Wow. I picked up The Morning Star Jan. 15 and was greeted by the announcement that the amalgamation study was shut down.
Upon reading, it seems that Coldstream council and various directors attended a vocal meeting and based on that meeting, blocked calls for further study into this matter.
Amazing. If this is democracy in action, then this is downright scary. So based on a vocal group of politicians and their friends who rallied around this point, it was decided no further study needed to be done.
What about the 3000-plus people in Greater Vernon and, in particular, the 800-plus Coldstream residents who thought this would be a good idea?
Were there more than 800-plus Coldstream residents who attended this recent meeting where you decided to shut the process down? Or was there even an attendance taken? If you are a Coldstream council member and you truly believe that you should represent the majority of your constituents, don’t you think you should allow this study to move forward?
Or are the wishes of 800-plus Coldstream residents to be ignored just because they were silent or didn’t attend this meeting?
If democracy truly means one person, one vote, then at least have the decency to put this to a referendum (as you did previously regarding the construction of a new maintenance building) and allow your constituents the opportunity to voice their opinion at the next local election where they can mark their ballot (in private of course) and not be swayed by a vocal minority who are opposed to this amalgamation study.
Unless of course, representing your constituents really means looking after yourself first?
Ed Lee
Coldstream
