Dear editor,
Here we go again.
When are our City council and staff going to become aware of the fact that we are in difficult economic times? In fact there is some talk of a recession next year.
The City has just announced a 2.2-per-cent hike in garbage collection fees, even though the CPI has only increased by one per cent, and I have no doubt more increases in other services will be next.
Now they are back spending $70,000 for the study of the wooden bridge, and if it is approved we will spend $1.9 million to build it.
We are all screaming for the provincial government to cut back on their spending. Take a closer look at your property taxes. The City can set a budget and raise our taxes to pay for their spendthrift ways.
The Wooden Building Guild is all for it, but I don't hear them offering to build it for free. If the bicycle brigade is so adamant that it should be built, I have a solution.
Have the wood builders supply free labour. Make the bridge a toll bridge. Make the cyclists buy a licence and insurance. The licence fee would be dedicated to pay for the bridge. We should also make the toll charges adjustable so that the taxpayers of Courtenay would pay the least and all others would pay the full toll.
Last, but not least, the wood builders could build a toll booth.
I sincerely hope that when the next election rolls around all the taxpayers of Courtenay will remember the tax-and-spend attitude of most of our city councillors and not re-elect them.
Bernie Guyader,
Courtenay