1. “Mayor Krog and Council are trying to fuck up the city.“
No, they’re not. They’re good people who ran for office to try to help you, your family, and the community. Some quit their jobs to do this for you, for God’s sake. And they endure uninformed and hateful comments on the local Facebook groups in return. You might disagree with the decisions they make — that’s fine. Go to a Council meeting and tell them you disagree. They’re doing the best they can with limited resources and they’re open to suggestions.

2. “Why doesn’t the City pay for [insert service here]?“
The City COULD pay for whatever you want, sure. But money isn’t free. Imagine you’re making the decision here. You make the City pay for whatever you want. Good stuff. Now then, you need to pay for that. Do you increase property taxes, or do you cut services somewhere else? You MUST pick one of the two. Which one are you picking? More taxes or less service? Pick one. We’ll wait.

3. “Why the fuck are my property taxes always going up?”
Because things cost money, dumbass. You want a water treatment plant? You want those potholes filled? You want firefighters to extinguish a fire at your house? Then they need money. The only place money comes from is taxes. Do we really need to explain this to you? No? Then why are you bitching about property taxes so much on local Facebook groups?

4. “Why doesn’t the City do something about the homeless problem?”
What exactly would you like them to do?
• Fast-track supportive housing? Because they did that.
• Help fund community service groups? Because they do that too.
• Provide a list of resources for people in crisis? Hey, guess what?
Do YOU have some ideas on how the City can help more? Awesome! Then get off your ass and go to a Council meeting and suggest them. Or pick up the phone and call a councillor. Here are their phone numbers.

5. “We just need to throw these meth-heads and addicts out of town.”
Cool, bro. Where would you suggest they go? Statistically speaking, you have a family member who struggles with addiction. Would you kick them out too? None of them want to have their life entirely controlled by a substance. Not one. There are services that help — not enough, but they exist. You can do your part by seeing them as human beings who have a terminal, but treatable, illness and are just as worthy of a healthy and fulfilling life as you are.

6. “Nanaimo is full of thieves.”
Yes, theft happens in cities. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. Now, some actual facts. Nanaimo is only slightly above the national average in theft. Still, it sucks. Have you started a Block Watch for your street yet [here’s how]? No? Why not? I thought you didn’t like all the theft happening. Oh, that’s right. It’s someone else’s problem.

7. “The local Facebook groups are full of libtard snowflakes.”
Do you realize that when you resort to name-calling, nobody — NOBODY — takes you seriously? Did you know that? If you want to change someone’s mind on a topic, starting off by insulting them just isn’t going to work. Presumably, you’re on the Facebook group because you want things to go YOUR way. Don’t handicap yourself by acting like a ten year old.

8. “I heard the city’s CAO makes $275,000. WTF is that?!”
Yes, that’s true. Have you already forgotten what a clusterfuck our city was under the leadership of the previous CAO? Our new CAO holds two Masters degrees, is Vice President of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators, and has held similar positions in Fredericton, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Abbotsford.
$275,000, for better or worse, is the going rate for someone of that level of expertise. Sure, the City could hire someone off the street for cheaper — but think about all the whining you’d do then when the City goes off the rails again.

Did we miss anything? Let us know.