Perhaps its because you haven’t climbed at/ or are unfamiliar with the character of the climbing at Bon Echo - but you can’t compare ‘the Joke’ (or any other route on the crag for that matter) to routes on the Apron in Squamish.  Haven’t climbed Unfinished Symphony for about ten years now (I think technically we climbed the hybrid Dream Symphony) but I do recall that it was fairly challenging and was happy that it worked out that my partner lead a couple of the cruxier pitches!  In any case I remember the rock being compact and devoid of many natural features (typical of the harder slab routes on the apron) - basically climbing up blank imaginary hold sections between horizontal breaks.  The climbing was/ is very much dependant on fixed gear (on the upper pitches anyway) because as stated, the runouts would be really damned long on absurdly marginal friction climbing - which in itself is a headtrip! 

The climbing at Bon Echo tends to follow natural lines that typically rise from right to left.  The rock is metamorphised granite that is compact and tends not to offer up too much in the way of obvious cracks but rather sparse and intermitent fractures that take smaller gear.  While not always obvious or easy - the gear is there if you know your craft.  This is possibly one of the more rewarding aspects to the climbing at Bon Echo.  Basically, climbing there - even at what is today considered a moderate grade of 5.9, requires (required) a combination of skill and nerve.  Again, the route was put up by John Turner in 1961 from the bottom up using pins not because they were planned to be left there as fixed gear, but rather because that’s all that was available for protection at the time.  The fact that the pins are still there should serve as a reminder of that bygone era - take pause, reflect, inspect and detrmine if the pins are worth clipping.  Most aren’t worth clipping as pro (although they may slow you down if it came down to it) so just look around and you’ll find all kinds of other options given the variety of advanced gear that the climbers of today have the luxury of having on their racks…
This recent bastardization takes away from the character and experience that used to be had on the route.  Adding bolts to the line is akin to chipping it down to a lower level.  The route had seen dozens of repeat ascents over the years and there was nothing unsafe about the route if you knew how to find and place gear and were solid at the grade.

we sure are an elitest bunch, aren’t we?

_____________________

check your head.

Gosh, Flashy, them bolters and the OAC have it tough. they want to preserve the legacy of local trad climbing, they really do, but first John Turner insists that they go bolt the Joke- they humm and hah, try to resist- now juts to completely ruin their day, the rangers twist their arm to get them to bolt the damn Joke and save their asses from a liability suit. Just so long they didn’t just do it because its a good line but they were too chicken but felt entitled anyway. Andru, bolts were in climbing in the 20s and the Joke would be a good place to drill on lead. Turner chose not to use bolts

I’d be OK with it if they had, say, bolted Stephen Harper to the rock and left him there.

Man - I think it’s awesome that there are so many smack talkers on here that just talk out their ass with absolutely no first hand knowledge of the situation…
As mentioned numerous times by various posters (who have actually climbed the route) - this is not some kind of death route - it is a natural line that was put up back in the day and was well ahead of its time in terms of difficulty and boldness - the route is 5.9R - and has seen dozens of ascents without any incident.  There is infact plenty of gear to be had on the Joke - sure there are a few blank sections that might have a relative degree of run out - hence the R rating.  The routes long history coupled with its reputation as a bold line are common knowledge and give the route its classic status.  As such, it its a route that most climbers aspire to climb in its original and historic state - in order to have an experience that is unique to that climb and that climb alone - that is the rite of passage.  Not getting up the thing by any means necessary.  Not everything has to be climbed by everyone.  There are plenty of more moderate routes that afford much easier gear/ protection placements.  WTF is wrong with stepping up to a route’s challenges?  If you’re not up to it - keep on paddling to the next line that you think you might be up to.  Go sport climbing.  Find someone to lead it for you.  But for fuck sakes leave it alone for others to enjoy the experience that the line has offered to the numerous climbers who have stepped up to the line in the past and for those who aspire to do so in the future. 
No one should be on a traditional climb where they are dependant on fixed protection to make a safe ascent.  Pins are relics of a bygone era that need to be inspected for their worthiness and then a judgement should be made as to the integrity of the pins - if you haven’t climbed the route - i’ll save you from guessing - yes the pins are 45+ yrs old - and no you shouldn’t rely on them to save your ass - that’s why you’ve got that shiney state of the art rack clipped on to your harness.  Again - there is pro to be had on this route!  No it’s not always easy and straight forward - but neither is climbing, which I think everyone can agree is one of the challenges that we all enjoy about it.  Turner pounded those pins into crack/ seam features ’cause that was the common practice of the day and it was one of his few and limited options.  Do you actually think for one second that he was concerning himself with fixed gear in order to tame the experience for future climbers?  He was up there having an excellent adventure placing the gear that he had where he could and climbing thru sections of rock where he couldn’t get any gear.  This is not a sport climb.  It is not even a mixed route.  This is a traditional line that has a few old pins that should be ignored in favor of any of the numerous other natural gear options that can be found on the line.  Don’t feel up to that - don’t climb it.  The actions of the individual(s) who bolted the Joke were self-serving because they were no longer up to the challenges of the climb - they reduced it to their level.

Andru and Sloppy - so you figure pins should be replaced by bolts cause they might pull and lead to liability issues as a result of failure?  Well by that mentality - bolt everything then!  I’ve seen lots of gumbies quaking their way up ground that they should not have been on to begin with, not so much for the ability/ inability to climb the route - but for their inability to climb the route safely.  Just cause you’ve got the latest and greatest gear from MEC, doesn’t mean you know how to place it properly and get up a route safely.  I’ve seen plenty of punters who’s gear has pulled or blown out due to improper placement, lucky to be alive cause something else actually held.  I’ve witnessed this in places like Squamish no less, where cracks swallow (or at least should) whatever gear is thrown at them.  These people should have never been on the route to begin with becuase they weren’t up to the task of making a safe ascent.

Let’s just bolt everything into submission, taking away any sense of adventure or enjoyment that might otherwise be had because traditional climber’s are outnumbered by the hordes of gym bred, latte sipping, cell phone talking climbers who absolutely must get up everything and anything the safest and easiest way possible.  Make it safe for everyone to climb everything! 
And maybe if it’s too hard to get up, we can just make some of the holds bigger - ’cause then even more people could enjoy the route…