Re: North Saanich council tasks staff with stopping work on draft OCP.
I assume by Mayor Jones’ remarks that he never actually read my letter; I was not advocating for a particular direction as council considered his notice of motion regarding the future of the official community plan review.
For clarity, I made two suggestions: the first, that council defer consideration of the motion until such time as they have received a presentation from staff so all members of (a largely new) council are making a decision based on the same information. Secondly, that in the absence of a rationale made by way of a preamble to the notice of motion, the public has absolutely no idea what Mayor Jones’ motivation might have been for making the motion at all.
I appreciate the reminder that I am “just a resident” — in this matter, a knowledgeable resident based on eight years as an elected official.
Regardless of one’s perspective, all North Saanich residents deserve to be served by a council that fully understands the issues and by a mayor that is transparent about why he would recommend stopping the process — before making a decision.
Is that too much to ask?
Heather Gartshore
North Saanich
