Editor:
Over the last few weeks I have been asked several questions about some of the recent happenings involving Quesnel city council.
I’m compelled to speak on this as I feel there have been some misconceptions concerning some of the events.
The recent censure of Coun. Suhsil Thapar has been what I’ve been asked about most and how it came to happen.
The censure has nothing to do with the recent issue regarding his requests for council expense claims.
This censure was put in place because of a number of incidents involving Thapar and staff, where staff found his behavior unprofessional.
He may not have intended his actions to be unprofessional but they were perceived to be.
This censure is about providing city staff with what every employee of any organization deserves, a respectful and harassment-free workplace.
We did not take leveling this censure lightly, we simply felt there was no other option.
If this behavior had come from any member of council, the decision would still have been the same.
I have been also asked about the previously mentioned council expense claims. I agreed with Thapar and thought the decision not to charge him for the requests was a good one.
However, as elected officials we have to be careful about how much extra unneeded work we apply to staff.
It is a difficult job to run the day-to-day operations of a city and for us to slow down the system with too many requests, seems to me to be unnecessary.
Lastly I would like to say that I also have heard comments regarding the poor state of Anderson Drive.
There is a reason not much work is done on that strip of road. Anderson Drive sits right at the toe of the West Quesnel land stability slide.
This is what causes the majority of the problems with the road. Unfortunately, no one could have foreseen the problems the city is experiencing trying to get through the environmental approval process of this project.
To spend the amount of money needed to overhaul Anderson Drive right now would be a waste.
This summer you will see crews out there working as hard as they can to keep the road in the best condition they can. Once the slide concerns are solved, I believe, would be the best time to redo the road.
Quesnel city council is an open, transparent government who will provide honest answers concerning any city issue.
Councillor Mike Cave
Quesnel
