Dear Editor,
On March 17, a special council meeting was held to accept the resignations of two councillors. Six or seven members of the public showed up to watch as remaining councillors dealt with this matter. Forty minutes or so later a public budget consultation meeting was held. NO members of the public were present to discuss or ask questions related to our more than $4-million budget.
It is great to know that 100% of the public are in agreement with the budget for our municipality for the 2014 year going forward. At the regular council meeting held on March 24, amendments to the OCP were discussed.
There were comments at this meeting made by the former chair of the OCP Steering Committee. One comment made at that meeting by the former
chair that did not make it to the newspaper article was that the OCP was our island “constitution.” It is anything but a constitution. It is as follows:
An OCP is a statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use management, within the area covered by the plan, respecting the purposes of local government.
The fact that amendments to the OCP are being contemplated by this council simply mirrors the inadequacies of the present OCP on the objective of our community in respect of economic development. To put it plainly, the OCP is badly drafted in this area and others. (See Objective 95 under General Transportation whichaims “To ensure that ferry transportation services do not encourage population growth,” and you might wonder why we are having such a difficult time getting BC Ferries to listen to us.)
The former chair’s comment on Snug Cove sprawl is consistent with her extreme anti-growth strategy for our island. Unfortunately the OCP is
a document that is out of touch with the reality of what Snug Cove could be and how it could be the catalyst for a more vibrant and healthy community
going forward.
Just one final note on this subject: I was interested to hear the defeated mayoral candidate speak up outside of this council meeting and weigh in on the topic of campgrounds on this island. Will this person ever think about the residents of this island who want to work locally and contribute to the island economy? Does she not understand that there are other off-island tourists and visitors who want to enjoy all this wonderful island has to offer and support our local economy?
Sincerely,
Mayor Jack Adelaar
