[MonctonRad]

It's a moot point really.

We have to deal with the realities of the situation. Three major cities and two ethnolinguistic groups have (and will have) created major strains on the fabric of our province.

Delivery of services in NB will always be more expensive than in NS. There will always be strong internecine rivalries between the cities. There will always be demands for absolute equality between the linguistic groups, even to the point of complete cultural and linguistic apartheid.

We just have to learn to make the best of the situation.

We have to find a way to bridge the cultural divide in this province. This will be difficult as I have the feeling the situation is worsening as the Acadians become stronger. The urge to compromise has disappeared. This needs to be addressed. A province as small as ours and as poor as ours cannot afford absolute duality.

The situation with the cities however is not as dire. The three cities all have distinct strengths that help to define each community. Each city should learn to play to their individual strengths while relinquishing some areas of specialization to another. In this way, all can prosper. Indeed, having more than one large city in the province could be a strength in the sense that this helps to address regional disparity. If properly managed, we could make this situation a virtue.