To the Editor,
I am deeply concerned about the process by which the events centre has been moving through council.
Public consultations were rushed during the lead up to the holidays, making it inconvenient for many citizens to fully engage or participate. These consultations centred around a proposal from a developer hired by the city, making them biased by definition. Hiring a multiplex developer to act as a ‘consultant’ and prepare material for public consultations frankly makes a complete mockery of the engagement process, and is insulting to me as a taxpayer to be solicited with a hard sell by developers.
The discussions so far on this multiplex have ignored previous lengthy and in-depth public engagement on the port lands. This entire process is an affront to me as a taxpayer, and flies in the face of responsible governance. This project is potentially the largest public expenditure in the history of the City of Nanaimo, and our tax dollars should be treated with more respect than this.
Wanda ThompsonNanaimo
To the Editor,
I have been reading a lot of negative letters about the multiplex proposal and haven’t seen any positive. There have been many complaints that there is going to be major increases to our property bills and cost of living. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but our property taxes and costs of living are rising regardless. A multiplex would bring in quite a bit of money through hockey, tournaments, exhibitions, and concerts. All provided it is built in the right area. The Howard Johnson location is not the right location as there is not enough parking. The city proposed location would be ideal as there would be plenty of parking and easier access to and from events. To those that want retail down there instead, go look at all the empty retail spots downtown. All we need is more tacky tourist stores.
Bob FreemanNanaimo
