Dear Editor
Last week, I had the insulting experience of being told that I, and others who share my opinion, should buy back STC. Note that I wrote ‘buy back’ not ‘buy.’ A crown corporation, STC was owned by the people of Saskatchewan. Last I checked there was a Roughrider jersey in my closet, Pilsner in my fridge, and a Saskatchewan address on my driver’s licence. ‘People of Saskatchewan’ includes me and “the union (members), various university professors and other dissenters,” and that made us all owners of STC. Whether you agree with the decision, would you tolerate an employee, whom you hired to run your business, shutting the doors and selling its assets without your consultation or consent? Imagine that situation, but said employee cannot legally be fired for another four years? Now imagine that employee and his defenders asking: if you care so much about your customers, why aren’t you letting the buyers I’ve lined up serve them? We have words for such actions, which I will leave to readers to imagine. There were steps the government could have taken to ensure there would be no service interruption: proposing direct sale of the crown to one or more of the “bona fide private operators who are willing to step up and provide a service;” that would've required an honest consultation process via an election or referendum. The government is not a fan of such processes, as evidenced by Bill 40 privatization law. The Sask Party government knows the people of Saskatchewan do not want to trust the transportation of our elderly, disabled, or those fleeing abusive situations, to for-profit ventures that may see such situations as nothing more than an opportunity to turn a dime. They know that having medical supplies and library books shipped at cost by one government entity for another provides financial benefit that doesn’t always reflect upon STC’s bottom line, and are hoping you don’t notice. They know the small businesses across our province benefit greatly from serving as STC bus stops. The STC is an essential service and Brad Wall knows it; he classified as much in legislation ruled unconstitutional for taking away drivers’ right to strike. The interruption in service we’re experiencing is the result of a deceitful government circumventing the law to impose an ideological decision they knew could not have done through honest means. Dissent from owners is to be expected.
Aiden Wotherspoon
Regina
