Dear editor,
Mr. Brogan’s letter to the editor regarding growth in the Comox Valley (Is the Comox Valley growing too quickly? May 24) was thoughtfully put together; I think a lot of longtime residents, including myself, can wax poetic about the “good old days” when a trip across town didn’t require fighting the hoards over our inadequate bridges.
But unfortunately, Mr. Brogan’s pastoral image of the Comox Valley is one painted in watercolour and is merely an artist’s interpretation. The reality is that people will continue to immigrate to the Comox Valley for the same reason Mr. Brogan did; it’s a beautiful place to live.
His position, while noble, does not offer up any solutions for a future that will inevitably see more people calling themselves citizens of the Comox Valley. What we should be calling on, is our local politicians to step up, put their heads together, stop pretending we aren’t growing, and come up with a plan that ignores the arbitrary lines on our municipal map.
Plan for a third bridge crossing to alleviate frustrating traffic congestion, which as we grow will only get worse.
Plan for the increased demand on water and sewer, not for tomorrow, but for 25 years down the road.
Our politicians have coasted along on decades-old infrastructure, without pushing forward on major capital projects that will affect, for all of our shared benefit, our quality of life. There is a balance that can be struck between intelligent urban development, and protecting our quality of life.
When will our politicians realize you can support a progressive pro-growth strategy, and not be viewed as “against” the environment? The Greens do not own the rights to the environment, as they would like to have you believe, and vice versa.
I agree with Mr. Brogan that we should not “exploit and decimate” our environment, and with proper growth planning we shouldn’t need to.
Brennan Day
Comox Valley
