Anyone who was curious how budget cuts might influence a major government program need look no further than the Meteorological Service of Canada, the sub-agency of Environment Canada responsible for, among other things, tracking weather and climate for all of Canada.

The Meteorological Service’s long-range forecast accuracy has been terrible for a while, but lately they’ve been having trouble with day-to-day and even intra-day predictions.

For example, I’m interested in the weather for tonight because it determines first of all whether my ultimate game will even be played, but also whether it makes any sense to bring my son with me. Sitting in the rain for 2 hours does not make for a happy 3-year old. Since I began checking last Friday, the forecast has changed *at least* once a day, and I’m not talking by a degree or two. I’m describing full-blown changes as to whether it will be sunny or rainy…and then the opposite change back again less than 24 hours later. I know we’ve screwed up the planet’s climate something fierce, but honestly, I might as well just look out the window tonight when it’s time to go to the game.

I know there are other sources for weather information, but my wife works for Environment Canada, so there’s some brand loyalty at play. In a broader context, the implications for the larger objectives of the Meteorological Service, namely monitoring climate, atmospheric science, air quality, ice and other environmental issues (to quote their website) are pretty scary if they can’t even get the weather right.

UPDATE: We called the local Green Party office to get a replacement sign, and apparently this was not an isolated incident. Highly uncool.

UPDATE THE SECOND: We now have a new sign. Wow, maybe the Green Party *is* organized enough to actually run things!

While I respect their sentiment, I’m a much bigger fan of actually fixing a broken system than just accepting it in perpetuity. There are those who are working to fix the system, chief among them Orphan Voters Canada (also available on Facebook, if you’re one of *those* people.) Sadly, I don’t think electoral reform will make it back onto the ticket in my lifetime after failing so badly last year in Ontario, and with both the economy and the environment in the toilet.

Regardless, go vote next week. It’s the closest thing you have to a voice.

Courtesy of Presentation Zen.

Candidates: how do you expect to be able to effectively represent your constituents if you don’t even know who or where they are?