Re: the letter Saanich councillor trying to justify a poor decision.
Vic Derman, Vicki Sanders and Judy Brownoff – in their minority positions – were long regarded as the “consciences of Saanich council.”
Thousands of Saanich residents now consider Coun. Nathalie Chambers to have also joined that group. Going to the media is what you do to defend minority positions – if we support free expression.
Happy dogs definitely need large off-leash places to run free. Maybe that needs to be further worked out while honouring the WSÁNEC Leadership Council’s serious PKOLS habitat-preservation concern. No harm in media-defending a council-minority decision on this. The majority of the People Pets and Parks decision enjoyed significant media time too.
Nathalie and Dave Chambers did heroic work saving the organic Madrona Farm and included PKOLS habitat from developer threats. That’s a critical climate crisis-era victory for all Saanich residents, that I am incredibly grateful for. Food-growing land and habitat are the lungs of the planet.
The real conflict is not Nathalie against happy dogs, but the grave loss of Saanich habitat over the last 50 years. That’s what has dramatically reduced their free space.
Coun. Chambers, please continue to defend our right to organic, local food, and to habitat that’s free from cement and asphalt – in the media as much as you possibly can.
Larry Wartels
Saanich
