Noteworthy: Photo radar’s unknown made for more honest – and safe – drivers

By Bruce Penton on December 11, 2024.

I’ve had the occasional photo radar ticket over the years (maybe two or three in 20 years), but in my mind, the speed cameras are an effective way to control vehicle traffic in Medicine Hat.

Now that the provincial government has announced it is scaling back on photo radar enforcement (and mocking the program by making a joke about the ‘cash cow’ aspect of it), those who wish to speed have basically been given the green light to do so.

Photo cameras will still be operated in school zones and playground areas, but I’ve always liked the idea of thinking the cameras could be anywhere in the city, which motivates me to adjust my driving habits accordingly. It’s always in the back of my mind that a camera might catch me speeding on any street in Medicine Hat.

City council will also have to figure out a way to replace the city’s reduced revenue ($500,000 or so?). I guess they could always raise taxes.

The ‘anywhere’ cameras lead to a safer city, the perpetrators pick up the tab and I can’t see what’s wrong with that.

â€¢ As if Medicine Hat hockey fans needed an extra reason to watch the World Junior Hockey Championship starting Boxing Day, the fact that the Tigers’ Gavin McKenna is projected to be one of Canada’s leading players is even more incentive to tune in.

McKenna, who doesn’t turn 17 until Dec. 20, is expected to lead the way for Canada, whose roster is made up primarily of 18- and 19-year-old players. At last glance, McKenna leads the entire Canadian Hockey League (WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) in points, with only Kelowna’s Andrew Cristall, 19, outdoing him on a point-per-game basis.

The Whitehorse native already has a stellar international hockey history, starring in the April, 2024 Under-18 championships in Finland as Canada won gold, and in August’s 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup competition in Edmonton.

â€¢ Studies show that it’s easier on the emotions to pay for items with a credit card as opposed to pulling out cash. The result? Possible overspending, the experts say.

A yahoo.com report said the ‘pain of paying’ is less hurtful with a credit card because the payment doesn’t seem immediate and tangible. The chicken comes home to roost at the end of the month, however, when the credit payment must be made.

Says the online report: “But paying for purchases with cash whenever possible may help you cut back by helping you visualize that money leaving your wallet.

â€¢ More and more Canadians lately have been eschewing the mailing of actual Christmas cards to friends and family, opting instead to send an email letter to everyone in their immediate circle of loved ones.

This year, if festive greetings are to be sent out, email appears to be the only choice, as the Canada Post labour dispute drags on. That will be another nail in the Canada Post coffin if thousands of Canadians get in the habit – and enjoy the price benefit – of sending holiday greetings and photos by email.

Salvation Army says it is suffering greatly from the Canada Post labour disruption, as the charity’s mail-in gifts are “the bedrock” of its fundraising. As a result, the Salvation Army expects its Christmas season donations to be about $10 million less than last year.

There are still options: Online donations may be made, and there’s always room in those red kettles at local businesses for a $5 bill or a couple of loonies.

â€¢ Mahoney (Trent Roset and Ryan Massini) and Friends put on another great show Friday night at the Esplanade and then the Medicine Hat Concert Band did boffo work on the same stage Saturday night, with accompaniment by Medicine Hat Sings, a 75-person choir led by Jennifer Brown. The concert bands (the 69-member Andante group, led by Mark Ward, and the 46-person Allegro band, with Curtis Perrin the bandmaster) played a few numbers on their own, and a couple with the choir. The addition of the choir was a nice touch.

â€¢ Short snappers: Further to last week’s chatter about the Taylor Swift Eras Tour ending in Vancouver last Sunday. The Washington Post reported that “between,Â travel, outfits and lodging, the average Swiftie spent $1,300 per show.” … Kudos to the city for clearing the trails so quickly after Sunday’s snowfall. … If you never get tired of giving at Christmas time, there’s always the News’ Santa Claus Fund to consider. That great community operation helps to make sure nobody goes without on Christmas morning.