Summerland, say it isn’t so

Dear Editor: At Summerland Council’s March 13 meeting, I was very surprised to not have Dean Strachan’s update on 13610 Banks Crescent as part of the background package available to the public.

I attended the last five months of council meetings and the public gallery has picked up “packages” with just the agenda — or all the corresponding background provided to the public — so why not that night?

Yes, the onus is on the public coming to council to do their own “homework” on agenda items they have concerns on, the District does not need to print 109 pages of agenda and background.

I did my homework. I know to go to the District’s public website before the meeting is held and print the agenda plus any pertinent background myself.

I asked Linda Tynan, CAO, why the update wasn’t in the handouts and she replied, “It is on the public website.”

Yes, but since Banks Crescent is obviously a huge proposal and of interest to many people – why wouldn’t you just provide the update from Dean Strachan to the gallery so we all would know what was being discussed in case we missed the public website version?

Dean is to be commended on his thoroughness, but for us to hear a three-page verbal report and try to ask questions about it in the allotted time at the end of the meeting is difficult. It doesn’t inspire confidence in your “openness and transparency” theme.

So, of the nine points listed in the update, seven of those are at the developer’s cost, rightly so. When does “due process/diligence” end and “leading on” begin? Who are you leading on – the developer – while ignoring concerns of frustrated taxpayers whose neighbourhoods will change forever? Getting his hopes up and dashing ours?

I support the excellent letter from Rita Connacher wholeheartedly. I didn’t speak that night about this because I think I know your standard answer, “We are on a fact-finding mission, we will hold a public hearing because it is law and then we will make our decision.”

What you are missing is how greatly this affects your own citizens emotionally and who are feeling more every week that this could be the “done deal” we have heard about all along.

Please say it isn’t so. Barbara Robson Summerland