Editor:
Re: New rules criticized, Feb. 25.
Thank you, Connie Fisher, for publicly cracking the city’s code on parking regulations.
All along I have felt that Five Corners’ new one-hour-here and two-hours-there parking is not only confusing, but also arbitrary. Connie, you showed the city really does care, by making them ‘eat’ your ticket. You probably said it was a confusing parking regulation and that’s why they ate it.
If you had said “confusing and arbitrary,” I know they would become defensive. They would say several businesses wanted the new regulation.
If you protest and say 16 out of 18 businesses signed a petition that said ‘no’ to this, you would be called a smarty-pants because you can count. For sure, if you say those 16 businesses pay $150,000 in property taxes, while the two businesses pay $5,000, they will ignore you.
Just like they ignored our petition. But then again, Peace Arch News didn’t report our petition either.
It is also important to point out that Peace Arch News misreported by stating that Lifelong Health staff had received tickets – this is untrue, our staff do not park in front of the businesses on Five Corners; it was our patients who received tickets.
Apparently, the mayor of White Rock also talks in code whereby a “petition” becomes a “request.” I guess if we call it a petition it would require democratic law and the courts are really opposed to arbitrary laws. Darn, there’s that word again. Did I hear city manager Peggy Clark scream?
Yes, the city said they have done several surveys, but none that I participated in.
Hold it, I do remember a guy, after the fact of changing these regulations, coming around asking my opinion… hardly a professionally conducted decision process. He pretty well said it was a done deal for now. I guess the code word for “survey” is “done deal.”
Dr. Rod LeBlanc, Lifelong Health
(Editor’s note: Lifelong Health partner Glynis de Crewe-LeBlanc had told PAN that her staff were among the first to receive parking tickets.)
