Dear editor,
Handsome renovations at city hall!
This makeover should extend the life of the current building for many years — a good investment by council, especially when contrasted with an expensive, brand-new building previously promoted by some former council members.
A few candidates running in Courtenay are again calling for amalgamation, forgetting the fractious and costly attempt in the '90s. Many residents will recall that the voters of Comox and the electoral areas soundly rejected it in a 1999 referendum.
Instead of revisiting old negative campaigns or returning to unproductive bashings of the regional district, the current council's example of co-operation with other local councils and boards will be more beneficial for the Valley in the long run.
We already have efficient regional systems for water supply, sewage, and solid waste. Let's build on this success, and remind ourselves that servicing sprawl is expensive.
One local candidate laments that more water flows down the Puntledge in one day than is used by all residents in a year. Of course the key difference is that, unlike river water, our drinking water has been treated, pumped, monitored, and piped. Conservation efforts keep down the demand on the existing system and delay the costs for new infrastructure — a benefit to everyone using regionally managed water.
What sometimes passes for common sense can be merely the simplistic. Voters should be very wary of developer-driven agendas. The common good always trumps individual self-interest.
On Saturday, I'm voting for positive, constructive local government, and I encourage all civic-minded people to get out there and vote.
Tom Pater,
Courtenay