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At one point early in my journalism career, I was part of an office lottery pool in which everyone who put in their weekly $5 received the right to share in the millions sure to come our way.

There were close to a dozen people involved at various times. But of course it wasn’t consistent. Some people wanted to play only part-time. Others didn’t have their $5 when it was time to collect.

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It was never entirely clear to me who was involved from week to week, and whether anyone was keeping track.

We never won anything.

But I remember thinking that if our numbers ever did get called, what a mess it would’ve created among a group that couldn’t even agree on who got first dibs on the good pens in the stationery cabinet.

I bring it up because the whole concept of the office pool — shared risk and shared reward — has similarities to Strathcona County’s recent 9-0 vote to withdraw from the proposed Regional Transit Services Commission.