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LETTER: Contrary to suggestion, council listened, then made a tough decision on housing project

Dear editor,
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Dear editor,

While I disagree with the Courtenay council on several issues, the June 28 letter from K. Ryan (Eighth Street resident disappointed with ‘lip service’ paid by council) casts unfair criticism by claiming that “the mayor and council did not listen” and “our point was missed completely.”

The council listened very carefully and made a difficult decision. Had K. Ryan attended the subsequent meeting where final approval was granted, Coun. Doug Hillian eloquently expressed, at length, concern about the issues raised at the public forum, prior to the vote being taken.

It was stated that this venue was the most suitable, but unfortunately the council did not provide details of what other property the city owns and what alternatives were considered. The real test of the success or failure of this desperately needed housing will be how well the John Howard Society integrates the inhabitants into the community and how responsive the RCMP is to any illegal substance issues and aggression.

Considering that people who challenged the incumbents four years ago have not attended any council meetings since, I’d suggest that many positions need to be evaluated before casting a ballot on Oct. 20.

Fred Muzin

Courtenay