In 1,000 years when British Columbia's cities are evolved to as-yet unimaginable heights, archeologists will unearth all over the province and the country huge hunks of metal bearing names.
They'll ponder over these people who surely achieved great feats of bravery and wonder what these men and women could possibly have done to earn such honour from one end of Canada to the other.
The answer is, they built roads. For years now, the provincial and federal governments have been partnering up to build much-needed infrastructure, and they've been capping off such projects with big shindigs and huge plaques honouring workers - and of course the names of the premier and minister of transportation make it in too.
Prince George's Simon Fraser Bridge will soon be graced with such a monument.
It will honour 400 workers (and a few politicians), cost $40,000 and be completed by mid-August.
While $40,000 may seem like peanuts compared to the project's $43 million cost - and that's only part of the even heftier $240-million first phase of the Cariboo Connector strategy - there are 18 projects along the corridor in the works, and 70 more in northern B.C. How much does that add up to in plaques?
And also consider that the $650 million dollar Sea to Sky Highway upgrade in preparation for the Olympics was topped off with a plaque with over 2,000 names.
And the massive Port Mann Bridge twinning project in the Lower Mainland also saw a plaque erected only to have it stolen by unscrupulous people who obviously see the value of such a weighty slab of metal.
Let's have an experiment - ask your boss to erect a monument to you for all your hard work and see how fast it takes for you to get fired (presuming you're not a roadbuilder).
While we're sure it's thrilling for some workers to see their name engraved on a plaque, while others couldn't give a fig, who among everyone else is happy to pony up the dough to celebrate thousands of people for having solid work?
And since the taxpaying public is footing the bill for all of it - jobs, plaques, politicians' salaries etc. - where's their plaque?
Well, the backslapping only goes so far, it seems, and when it comes to taking credit for paying for such projects, that's where the politicians step in - as is revealed in a press release quote from MP Dick Harris while announcing the plaque.
"This project, like so many investments we have made in the region, reflects the government's commitment to deliver real results to Prince George and the surrounding region - which includes creating jobs, building local infrastructure and supporting the local economy."
Nowhere in the two-page news release is there mention of the dutiful taxpayers who make such jobs and such projects possible.
Would it have killed him to add "And thanks to northern B.C.'s residents for making this all possible."?
Well we'd like to take the opportunity to pat all you honest, hard-working citizens on the back for this project, and for all the key elements needed to continue developing Prince George as a major transportation hub, supporting growth in all industries and encouraging economic diversification.
It's time someone did.
-- Prince George Citizen
