I am relieved to hear Qualicum Beach mayoral candidate Denyse Widdifield is listening to residents. My hope is this means all residents; new and old; business owners and not.
My worry is Widdifield states that as if it is a departure from Mayor Teunis Westbroek’s approach. From my experience, it is not.
The last municipal election was largely run on “change.” There were few specifics. This time, I want specifics from all candidates; particularly from Widdifield who promises a “different” perspective. These specifics include:
• Do you support a mode of development which honours our ecological limits and our need for bio-diversity? Do you know what these are and how they are determined?
• Do you support current residents subsidizing for-profit, profitable business ventures through forgoing of DCCs?
• Do you know what a “transition” community is? Or how moving towards that development mode differs from one focusing only on a narrow understanding of “growth” or “progress”? We were actually on our way to becoming a “transition” community. If we had continued on that path, we could attract new businesses while maintaining the ambiance and size that attracts so many to our community.
• Are you aware of or care about the increased costs to residents if we go beyond our current population cap?
• How will you and your supporters treat newcomers?
As a long-time resident (30-plus years) I am distressed by the manner in which some members of this council and their supporters treated relatively new residents when they organized to have their voices heard. Democracy is more than an occasional election. To be authentic, it needs to be a transparent open process where the representatives of the people are accountable to all citizens on an on-going basis.
Yvonne Zarowny
Qualicum Beach
