I am a physician who moved to Sidney to live and work.
Over the past few months, I have acquired many new families as patients.
A significant number of people have expressed frustration at not being able to find reasonably priced places to live in this area.
This is unfortunate.
Many are forced to live outside the local area because of the lack of affordable new housing. Is it reasonable for those people who live here to exclude others from settling in this area?
Is it not possible for healthy residential development to occur provided it follows appropriate rules and guidelines?
As Canadians, it is not ethical to have a “not in my backyard” mentality with regard to controlled residential expansion.
I congratulate people like Ian Vantreight for pushing to have the right to assist in co-ordinated residential development. We actually need much more in the way of this form of development.
Friendly and organized new areas for living should be viewed as a very positive thing for this community. It allows more Canadians with diverse talents and interests to call this their home.
When I drive around Central and North Saanich, it is easy to see large tracts of land which are completely unused for either farming, grazing or anything at all. People cannot purchase farmland at the exorbitant prices which are presently demanded, and even begin to make a living farming this land.
So, the land sits there, underused and non-productive.
We need progressive thinking from our community leaders to thoughtfully guide the process of orderly residential expansion. It will benefit everyone.
Robert H. Brown M.D.
Sidney
