If ever there was a myth being perpetuated, it is that our present mayor and her team are now in the minority because of their “free spending.”
Just a couple of examples of how costs ran away under our previous mayor and “team” speak for themselves: the sewer fiasco where costs were grossly underestimated and actually increased by nearly 50 per cent (nearly $5 million).
Then the new recreation centre costs – similar results. And who was it that voted in 2008 to increase the mayor’s salary by 77 per cent? Then-mayor Ted Daly. (The increase was thankfully defeated overwhelmingly by his own council, including Bob Shaw and Sheilah Fea.)
As for the other issue, a level playing field for farmers, experienced by governments everywhere, whether on a local, provincial or even national level is that subsidies in one form or another have to be made, either (perhaps indirectly) to improve and encourage agriculture, right through to direct help in the billions of dollars for the biggest farms in the Prairies, to protect them from foreign competition where production costs are lower. I don’t think Californian or Fraser Valley farmers or even ours here will be threatened by a few keen amateurs in Saanich.
Our official community plan must be our guide. This represents the real will of North Saanich residents, which essentially is to keep North Saanich as it is – green – and correctly puts the ultimately self-destructive bottom line first outlook into perspective.
Hans Edwards
North Saanich
