Re: Mayor refused good options: Daly (Letters, Dec. 21)
Coun. Ted Daly omits one significant statement made by Sandown owner, Bill Randall, at the council meeting held on Dec. 12. Mr. Randall said he thought the proposed land swap was good for him and good for the municipality, but he would not wait more than a few months to complete the deal.
Councillors Daly and Dunstan Browne want the community to provide clear direction as to what it wants and the consequent costs, besides reopening the discussions with the ALC before concluding the land swap. Obviously this will not be done within the next few months.
I conclude that either a) Coun. Daly does not believe Mr. Randall will revert to his Plan B as he stated, or b) he wants to sabotage the land swap behind a smokescreen of impossible requirements. Yet he writes to the Peninsula News Review, “With the community’s interest in mind, I will work with the mayor and council to find a compromise.”
May I suggest the following compromise: First complete the land swap so the community has options to discuss regarding the 83 acres. Make no changes to the land until consultations with the community, council, the town of Sidney, the ALC, the CRD and any other regulatory authority are complete. This may take years. Meanwhile the District of North Saanich will receive taxes from the 12 acres of commercial land swapped to Mr. Randall and the land can continue as a place for residents to walk their dogs, ride their horses and watch the trees grow.
R.C. Le Noury
North Saanich
