With the headline ‘Forward in Fairwinds’ (The NEWS, July 29), you could have had a sub-headline that read “Backward in Qualicum Beach.”
My wife and I were out of the country for two months. When we left, The Qualicun Beach town council had approved a change to the growth containment boundary to allow it to deal with land use issues within its border.
When we returned, we read that Coun. Scott Tanner had made a direct appeal to the board of the Regional District of Nanaimo to deny Qualicum Beach’s democratic vote on this issue because he did not agree with it. In my view, this was unethical and contrary to the democratic principles that he should stand for as an elected official. The loss of his RDN appointment (alternate director) was appropriate.
The third reading by the RDN board approved the proposed changes to the growth containment boundary, with one director saying: “We have a duly elected body and in our system of democracy majority rules. It’s an issue of governance not land use.”
Then there is the small group of unelected busybodies who appear to have put tremendous pressure on the RDN board after the third reading to deny it in the final reading. They did so without the full board being present.
This is the same group that through its aggressive letter writing campaigns is opposed to just about everything that is approved by council. It purports to represent the citizens of Qualicum. It certainly does not represent the “silent majority.”
With this latest attack on Coun. Dave Willie, I could no longer remain silent.
Its about time Qualicum Beach’s mayor and council take back control of the democratic process and, if necessary, consider petitioning the Supreme Court of British Columbia to reverse the RDN vote.
John Fox
Qualicum Beach
