than we are allowed to know.

[–] Reannlegge@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Very true I will not deny this as a political activist myself but things take time.

[–] Subscript5676@piefed.ca 5 points 1 week ago

Things take time, but there should be limits to how ridiculously sounding something can be. Away from public spaces, some people, especially foreigners, literally jab at Canada as the country that never gets anything done in a reasonable amount of time. Some just straight up say this country never gets anything done.

[–] Bluegrass_Addict@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I bet those kids could easily canvas neighbourhoods, collect money, have it built and be using it by their 18th birthday.

[–] Reannlegge@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

If zoning does not need to be changed or any other governmental BS doesn’t have to be involved sure, but I stand by my welcome to Bureaucracy statement.

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Because they don't want it. It's not hard, just accept the obvious.