The City of Courtenay announced on April 30 that it has secured $6.8 million in funding for the 6th Street pedestrian/cycle bridge.
While we applaud the city on getting funding, we question what council’s motivation surrounding the bridge has been.
From what we can tell, and have heard, it’s certainly not demand.
Yes, there is a small group of Comox Valley residents that has been lobbying for this bridge for some time. But, based on online polls, letters to the editor, and phone calls to the newspaper, the majority of residents are outraged at the decision.
Yes, some of the money is federal, but nearly 50 per cent of the costs ($3.383 million) is coming from the city coffers.
Only $2.5 million comes from a fund dedicated to active transport, so the argument that “it’s like ‘free money’ and if we don’t take it, another city will” is not the case.
What concerns us is the city’s priorities.
Last year we conducted a poll among Courtenay council members regarding what they see as the three most important issues in the city. The mayor and all six councillors responded. Every one of them listed supportive/affordable housing as the most important issue.
Yet, when last year’s $7.65 million Growing Communities grant was given to the city, with very few restrictions on how to spend it, the city chose to spend $1 million on this bridge, another $1.5 million on McPhee Meadows (a park that has yet to be built), $2 million on an east end fire hall, $1 million on playgrounds, another million on the implementation of the ‘Parks Rec Master Plan’… and $655,000 on affordable housing. Supportive housing was not listed at all.
It’s sad that while this council talks a good talk when discussing homelessness, their actions speak much louder.