Dear Editor,
Re: “Community rallies around dumped HandyDART users,” News, April 5.
Tell me why it was deemed a good idea to give an American, for-profit company (i.e. MVT transit) control over a social service (i.e. HandyDart) and by whom?
I recall a quote from a ‘Dart dispatcher a year or three ago, on being informed he was waiting the usual five minutes for a nearly 90-year-old woman to navigate her walker down a long hall to a slow elevator.
“Just leave (immediately go to your next pick up). We’re not running a social service here.”
Ummm, yes. Yes, you are. This is Canada, where we care for seniors and disabled people, even if there’s no corporate profit to be made.
If you signed up to run HandyDART without understanding that, you’ve made a horrible mistake.
To my understanding, possibly wrong, NAFTA applies to business, not social service. You (MVT) came up here expecting to cash in as you have in Texas and California without doing due diligent research into what was involved?
Do you feel as dumb as that sounds?
Kudos to the Richmond News.
This is when a community newspaper shines best; focusing attention on issues that rally the community into doing good.
Thank you for your story last week on Terry Venus’ plight with HandyDART, and also for this week’s follow-up (something the big dailies never do).
Don’t ever change — we love you as you are!
George Pope, HandyDART client
Richmond
